Glade Topham

Glade Topham is a Professor and Program Chair of the Couple & Family Therapy Program at Kansas State University (KSU). He joined KSU in 2016 after serving for 13 years at Oklahoma State University, including nine years as Program Director. His research focuses on parent-child relationships and their impact on child physical and socio-emotional health, with emphasis on obesity prevention and intervention efficacy.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy, Texas Tech University
• M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy, Brigham Young University
• B.S. in Family Sciences

Research Interests: Dr. Topham leads a longitudinal study tracking 1,200 rural children’s health outcomes from elementary to high school, collaborating with a transdisciplinary team. He also investigates parental practices influencing healthy eating in adolescents through a USDA multistate project. Undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students actively contribute to his research across design, data collection, and publication.

Professional Roles: Editorial Board Member of Family Relations; Site Visit Team Chair for COAMFTE (Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education); Member of AAMFT and NCFR.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Center for Child Development and the Divorce Education Assessment Collaborative at KSU.