Wendy Kliewer

Wendy Kliewer is a tenured Professor in Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Psychology (College of Humanities and Sciences), specializing in international health psychology with joint appointments in Clinical, Health, and Social Psychology programs. She coordinates the Humphrey Fellowship Program and leads research on adolescent substance use prevention across low- and middle-income countries.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine (1989)
• M.S. in Psychology, Portland State University (1983)
• B.A. in Psychology, Southern California College (1980)

Dr. Kliewer's research centers on substance use prevention and adolescent risk/resilience factors, with emphasis on cultural contexts in Africa and South Asia. She develops capacity-building initiatives for researchers in resource-limited settings and enhances VCU's addiction studies curriculum through community-engaged approaches.

Her 2023-2025 publications reveal dominant trends in global health disparities, using systematic/scoping reviews to analyze community violence, child marriage, and substance misuse interventions. Recurring methodological themes include cross-cultural comparisons and mixed-methods designs addressing social determinants of health.

Award highlights include:

• APA Fellow (Division 52, International Psychology)
• VCU Distinguished Mentoring Award (2017)
• Presidential Award for Community Multicultural Enrichment (2017)
• Fulbright Research Fellowship to South Africa (2010-2011)

As a dedicated mentor, she guides undergraduate researchers through VCU's URSA program and supervises Humphrey Fellows' research capacity development. Her grant portfolio includes NIH-funded international collaborations and Fulbright grants supporting South African youth studies.

Dr. Kliewer co-leads the iCubed initiative and Developmental Psychology Hub, fostering interdisciplinary teams focused on trauma-informed interventions for vulnerable youth across multiple continents.