Speakers

Kevin Guskiewicz, Chancellor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Kevin M. Guskiewicz, a neuroscientist, academic leader and concussion researcher, is the chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to his appointment in December 2019, Guskiewicz served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.

A member of Carolina’s faculty since 1995, Guskiewicz is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Exercise and Sport Science and founding director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center. A nationally recognized expert on sport-related concussions, his work has influenced concussion guidelines in the NFL, NCAA and National Federation of State High School Associations.

Guskiewicz has been recognized with numerous awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship. In 2013, Time magazine named him a Game Changer, an innovator and problem-solver “inspiring change in America.”

Guskiewicz earned a B.S. in athletic training from West Chester University, an M.S. in exercise physiology/athletic training from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. in sports medicine from the University of Virginia.

Cheryl Giscombe, Associate Professor, Nursing

Cheryl L. Woods Giscombé, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC is the Melissa and Harry LeVine Family Professor of Quality of Life, Health Promotion and Wellness. Her program of research focuses on understanding and reducing stress-related health disparities among African Americans. Her research incorporates sociohistorical and biopsychosocial perspectives to investigate how stress and coping strategies contribute to stress-related psychological and physical health outcomes. Dr. Giscombé has a particular interest in the potential for integrative approaches to reduce mental health-related disparities among African Americans.

Dr. Giscombé is dually trained in nursing and psychology. She completed a BA in psychology from North Carolina Central University and a BSN from Stony Brook University in New York. She earned MA and PhD degrees in social and health psychology from Stony Brook University and a MSN from the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Giscombé completed certification in holistic health from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in Manhattan, New York. In 2007 Dr. Giscombé was selected as a “Leader in the Field” by the American Psychological Association when she was awarded the Carolyn Payton Early Career Award.

Mitch Prinstein, Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience

Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D. serves as the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience. Dr. Prinstein’s Peer Relations Lab has been conducting research on popularity and peer relations for almost 20 years, and has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Child and Human Development, and several private foundations, resulting in over 100 scientific works, including a slew of scientific journal articles, book chapters, a set of encyclopedias on adolescent development, and even a textbook on the field of clinical psychology.

Dr. Prinstein has served as President of the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology and the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, and on the boards of the American Psychological Association, the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology, and publication board of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. He and his research have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, the Los Angeles Times, CNN, U.S. News & World Report, Time magazine, New York magazine, Newsweek, Reuters, Family Circle, Real Simple, and elsewhere.