PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Palo Alto University (PAU),
a private non-profit higher education institution, announced today that Assistant
Professor Joyce Chu, Ph.D., has earned the Asian
American Psychological Association’s (AAPA) Early Career Award for
Distinguished Contribution to Research.

“I am thankful and honored to be
recognized by the AAPA. I also want to thank PAU’s Dr. Stanley Sue and
PAU’s president Dr. Allen Calvin for always supporting and encouraging
my efforts.”

Dr. Chu was selected for this award for demonstrating outstanding
achievement in research and scholarship for someone so young in her
career. To earn the AAPA Early Career Award, candidates must demonstrate
achievement in the development or advancement of psychological theories
in Asian American psychology and or have made noteworthy research
contributions that further the knowledge base of Asian American
psychology. Indiana University’s Dr. Y. Joel Wong earned this award in
2012.

“As a psychologist, my research aims to uncover information that will
ultimately advance mental health services for underserved and Asian
American communities,” said Dr. Chu. “I am thankful and honored to be
recognized by the AAPA. I also want to thank PAU’s Dr. Stanley Sue and
PAU’s president Dr. Allen Calvin for always supporting and encouraging
my efforts.”

Dr. Chu runs PAU’s Ethnic Minority Mental Health Research Group and
co-leads PAU’s Multicultural Suicide Research Center. Her research is
focused around understanding and improving mental health services for
ethnic minority individuals with depression, particularly among older
adults and Asian Americans. Dr. Chu recently appeared on NPR
in a story about Asian American women and suicide, and has published
close to a dozen articles on Asian mental health and depression. She
also directs an emphasis program on Diversity and Community Mental
Health. Dr. Chu earned her B.A. and M.A. in psychology at Stanford
University, her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of
Michigan, and did a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of
California, San Francisco.

“We are incredibly proud of Joyce and the research that has brought her
this honor,” added PAU President Calvin, Ph.D. “Her tireless efforts to
understand mental health for ethnic minorities is changing the way
practitioners implement care to bring about more successful outcomes.”

The AAPA Early Career Award was formally announced at the AAPA
Convention held in Honolulu July 30, 2013. For more information on
PAU, please visit http://paloaltou.edu.