Human Development and Family Studies Professor Named Council on Family Relations Fellow

Written by Cory Chandler

Judith Fischer is recognized for published scholarship, innovative and influential teaching, social policy support for family issues and a consistent record of superior contributions to NCFR over time. Learn more in the online Experts Guide.

The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) awarded Texas Tech University Professor Judith Fischer the designation of NCFR Fellow.

Fischer, professor of Human Development and Family Studies, was nominated by peers and selected for her history of outstanding contributions to the field of family studies.

“Receiving this fellowship reminds me of all the colleagues and students and former students I’ve had the privilege to work with,” Fischer said. “We have all worked very hard on our research and their efforts have helped to make this honor possible. I’m grateful to the fellows who voted to admit me to their ranks.”

Areas considered included her published scholarship, innovative and influential teaching presentations, development and implementation of significant intervention of programs promoting healthy family relations, development and implementation of curricular for training professionals in family studies, social policy support for family issues and a consistent record of superior contributions to NCFR over time.

The 2009 Fellows Committee met at the NCFR Annual Conference in San Francisco.

Fischer received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Denver and her doctorate. from the University of Colorado. In addition to her time at Texas Tech, she has taught at Metropolitan State College, Purdue University and Penn State.

She was awarded the President’s Academic Achievement Award at Texas Tech In 2007.

Fischer boasts an extensive record of research on alcoholism and families. She has been awarded several federally funded grants on the topics of family health.

According to one of her nominators, Fischer’s recent book, “Familial Responses to Alcohol Problems” “stands to provide a solid foundation for decades of her work to future scholars, demonstrating her stature in the field. It would not be an overstatement to say that she has helped to ‘discover’ relationships and families in the over-medicalized field of alcohol research and treatment. She continues to be a very active voice in the field, helping to conceptualize alcohol problems in ways that have clear and practical implications for prevention and treatment.”

She has served on seven different editorial boards, including the “Journal of Marriage and Family and Family Relations.”  In addition, she has served on the nominating committees for NCFR and for the Family Action section. She has also served in leadership roles in the Research and Theory Section and in the affiliate council, Texas Council on Family Relations.