Sylvie Mrug, a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Psychology, has been named the 2021 Ireland Prize for Scholarly Distinction.
The award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated talents that contribute to the elevation of arts and sciences at UAB and in the Birmingham community.
“Dr. Mrug is an amazing and prolific scientist whose research addresses the public health crisis of our time such as obesity, bullying and violence,” said Kecia Thomas, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Her focus on adolescents has the potential to transform the health of the next generation of adults and resolve persistent racial disparities in health outcomes.”
Mrug has led the Department of Psychology for years, in addition to teaching and conducting research. She also has mentored dozens of students and chaired or co-chaired 21 doctoral dissertations.
Through her research, she has co-authored more than 200 conference presentations, published 123 peer-reviewed manuscripts and served or is serving as principal investigator on 14 grants.
In 2021, she received a $2.8 million R01 grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, in which she will study whether adverse life experiences affect health and health disparities through the epigenetic process called DNA methylation.