Rate My Professor Kevin Allison

Kevin Allison, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, appointed to the chair position effective July 1, 2023. He holds a Ph.D. from DePaul University and has served as a professor of clinical psychology at VCU since 1996. His research interests broadly focus on the role of culture and context in adolescent development, community assets that support healthy developmental trajectories for urban youth and adults, and the professional development of diverse students and leaders in higher education. Current work employs social capital theory and participatory research strategies to explore employment and career opportunities through information sharing and mutual support, qualitative analyses of African American adolescents' pursuit of academic opportunities, and linkages between child and adolescent well-being indicators and community changes. Affiliated with the Clinical Child Concentration, his scholarship addresses violence prevention, mental health disparities, and psychosocial functioning in diverse populations, including transgender individuals and urban African American youth.

Allison's extensive administrative career at VCU includes roles as associate chair of the Department of Psychology, associate vice president for strategy and development in the Office of the President, interim vice president for Inclusive Excellence, associate dean for community activities in the College of Humanities and Sciences, and Director of Applied and Outreach Scholarship in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Faculty Advisory Board for the Humanities Research Center. With 25 peer-reviewed publications accumulating over 2,560 citations, key works include "Microaggressions, Internalized Oppression, Mental Health, and Suicidality in Disabled Transgender and Gender Nonbinary Individuals" (2025), "Direct and vicarious exposure to healthcare discrimination and erasure among transgender and gender independent individuals" (2024), "Connecting Youth Violence Prevention, Positive Youth Development, and Community Mobilization" (2011), and contributions to the Multisite Violence Prevention Project (2004-2009). In 2024, he earned a national award for dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion.