Lindsay Orchowski, Ph.D.
Lindsay Orchowski, Ph.D.

Psychologist Lindsay Orchowski, Ph.D., was honored at Lifespan’s most recent Annual Meeting with the 2019 Bruce M. Selya Award for Excellence in Research, an honor created to recognize rising stars in their fields of medical research. Orchowski is a member of the Lifespan Physician Group and a staff psychologist in the Rhode Island Hospital adult outpatient division. She was recently promoted to associate professor of research in the department of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and also serves as the medical school’s deputy Title IX coordinator. She was nominated by Jody Underwood, M.D., psychiatrist-in-chief at Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and Lifespan Physician Group, and clinical associate professor at Brown.

Orchowski has distinguished herself nationally in the fields of alcohol abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence, with her current work dedicated to sexual assault prevention. Her research program has garnered more than $6.7 million in funding to advance the development and evaluation of sexual assault prevention programs for middle school, high school, college and military populations. She’s earned this impressive funding in the span of less than a decade,  and as the principal investigator on four federally funded projects. Her work is supported by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense and the Department of Education. 

In her nomination letter, Dr. Underwood notes that, “Dr. Orchowski’s work is not only known for its theoretically-driven, methodologically rigorous approach, but also for its emphasis on leveraging community partnerships for maximum impact and sustainability… Her research has tremendous potential to contribute not only to our scientific understanding of ‘what works’ in real communities, but also to reduce the rates of sexual assault among adolescents throughout the state.”

The results of her work, says Underwood, will likely serve as an exemplar for other states, and taken to scale across the country.

Orchowski holds posts as associate editor for Psychology of Women Quarterly and consulting editor for Psychology of Violence. She has published more than 75 peer-reviewed scientific papers and chapters, and has given over 225 presentations at regional, national and international conferences. Most recently, she published the book, “Sexual Assault Risk Reduction and Resistance: Theory Research and Practice,” and is the co-editor of a forthcoming volume addressing men’s role in sexual assault prevention. 

Orchowski earned her undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College, then completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Ohio University in the Laboratory for the Study and Prevention of Sexual Assault, concurrently earning a graduate certificate in women’s studies. She completed her psychology residency at Brown University, and a NIAAA T32 fellowship at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown. At the completion of her training in 2012, she was hired onto the Brown faculty and at Lifespan.

The Lifespan Board instituted the award in 1999 to honor Judge Selya, chairman of the Lifespan Board from the creation of Lifespan in 1994 until 1999. Lifespan recognizes Judge Selya’s “steadfast commitment to academic medicine and his keen insight concerning the importance of academic programs to quality health care at Lifespan.” The award is intended to recognize a rising star in research, an independent investigator who has demonstrated excellence through a record of high-quality peer-reviewed publication and ability to attract research funding.