Spelman College Professor Dr. Karen Brakke, professor in the Department of Psychology and co-director of the Teaching Resource and Research Center, has received the 2025 APF Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award from the American Psychological Foundation. This award recognizes a significant career of contributions of a psychologist who has a proven track record as an exceptional teacher of psychology. Dr. Brakke will receive a citation, a $2,000 award, and a $1,000 travel stipend. She is also invited to give a special address at the American Psychological [KB1] Association’s annual convention. Nominees are rated on the following dimensions: demonstrated achievement related to the teaching of psychology, exemplary performance as a classroom teacher, development of innovative curricula and courses, and other criteria measuring their impact on the teaching of psychology as a profession.
“It’s humbling to receive an award for doing the things that all of us do every single day; working with students and teaching,” said Dr. Brakke. “Granted, I’ve taught for a long time, but it’s become more and more meaningful to me over the years. I'm deeply honored that my peers nominated me for this award. I don’t know if I’m proud of myself, but I’m certainly proud of all the students I’ve taught and mentored.”
Dr. Brakke was nominated by her peers for her career-long demonstration of the qualifications defined by the APF. She mentored students in psychology research training programs over the first 15 years of her tenure at Spelman and has mentored dozens of students in her own research lab as well. Before coming to Spelman, she worked at Morris Brown College working with a psychology research program, which was predicated on the belief that undergraduate students should be given research opportunities to prepare them for graduate school. She is also the program chair for the Southeastern Teaching of Psychology Conference, a two-day event sponsored by the Spelman Psychology Department to engage with peers and learn from other psychology teachers.
Dr. Brakke recalled several students whose paths she helped before, including an example that spanned across AUC institutions. “I was at Morris Brown college for a few years before Spelman and helped steer a student into speech language pathology, or SLP. So, a few years later I connected one of my Spelman students who was exploring SLP with my former Morris Brown student,” said Dr. Brakke. “Not only are they both practicing in the field, but they’re best friends over 20 years later. Both students still connect with me and tell me to this day that I made an impact on their lives even though what I did was a small thing.”
In terms of her teaching philosophy, Dr. Brakke tries to put psychology into practice. She helps students learn through theories such as narrative identity theory and self-determination theory, which fosters the development of psychological needs such as competence, relatedness and autonomy.
Along with being the recipient of this award, Dr. Brakke will be giving a special address at the APA Annual Convention in August. She intends to address the current challenges faced by teachers, such as the federal cuts to education and research programs, the incorporation of AI in higher education, student mental health issues and the long-lasting effects of COVID-19. In her address, she also will encourage other psychology teachers to devise new approaches to helping students learn and anticipate how they will carry their work into the future.
Dr. Brakke plans to retire this summer, after a 26-year tenure at Spelman. She will leave behind a legacy of academic excellence, professional engagement and countless lives positively impacted by her dedication and mentorship.
“I’m a mentor at heart, so in my teaching, mentoring has played a very big part in that,” she said. “Setting up relationships with students and mentoring faculty members is really rewarding for me, because a lot of former students still stay in touch, and some have even become professional colleagues. It makes me feel incredibly fulfilled and proud. Seeing the growth and success of those I've mentored reminds me that the impact of teaching goes beyond the classroom and lasts a lifetime.”