Gary W. Harper, Ph.D., M.P.H. earned bachelors’ degrees in Biology (B.S.) and Psychology (B.A.) from Washington University, both a master’s degree (M.S.) and doctorate (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology from Purdue University, and an M.P.H. (Master of Public Health) degree in Epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley.
After completing a clinical internship at the University of California at Los Angeles' Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Dr. Harper completed both a postdoctoral clinical fellowship at San Francisco Juvenile Hall and a postdoctoral research fellowship in AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California, San Francisco. He joined the faculty at DePaul University in January 1996 where he is currently a Professor in the Department of Psychology, Director of the Master of Public Health Program, and Co-Director of the Center for Community and Organization Development. In addition to these academic appointments, Dr. Harper serves as a consultant to a range of community-based agencies that provide health promotion services to adolescents, both in the U.S. and in Kenya, East Africa.
Dr. Harper is an applied community-clinical psychologist who works in collaboration with community agencies and community members to promote social justice for several groups of young people who have been marginalized in society. He also demonstrates his passion for addressing significant social problems through his teaching/mentoring, research, and community service.
He has developed and evaluated a range of youth-focused prevention programs that promote the health and well-being of adolescents, with a focus on runaway/homeless youth, urban youth of color, gay/bisexual youth, and youth living with HIV. Dr. Harper began his HIV prevention work early in the epidemic and has been involved in various forms of adolescent-focused HIV prevention, treatment, research, advocacy, and community organizing work over 20 years. His HIV-related research and community work have focused on homeless youth, urban ethnic minority female youth, gay/bisexual youth, and primary school children and rural youth in Kenya.
Dr. Harper has received local, regional, and national awards for his commitment to mentoring and community service, including the recent 2007 American Psychological Association’s (APA) Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest. Prior APA awards include the Psychology and AIDS Leadership Award, Ethnic Minority Mentorship Award, Special Award for Distinguished Contributions to Practice in Community Psychology from an Academic Base, Distinguished Contributions to Ethnic Minority Issues, and the Illinois Psychological Associations’ Humanitarian Award. Dr. Harper has received a range of honors from DePaul University, including the Excellence in Teaching Award, Excellence in Public Service Award, McNair Scholar’s Mentor of the Year Award, and the Spirit of DePaul Award. He also has received awards from local community agencies such as the Wellness Award for Outstanding Humanitarian Services.