Hector Myers M.A. ’71, Ph.D. ’74

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Having received countless awards and achievements, Hector Myers is undoubtedly an outstanding teach and scholar. In addition to these responsibilities, he has taken on one more that has truly changed the landscape of American clinical psychology.

Committed to the advancement of students from underrepresented backgrounds in psychology, Myers has spearheaded a number of outreach and development programs to diversify his field. For eight years, he has chaired the department of psychology’s Minority Affairs Community, stepping up recruitment of minority graduate students and faculty and establishing a research mentoring program to prepare minority students for graduate school. With more than 70 percent of participants in the research program going on to graduate or professional schools, its success has earned the attention of the American Psychological Association and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. They have given him grant support to develop similar programs in collaboration with local colleges in Los Angeles. Peter Bentley, chair of the department of psychology, acknowledges his instrumental role in UCLA’s dominance in the field: “It is not an exaggeration to say that the ranking of UCLA ax the top-rated clinical psychology program in the nation is due in part to having achieved and maintained a high level of diversity (about 30 percent) with the leadership and effort of Myers.”

Myers has also been an inspirational mentor himself, having generously sacrificed his time to advise more than 40 Ph.D. students, many of whom were ethnic minorities. A role model for the next generation of clinical scientists, Myers has masterfully coupled pedagogical ideals with a sense of social responsibility.