UWindsor researcher Charlene Senn will represent the discipline of social psychology at the 14th annual Psychology Day at the United Nations on Thursday, April 15.

Professor of women’s and gender studies as well as psychology and the Canada Research Chair in Sexual Violence, Dr. Senn will present a lecture entitled “Empowering young women to resist: An evidence-based intervention to reduce sexual violence” as one of five global experts providing recommendations using evidence-based research from different spheres of the discipline.

The title of this year’s event, “Psychological Contributions to Building Back Better in a Post-Pandemic World,” responds to a call from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to resist the temptation to return to the way the world was prior to the pandemic, and rather work to build a better world.

Senn endorses that goal: “I am committed to the belief that high-quality theory and research evidence can be used not only to understand our world but also applied to make it better.”

Her research centres on men’s violence against women and girls, and since 2005, has focused on sexual violence prevention. She developed the “Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act” sexual assault resistance education program Flip the Script for women in the first year of university. It has been found to reduce the sexual violence women experience by 50 per cent across the next two years while reducing woman-blaming and self-blame.

Thursday’s event will be held live via Zoom at 11 a.m.; register here to attend.

—Susan McKee