Dr. Russell Toomey graduated with his Ph.D. in Family Studies and Human Development (FSHD) from the UA in 2011 and then completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Arizona State University. Russell served on the faculty at Kent State University prior to returning to the UA in 2015 and currently is an Associate Professor of Family Studies and Human Development.
As a highly productive researcher, Dr. Toomey’s scholarly contributions have been recognized at the national and international level and he has published 43 journal articles in many top tier journals. Russell’s focus has been on youth who identify or express non-privileged sexual orientation, gender identities and expressions, and ethnicities, and the intersections among these identities. His research identifies ways to support identity formation, school and family resources, and coping mechanisms that contribute to health, well-being, and educational outcomes. Most recently, Dr. Toomey was recognized for his contributions to the field by the Society for Research on Adolescence with the 2017 Young Investigator Award.
Dr. Toomey teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in adolescent development and advanced graduate-level applied statistics and has mentored over a dozen undergraduate and graduate students. The increase in size and qualifications of applicants for the Graduate program is attributed to Russell’s leadership and efforts as the graduate recruitment chair for the FSHD program. Beyond the UA, Russell was selected to serve as Senior Mentor for the 2016 Society for Research on Adolescent Undergraduate Scholars Program.
Known as an outstanding “team player”, Russell’s dedication to the Norton School, students, and colleagues is clear. He has served on faculty search committees, is the leader of the Graduate Admissions Committee in FSHD, and always attends School and FSHD program events. Russ is an active member of the CALS Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the UA Diversity Task Force Classroom Experience Committee. Dr. Toomey also assumes leadership positions that contribute to the field of family science by serving on Diversity Committees for two large professional organizations, both of which are aimed at making the scholarly communities more equitable and inclusive of diverse populations.
