Annette La Greca wanted to be a hairdresser when she was in high school although she entered college as a math major. Eventually, she built a career that has helped shape the field of child and pediatric psychology.
This month, after publishing 21 books and more than 300 scholarly articles and book chapters, she will receive the Dr. Melanie Rosborough Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award, endowed by the University Credit Union, presented by the Faculty Senate at the University of Miami.
La Greca serves as a Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics at the College of Arts and Sciences. Since joining the faculty in 1978, she has developed and led the graduate programs in clinical-child and pediatric health psychology, helping educate the next generation.
Her work focuses on understanding risk and resilience factors in youth physical and mental health and translating research findings into evidence-based interventions, which has led to numerous national and international awards over the years.
"My interests have continued to evolve during my career. And in reflecting on that process, my advice is to have a goal in mind but also to be open to new experiences," La Greca said. "When I first started off, I was interested in peer relations and mental health, and also in family issues relevant to diabetes management." Eventually, La Greca integrated these two interests by studying the impact of peers on physical health.
A pivotal turning point in her career came in 1992, when Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida.
"I experienced Hurricane Andrew here in the Miami area, which affected me both personally and professionally," La Greca said. "I later learned that this is how most disaster researchers get their start, from direct experience. Since then, I've incorporated studies of disasters' impact on youth and families' physical health and mental health, into my research program on risk and resilience."
La Greca conducted one of the first longitudinal studies on the psychological impact of disasters on youth. Since then, youths' mental health during disasters has become a defining part of her research. She has developed a series of evidence-based parent-child coping manuals that have been disseminated to more than 40 million individuals nationally and internationally.
"Some of my recent work shows that even the stress of evacuation takes a toll on the physical and mental health of parents and children. I really believe this is a fertile area for child and family health psychologists, as we already know a lot about stress management. And the area of disaster preparedness and recovery needs greater attention to strategies for managing stress."
Her work has been recognized globally, and her publications have appeared in top journals including the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and Journal of Abnormal Psychology. She has secured federal and private funding throughout her career and, in the past five years alone, has contributed to 10 funded projects.
"Dr. La Greca has established a highly distinguished career record of scholarly accomplishments, while also maintaining an exceptional record of teaching, mentoring, and service within the Department of Psychology," said Philip M. McCabe, professor and chair of the college's Department of Psychology. "Her work has been stellar from the moment she arrived at UM, and it is about time that we recognize and honor her accomplishments."
La Greca will be honored during the Faculty Senate Awards Ceremony at the Kislak Center at the University of Miami on March 23. The award, named for the late Melanie Rohrer Rosborough who co-founded the credit union, served as its first president, and was instrumental in laying the foundation for what would become the Faculty Senate, recognizes a single outstanding scholarly achievement or a lifetime of distinguished accomplishment in any area of research or creative activity. Learn more about the awards.
This profile is part of a 2025–2026 Faculty Senate Awards series recognizing all awardees.
