university professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...
in the fields of
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
,
family therapy
Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychology and clinical social work that works with families and couples in intimate relationsh ...
social work
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
,
traumatology
In medicine, traumatology (from Greek ''trauma'', meaning injury or wound) is the study of wounds and injuries caused by accidents or violence to a person, and the surgical therapy and repair of the damage. Traumatology is a branch of medicine. I ...
, and
mental health
Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
. He is the Paul Henry Kurzweg, MD Distinguished Chair in Disaster Mental Health and Graduate School of Social Work Professor at Tulane University (formerly a distinguished professor at
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
where he was the Traumatology Institute Director).research He was a full professor and Traumatology Institute Director at the Florida State University (FSU) College of Social Work. Figley became a Purdue University Full Professor in 1983 with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Psychological Sciences.
Figley received both of his graduate degrees from the Pennsylvania State University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Hawaii, all in the area of human development.
Trauma research
Figley is the director of the Tulane University Traumatology Institute, which carries out research focusing on human stress responses, traumatic stress injuries, resilience, and secondary trauma measurement and management.
He was the
editor in chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
of ''Traumatology'', an international
peer-reviewed
Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...
journal
A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to:
*Bullet journal, a method of personal organization
*Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period
*Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...
of traumatology from 1994 to 2012.
Green Cross
Figley is the founder of the Green Cross Academy of Traumatology. The organization has provided traumatology services following major disasters including the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
in New York City, the
2004 tsunami
An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
in the Indian Ocean, and the
Virginia Tech massacre
The Virginia Tech shooting was a spree killer, spree shooting that occurred on April 16, 2007, comprising two attacks on the campus of the Virginia Tech, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, Blacks ...
.
Veterans service work
Figley is a founding member of both the national and
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
chapters of the Collegiate Veterans Association. Figley currently serves as the faculty advisor for the FSU Alpha chapter of the Collegiate Veterans Association (CVA).
In 2007, Figley hosted the 2nd Annual Combat Stress Symposium, a
peer-reviewed
Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...
educational
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...
symposium
In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...
studying the effects of
combat stress
Combat stress reaction (CSR) is acute behavioral disorganization as a direct result of the trauma of war. Also known as "combat fatigue", "battle fatigue", or "battle neurosis", it has some overlap with the diagnosis of acute stress reaction used ...
on the U.S. military. Editorial board and keynote speakers included Figley, William Nash, M.D., MC, USN (United States Marine Corps), Zahava Solomon, PhD, MSW (Tel-Aviv University), Albert "Skip" Rizzo, Ph.D. (University of Southern California), and Ken Graap (Virtually Better of Decatur, Georgia). Panelists included Martell Teasley, Ph.D. (Florida State University); Warren R. "Rocky" McPherson (Former Executive Director of the
Florida Department of Veterans Affairs
The Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs (FDVA) is a government agency of the state of Florida under the authority of the Governor of Florida charged with helping veterans and their families to receive all benefits they are legally entitled to.
...
National Veterans Foundation
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
); Nancy Clayton, M.D. (former Navy psychiatrist treating combat Marines);
Raymond Scurfield Raymond Monsour Scurfield (born 1943) is an American professor emeritus of social work, The University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast. He is in private practice with Rivers Psychotherapy Services in Gulfport MS; and he has been the external cli ...
, DSW (University of Southern Mississippi); CAPT Bob Koffman, MC, USN (Navy Bureau of Medicine); Tom Gaskin, Ph.D., (US Marine Corps).