Rodin, Judith
RODIN, JUDITH
RODIN, JUDITH (1944– ), U.S. psychologist, educator, and administrator. Born in Philadelphia, Rodin earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966 and her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1970. She joined the faculty of New York University in 1970 as an assistant professor of psychology. In 1972 she began a 22-year career at Yale, becoming an associate professor in 1975. She was named full professor of psychology in 1979 and professor of medicine and psychiatry in 1985. She served as chair of the department of psychology and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences before becoming provost in 1992. Rodin's academic work concerns the relationship between psychological and biological processes in human health and behavior. The author of numerous articles for academic journals, she also published several books, including Body Traps (1992), which explores the role of physical appearance in women's psychological health.
In 1994 Rodin was appointed as the seventh president of the University of Pennsylvania, the first alumna to be named president. She also held faculty appointments as a professor of psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences and as a professor of medicine and psychiatry in the School of Medicine. As president, Rodin facilitated several international health initiatives, which included a collaboration with the government of Botswana to build a hospital, and projects in Saudi Arabia and India to address women's health issues. At the same time, she chaired an international research network studying health and behavior for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. During her tenure, the University of Pennsylvania launched an extensive neighborhood revitalization program and established several interdisciplinary institutes as well as international educational programs and collaborations.
In 2005 Rodin was named president of the Rockefeller Foundation, where it was expected that she would guide extensive efforts to combat global disease and hunger through initiatives that promote economic development, education, and disease prevention. She previously served on President Bill Clinton's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, and she chaired the Council of Presidents of the Universities Research Association. She has served on the boards of Electronic Data Systems Corporation, the Brookings Institution, Catalyst, Air Products and Chemicals, and the Greater Philadelphia First Corporation. Rodin was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
[Dorothy Bauhoff (2nd ed.)]