Psychology's Aldo Barrita receives award for research on LGBTQ Individuals of Color

June 4, 2025 - Shelly DeJong

Congratulations to Dr. Aldo Barrita, a Dean’s Research Associate in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University, for receiving The Barbara Smith & Jewell E. Horvat Early Career Award for Research on LGBTQ Individuals of Color Award. 

This award is given from Division 45: Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race, a division of the American Psychological Association that promotes public welfare through research and encourages professional relationships among psychologist who share these concerns and interests.  

This award recognizes individuals who are 10 years or less post-PhD who have conducted published research on psychological matters with individuals who identify as members of both a sexual minority as well as a racial/ethnic minority group. This award is named after Barbara Smith, an American lesbian feminist and socialist. 

“Receiving this award during Pride Month is deeply meaningful,” said Barrita. “It’s a reminder that research has the power not only to understand the LGBTQ+ BIPOC experience but to affirm, uplift, and drive lasting change. I’m honored to contribute to a legacy of scholarship that celebrates our communities’ resilience, resistance, complexity, and humanity.” 

Barrita’s research focus includes how different forms of discrimination, primarily microaggressions, psychologically impact individuals from marginalized communities. Specifically, he has a special interest in Latinx and/or LGBTQ+ experiences with microaggressions as well as psychometrics.    

Barrita will be recognized at the 2025 APA convention award ceremony on August 8, 2025, in Denver, Colorado.