Celia Fisher, PhD

Faculty Affiliate; Founding Editor, Applied Developmental Science

Celia B. Fisher, PhD, is the Marie Ward Doty Endowed University Chair and Professor of Psychology, and founding Director of the Fordham University Center for Ethics Education. She currently directs the NIDA funded Fordham University Training Institute on HIV Prevention Research Ethics.

She has served as Chair of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Human Studies Review Board, the DHHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections (SACHRP; Subcommittee on Children’s Research), the American Psychological Association’s Ethics Code Task Force, the New York State Licensing Board for Psychology, the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Common Rule Task Force, and the American Public Health Association Ethics Code Committee. She is a member of the external advisory board of the NIH Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, and served on the Consensus Panel of the American Psychological Association Therapeutic Responses to Gender Nonconformity, Gender Dysphoria, and Sexual Orientation Distress in Children and Adolescents, the National Academies' Committee on Revisions to the Common Rule for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research in the Behavioral and Social Sciences, the IOM Committee on Ethical Review and Oversight Issues in Research Involving Standard of Care Interventions, the IOM Committee on Clinical Research Involving Children.

A founding editor of the journal Applied Developmental Science, Dr. Fisher is the author of Decoding the Ethics Code: A Practical Guide for Psychologists (4th edition, 2017, Sage Publications); co-editor of eight books, including The Handbook of Ethical Research with Ethnocultural Populations and Communities (2006, Sage Publications) and Research with High-Risk Populations: Balancing Science, Ethics, and Law (2009, APA Publications); and over 170 theoretical and empirical publications in the areas of ethics in medical and social science research and practice and life-span development. Dr. Fisher is well-known for her federally funded research programs focusing on ethical issues and well-being of vulnerable populations, including ethnic minority youth and families, active drug users, college students at risk for drinking problems, LGBT youth and adults with impaired consent capacity. She received the American Psychological Association’s 2017 Outstanding Contributions to Ethics Education Award, the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Human Research Protection and was named a 2012 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Education

  • 1970 BS Human Development Cornell University
  • 1975 MA Experimental Psychology Graduate Faculty New School for Social Research
  • 1978 PhD Experimental Psychology Graduate Faculty New School for Social Research
  • 1978–1979 Post-Doctoral Infant Research Princeton University

Honors

  • American Psychological Association (APA) Ethics Committee Ethics Educator Award, 2017
  • Health Improvement Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Human Research Protection, 2011
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2012
  • Presidential Citation, American Psychological Association, 2003
  • Marie Ward Doty Chair and Professor of Psychology, Fordham University, 2003
  • Distinguished Alumni Award, Graduate Faculty, New School University, 2004
  • Fellow, Society for the Study of Ethnic Minority Issues, Division 45, American Psychological Association, 2006

Current Research

Completed Research (selected)

Publications

View Pubmed Publications

  • Fisher, C. B. (2017). Decoding the Ethics Code: A Practical Guide for Psychologists, Fourth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  • Fisher, C. B., Arbeit, M., Dumont, M., Macapagal, K., & Mustanski, B. (2016). Self-consent for HIV prevention research involving sexual and gender minority youth: Reducing barriers through evidence-based ethics. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 11, first published online 3.7.16 DOI: 10.1177/1556264616633963
  • Macapagal, K., Coventry, R., Arbeit, M., Fisher, C. B.& Mustanski, B. (2016). “I won’t out myself just to do a survey”: Sexual and gender minority adolescent’s perspectives on the risks and benefits of sex research. Archives of Sexual Behavior. Online July 28, 2016 DOI 10.1007/s10508-016-0784-5
  • Fisher, C. B. (2015). Enhancing the responsible conduct of sexual health prevention research across global and local contexts: Training for evidence-based research ethics. Ethics &Behavior, 25 (2). DOI: 10.1080/10508422.2014.948956
  • Fisher, C. B. & Yuko, E. (2015). The HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention Research Ethics Training Institute: Training early-career scientists to conduct research on research ethics Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 10(5), 470-480.
  • Fisher, C. B. & Mustanski, B. (2014) Reducing health disparities and enhancing the responsible conduct of research involving LGBT youth. Hastings Center Report, 5, 28-31. PMID: 25231783, PMCID: 4617525
  • Fisher, C. B. (2014). HIV Prevention Research Ethics: An Introduction to the Special Issue. Journal Of Empirical Research On Human Research Ethics, 9(1), 1-5. PMID: 24572078
  • Fisher, C.B., True, G., Alexander, L., & Fried, A.L. (2013). Moral stress, moral practice, and ethical climate in community-based drug use research: Views from the frontline. American Journal of Bioethics Primary Research, 4(3), 27-38.
  • Fisher, C. B. (2013). Confidentiality and disclosure in non-intervention adolescent risk research. Applied Developmental Science, 17 (2), 1-6
  • Fisher, C. B. (2013). Human rights and psychologists’ involvement in assessments related to death penalty cases. Ethics & Behavior, 23 (1), 58-61.
  • Fisher, C.B., Brunnquell, D.J., Hughes, D.L., Maholmes, V., Plattner, P. Russell, S.T., Liben, S., & Susman, E.J. (2013). Preserving and enhancing the responsible conduct of research involving children and youth: A response to proposed changes in federal regulations. Social Policy Report, 27 (1), 3-15. http://www.srcd.org/sites/default/files/spr_27-1.pdf
  • Fisher, C. B. & McCarthy, E. L. (2013). Ethics in prevention science involving genetic testing. [Special issue] Prevention Science, 14, 310-318. PMID: 23354905
  • Fisher, C. B., Busch-Rossnagel, N.B., Jopp, D.S., & Brown, J.L. (2012). Applied developmental science, social justice and socio-political well-being. Applied Developmental Science, 16(1), 54-64.

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