West Virginia University Professor Barry Edlestein has been named the new Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Family Professor of Psychology. He replaces George H. Eifert, who left the university to pursue other interests.

“WVU is fortunate to have faculty members of Dr. Edelsteins stature, and we help encourage their continued service to the college and university by providing named professorships and academic chairs,”said Dean M. Duane Nellis.”We are also fortunate to have increasing numbers of these positions available through the generosity of the Eberly family and other friends of the college.”

Edelstein joined the psychology department faculty in 1974 as an assistant professor. He as served as associate chair, director of graduate training, director of clinical training and department chair. He teaches graduate courses in clinical interviewing and clinical geropsychology.

His research focuses in the area of clinical geropsychology, with emphases in assessment, anxiety and medical decision-making among older adults. Geropsychology, the psychology of individuals of 65 years of age or older, is a relatively new area in the history of psychology.

“I feel very honored to be named the Eberly Family Professor of Psychology. The experience for me is much like that of the Peter Sellerscharacter, Chauny Gardner, in the movie Being There,”Edelstein said.

Edelstein received his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, his masters in experimental psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington and his Ph.D. in experimental and clinical psychology from Memphis State University. He completed his internship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1974 and joined the faculty in the Department of Psychology at WVU that same year. He was promoted to the rank of associate professor in 1978 and to the rank of professor in 1985.

Edelstein maintains an active relationship as a consultant with Hopemont Hospital, a state psychogeriatric hospital in Terra Alta, W.Va.

Edelstein joins 19 other faculty members in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences who currently hold either named professorships or chairs.