Bernal, Martha E. (1931–2001)

Martha E. Bernal was the first Latina to earn a Ph.D. in psychology. She is best known for pioneering effective ways to treat children with behavioral disorders, her model of ethnic identity for Latino/a children, and providing leadership to the American Psychological Association (APA) for redressing problems with training minority students. Any one of these achievements would be sufficient for claiming a successful career; combining all three sets of accomplishments into a single career is truly meritorious. How did she accomplish so much? She did so through commitment to high standards and clarity of vision. She set high standards and goals for herself and expected much of others, including the APA, and worked tirelessly until she and others met these expectations. Moreover, her clarity of vision helped her imagine possibilities that others around did or could not. She imagined herself going to college at a time and place when women, particularly Mexican American women, were not viewed as legitimate for a college education. She imagined a new way of treating behavioral disorders despite resistance from the field. Finally, she had a vision in which the APA could promote the training of minority students who could go out and provide effective mental health treatment to underserved populations. The challenges she faced along the way to meeting her goals reveal that overcoming personal and sociocultural barriers may be as impressive as her professional accomplishments.