Nathan Azrin, Ph.D., Receives NSU Lifetime Achievement Award

Nathan “Nate” Azrin, Ph.D., ABPP and Frank DePiano, Ph.D., University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Nathan “Nate” Azrin, Ph.D., ABPP was recently presented with NSU’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Research Contributions That Have Bettered Humanity. The presentation was made during the University’s External Funding Recognition Reception which took place Feb.1 in the 2nd floor Art Gallery of the Alvin Sherman Library.

Azrin has provided NSU and the Center for Psychological Studies with 30 years of service and a career that has produced groundbreaking research that has bettered the lives of people all over the world. The public knows Azrin as the author of Toilet Training in Less Than a Day. This practical guide has sold millions of copies and has been reproduced in dozens of languages.

Today’s parents can also thank Azrin for inventing “time-out,” the popular alternative to spanking. But, it is his work with the severely mentally-handicapped, the so-called “untrainables,” upon which a large part of his legacy rests. The techniques he pioneered nearly half a century ago remain in widespread use today.

Azrin was the founder and editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and editor of 15 other leading journals. Over his distinguished career he has published more than 100 studies in the field of learning and psychological treatment. Professor Azrin has received numerous awards and honors. He has published both academic books and books for parents.

An annual event, the External Funding Recognition Reception recognizes the efforts of NSU faculty and staff who received external grant funding in the last fiscal year. Fiscal year 2010 saw great progress in the area of external funding, which in total exceeded $71 million. The reception serves to honor the extraordinary efforts of those who contributed to this milestone and to encourage the continued pursuit of additional external funding.