Alexandra Rush, PhD, has a research background in areas such as family resilience and post-traumatic growth. A State University of New York, Empire State University psychology professor, Alexandra Rush, PhD, earned her doctorate at Montclair State University, where she undertook a dissertation on the subject “Exploring Trauma, Loss, and Post-Traumatic Growth in Poles Who Survived the Second World War and Their Descendants.”

Ms. Rush’s approach to research emphasizes a relational developmental systems and lifespan perspective. She has pursued grant-funded work during her appointment as Visiting Assistant Professor of Developmental Psychology at Dickinson College, PA, exploring adolescent females’ experiences taking part in Scouts BSA. She is also interested in youth purpose and character virtue development and has authored the paper “Exploring Pathways to Purpose in Scouts” (Rush et al., 2022).

Ms. Rush is active with the Society for the Study of Human Development, and is a member of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America. She gained early experience as a psychology instructor at Berkeley College, and Ocean County Community College, and has served as a peer reviewer with the Journal of Adolescent Research since 2022.