Ava D. Thompson, PhD., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor at The University of The Bahamas where she also serves as Coordinator of the Psychology Programme and a Senator in the University’s Academic Senate.

Her professional psychology activities reflect a macro-disciplinary focus with national, regional and international engagement. She is Past-President of the Bahamas Psychological Association and was the founding President of the Caribbean Alliance of National Psychological Associations (CANPA). She continues to serve a leadership role in CANPA and is also a member of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS), the global voice of psychology. Recent and current scholarship includes historical perspectives on Bahamian and Caribbean psychology, global psychology, culturally-relevant pedagogy, indigenous models of child and adolescent mental health (CAMH), and integration of a human rights framework into Psychology Education and Training (PET).

Dr. Thompson’s ongoing clinical and research projects involve integrating her psychology training with human rights and Bahamian social/educational challenges to address youth mental health well-being, She places particular focus on the child care, juvenile justice and educational systems. In addition to her scholarship, Dr. Thompson has also served as a reviewer for multiple publications and is currently a member of editorial boards of several journals, including the Caribbean Journal of Psychology and Interamerican Journal of Psychology (IJP).