September 25, 2014

Gioia Chilton, PhD, the first graduate of the College’s new PhD in Creative Arts Therapies Program, has been selected as a recipient of the E. Paul Torrance Graduate Student Research Award for 2014. She was nominated and selected for her dissertation, titled “An Arts-Based Study of the Dynamics of Expressing Positive Emotions within the Intersubjective Art Making Process.”

“I was just overjoyed to have my work and the Drexel PhD Program in Creative Arts Therapies recognized in this way,” Chilton said. “I am thrilled to be able to present at this year's American Creativity Association (ACA) conference to a multidisciplinary audience and very hopeful about continued development of the science of art therapy, and using creativity as a method and topic in research.” 

The E. Paul Torrance Graduate Student Research Award was established at Drexel to recognize graduate students whose completed doctoral or master’s level research study demonstrates a unique and significant contribution to their field. Recipients are also selected based on the rigor of their studies and the excellence of their research design and findings. Lastly, recipients like Chilton must demonstrate promise that they will become leaders in the field of Creativity.

Chilton, as a recipient of the Torrance Award, will receive a free life membership in the ACA, which includes free registration for annual conferences. Recipients also customarily present their research project at the annual ACA World Conference, which this year will be held here in Philadelphia.