UM Psychology Postdoctoral Student Wins $15,000 Scholarship Award

Hillary Gleason, a graduate student in clinical psychology at the University of Montana, is one of 100 doctoral students in the U.S. and Canada recently selected to receive a $15,000 Scholar Award from the P.E.O. Sisterhood.

Gleason earned her undergraduate degree at Clark University in Worchester, Massachusetts. She is originally from Winchendon, Massachusetts.

“I am humbled to be supported by such a prestigious organization of strong and compassionate women,” Gleason said. “This award will help me to pursue further scholarship on mental health disparities among marginalized groups.”

Gleason is the second UM student to recently win a P.E.O. Scholar Award. Kathryn Oost, also a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology, received the scholarship in 2017.

“With only 100 scholarships given across the U.S., we’re exceptionally proud to have two P.E.O. awardees from our program within the past two years,” said Bryan Cochran, UM psychology professor and director of clinical training.

The P.E.O. Scholar Awards were established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university. Scholar Awards recipients are chosen for their high level of academic achievement and their potential for having a positive impact on society.

The P.E.O. Sisterhood is a philanthropic educational organization dedicated to supporting higher education for women. There are about 6,000 local chapters in the United States and Canada with nearly 250,000 active members.