The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) is pleased to announce Adam M. Galovan, Ph.D., as the 2023 recipient of the Reuben Hill Award, which is given to the author(s) of an outstanding article or book that combines theory and methodology to analyze and interpret a significant family issue. 

In 2022, his research article, “A Strong Relationality View of Mindfulness and Flourishing I–Thou Relations: A Dyadic Analysis,” was published in the Journal of Family Psychology.

The theoretical framework for this article originates from a groundbreaking article in the 10th-anniversary special issue of the Journal of Family Theory and Review in 2018. In the article, Dr. Galovan, along with David Schramm, Ph.D., CFLE, outlined a strongly relational theoretical perspective, putting forward a comprehensive model of flourishing couple relationships and advocating for the importance of understanding day-to-day relationship dynamics and how these are linked to longer-term relationship development.

Dr. Galovan (he/him) is associate professor of human ecology at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on the central question of what leads to and helps intimate couples maintain meaningful and flourishing intimate relationships. He challenges the weakly relational assumption that underlies much of the current research on couple relationships, arguing instead for a strongly relational paradigm that views individuals as relational beings. In addition to challenging weakly relational perspectives in family and relationship research, Dr. Galovan also advocates that researchers employ rigorous and sophisticated research design and methodology in studying families and consider how to effectively match their theoretical assumptions and research questions with the methodology they use.

This award is given in memory of Reuben Hill, who had a distinguished career as a university professor and pioneered the scholarly study of family. Dr. Hill is remembered for his determination to promote high-quality research and advance theory about families with the intent of producing practical benefits for families.

Dr. Galovan will be recognized for this achievement during a plenary at the 2023 NCFR Annual Conference.

The National Council on Family Relations is the premier professional association for the multidisciplinary understanding of families. NCFR has a membership of nearly 3,000 family researchers, practitioners and educators. For more information on the National Council on Family Relations or its scholarly publications, visit the NCFR website at ncfr.org.