The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) is pleased to announce Hannah Williamson, Ph.D., and Megan Tess Fischer, M.A., as the 2024 recipients 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. 

Dr. Williamson is an associate professor of human development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her program of research focuses on strengthening families, particularly among underserved groups, including low-income couples. To this end, she conducts basic and applied studies that examine relationship processes and tests various theoretically-derived intervention strategies for socioeconomically disadvantaged couples. Dr. Williamson’s research has been supported by a Fulbright Scholar Award to Spain, as well as grants and fellowships from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Administration for Children and Families, and the Russell Sage Foundation. 

Megan Fischer's research in graduate school focused on the effects of external stressors on relationship satisfaction and stability. With a growing passion for data management, she joined IPUMS USA after graduation, where she led a team of data analysts in integrating and disseminating census and survey data for comparative research. Megan now works at GROW South Dakota, applying her data analysis and grant-writing expertise to support sustainable rural community development through housing, community, and economic initiatives.

In 2023, their research article, "Household Income Differentiates Quantity and Quality of Shared Spousal Time," was published in the Journal of Family Psychology, in which they examined whether household income was associated with the quality and quantity of time married couples spend together. Identifying quantity and quality of time as important, considerable factors towards understanding relationship outcomes between lower and higher income couples.

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. Williamson and Megan Tess Fischer will be recognized for their achievement during a plenary at the 2024 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.