Teacher-Scholar Legacies: Terry Blumenthal

Professor of Psychology Terry Blumenthal worked on designing an experiment that measured startle reactions in his lab at Reynolds Gym on Monday, July 6, 2009.

By Christy Buchanan, Chair of Psychology

Terry Blumenthal has been a faculty member at Wake Forest since 1987, for a tenure of 37 years. He has contributed importantly and essentially to the Psychology Department and to Wake Forest over these years, as well as to the Neuroscience programs on the Reynolda campus and at the School of Medicine.

Terry has won several research and teaching awards at Wake Forest, including the Award for Excellence in Research (1996), the Neuroscience Faculty Mentor Award (2012), and the Jon Reinhardt Award for Distinguished Teaching (2020). He has also been honored in his profession; he is a Fellow of both the Association for Psychological Science and the Association for Psychophysiological Research. 

As evidenced by the Jon Reinhardt Award, Terry has made an indelible impact on his students. Students consistently praise his courses, despite the difficulty of the material for many students and Terry’s high expectations. Terry has mentored uncountable students in honors and master’s theses and served on Ph.D. committees at the WFU School of Medicine and other universities across the world. 

Terry’s research has contributed in important ways to physiological psychology and neuroscience, using the startle reflex to provide insights into human neural functioning, sensation, perception, cognition, and health. He has published extensively and given colloquia and invited talks around the country and world. He has been widely sought out as a researcher. He has been generous in his research mentoring and in collaborations with colleagues in the department and beyond.

One colleague shared that “Terry was probably the last person I imagined collaborating with when I came to Wake. Not because of anything related to him as a person, of course, but due to our very different research areas! Little did I know that we would come up with a really cool study that still allows me to pretend to be a physio-type now and again.” Another said, “When I interviewed for my position … I told [Terry] that if I were to come here that it would be great if we collaborated. He replied that we should collaborate whether I came here or not. That comment made me feel so welcome … I knew that Wake was the right place for me.”

Younger colleagues in his research area have appreciated his mentorship; one expressed that “he has challenged me but offered unwavering support. If I need a random cable for a piece of equipment, there’s a good chance that Terry has it. If I’m not sure how I should set up my lab space to minimize electrical noise, Terry has thought about that and has a series of ready solutions. Even more importantly, he has modeled how to have an exciting research career that inspires undergraduate and master’s students to continue in the field.”

Wake Forest freshmen and their families arrive for move-in day on campus on Thursday, August 21, 2014. Fabian Liebermann (’18) chats with Professor of Psychology and Faculty Fellow Terry Blumenthal in Babcock Residence.

Terry has served the department, the university, and the profession extensively throughout his career. He has been a member of multiple critical college and university committees, such as the Honor Council and the Judicial Council. He had tenures chairing the Institutional Review Board, the Committee on Information Technology, the Committee on Athletics, and the Committee on Academic Planning. He served in various roles for the Society for Psychophysiological Research, including as President of the society.

Terry’s contributions to our community extend beyond psychology and beyond the classroom and lab. He played the bass in a department band (the “Outliers”), and he (with the help of his family) hosted many a department gathering in his home. He is known for his humor and storytelling, which are evident in the classroom, in mentoring situations, and in casual hallway conversations. In the words of a colleague: “Terry gave me the tour of campus when I was at Wake on my interview and three things were immediately obvious: (1) how much he loved Wake; (2) how much he knew about Wake (3) that, by and large, Wake loved him back; I learned so many fun facts about campus (though I’ve forgotten most of them now) and he got so many hellos and waves from students and faculty/staff alike.” Terry’s joie de vivre is palpable and pervasive and will be missed.