MSU Foundation professor and clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychology Kelly Klump was awarded the prestigious 2025 Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award, a national award that recognizes academic faculty members who have inspired their former students to make a significant contribution to society.

Klump was nominated by her former student, Jessica Van Huysse, a clinical associate professor at the University of Michigan and the Clinical Director of the Comprehensive Eating Disorder Program. Van Huysse provided a compelling nomination package that illustrated how Dr. Klump inspired their transformational work in the community.

“It was an honor to nominate Dr. Klump for the Beckman Award. Her mentorship, which began when I was an undergraduate psychology student at MSU and continued through graduate school and beyond, has profoundly shaped my career trajectory,” Van Huysse said. “Dr. Klump’s guidance was instrumental in developing the foundational research and clinical skills that inform my work today. Even more importantly, she has been a powerful role model as a skilled leader with a resilient, forward-thinking approach that has been an inspiration to me since I met her.”

Klump’s mentorship laid the foundation for Van Huysse’s commitment to expanding access to evidence-based treatment for youth with eating disorders in Michigan. Building on that foundation, Van Huysse has launched initiatives to improve statewide access, including a consultation clinic that served over 60 families across Michigan in the past year.

“I am truly honored to receive the Beckman Award,” Klump said. “I have had the pleasure of working with so many outstanding graduate students over the years, and I am always humbled and inspired by their talents and work.

"Dr. Van Huysse is an exceptional clinician-scientist who has dedicated herself to improving the lives of those suffering from eating disorders through direct clinical care, research and training the next generation of eating disorder specialists in our communities. Her work is saving lives and ensuring that individuals across the state can access the care that they need. I am incredibly honored to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Van Huysse.”

Klump joined the Department of Psychology in 2000 and co-founded the Michigan State University Twin Registry, a population-based twin registry that includes over 33,000 twins. Her groundbreaking research has changed the field of how eating disorders are viewed and treated.

The Klump Lab has discovered that psychosocial risk factors that are often emphasized in models of eating disorders are only part of the story. Her research shows that genetics play a significant role in the development of eating disorders, particularly during periods of development marked by significant biological and hormonal changes, like puberty.

Klump, alongside Kristen Culbert and Katharine Thakkar, is currently leading multiple NIH-funded projects that are comprehensively examining how hormonal changes during puberty, perimenopause and other reproductive events alter genetics and influence eating disorders as well as other mental health outcomes like psychosis and bipolar disorder.

Klump was honored and recognized at an award ceremony in Atlanta this past November. The Beckman Award is generously funded by the Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award Trust and administered by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. It was established in 2008 by Gail McKnight Beckman in memory of her mother, Dr. Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman, who was an educator, author and pioneer in the field of psychology.

This story originally appeared on the College of Social Sciences website.