Theophilus Lazarus taught psychology in South Africa and USA for a period extending over 40 years. He completed Fellowship in Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychology under Dr Antonio E Puente, and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology (USA) and a member of the Academy of Neurology (USA). His teaching, research, as well as supervision and training of psychologists was conducted over multiple cultural settings and his former students, who are now qualified psychologists, are representative in their professions across all continents. He has been involved in research across multiple cultural settings and practised in multi-cultural settings. His current research is related to the Social Determinants of Deteriorating Brain Diseases in Non-Western Societies, Community-Based Interventions for Traumatic Brain-Injured Children and Adults, and Forensic Psychologists Training Programmes for Children who are in Conflict with the Law. Increasing conflicts across the globe has brought about the displacement of children to socially-challenging contexts. Within this context and existing social conditions of poverty, Theophilus presented a paper at the inaugural meeting of International Conference on Children’s Rights in September 2024, at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Theophilus recognizes that despite cultural peculiarities in communities, persisting commonalities in human worth and dignity is fundamental across international communities particularly within emerging and evolving social contexts. Against his teaching and research background in multi-cultural settings, he brings his experience and expertise to APA Division 52 in its impressive and continuing attempts to provide broad-based understanding of human diversity across communities and settlements across the world. In this respect, Theophilus aims to strengthen, introduce new ideas for contemplation, and further the aims and goals of APA Division 52, recently renamed Global Psychology, and those of APA in general.