UK’s Julie Cerel honored with international award for advancing understanding of suicide’s ripple effects
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 15, 2025) — Julie Cerel, Ph.D., professor in the College of Social Work (CoSW) at the University of Kentucky, has been honored with the Norman Farberow Award for Bereavement and Lived Experience by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP).
The award recognizes her transformative research, which expands understanding of the impact of suicide on families, friends and entire communities.
Cerel, who is also the director of the Suicide Prevention and Exposure Lab (SPEL), received the award at the 33rd World Congress in Vienna, Austria.
“It’s gratifying to have the work that I’ve been doing throughout my career — in suicide, bereavement, exposure and lived experience — recognized as fundamental to the field,” Cerel said. “It was great being in a room full of more than 800 colleagues acknowledging how important it is to not only prevent suicide, but to help the people left behind.”
A licensed clinical psychologist, Cerel’s research focuses on suicide bereavement and exposure, and she is recognized as a leader in the field.
Using random-digit dialing and household sampling, Cerel has found that nearly half of Americans personally know someone who has died by suicide — with approximately one-third reporting a significant personal impact from the loss. As a result, her postvention research has evolved to include broader suicide exposure, extending beyond immediate family members to encompass the wider circle of those affected.
“In the United States, postvention — the work done after a suicide — hasn’t received the same level of funding or recognition as other areas of suicide research,” Cerel explained. “It’s encouraging to see that internationally, and increasingly here at home, people are beginning to take postvention seriously and understand that losing someone to suicide can increase the risk for those left behind.”
Cerel has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, with nearly 80 of those focused specifically on suicide exposure, bereavement and the lived experience of those affected.
She and her team are currently leading CODE RED Universal Safety Planning — a proactive approach based on the belief that everyone should have a safety plan in place for their worst day. Developed by Cerel, CODE RED is being implemented in Kentucky through the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Work — reaching middle and high schools across the state. More than 1,000 people have already created personalized safety plans. These plans are dynamic, evolving documents that participants are encouraged to reflect on and update over time.
Through her research, Cerel aims to continue raising awareness about suicide exposure — the concept that suicidal deaths or behaviors can deeply affect those connected to the individual.
“We can help people find ways to lessen that impact,” she said. “It’s important they maintain a healthy bond with the person they’ve lost, without letting that loss shift their own path toward suicidal thoughts or behaviors.”
For more information on Cerel and her work, visit the Suicide Prevention and Exposure Lab website.
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