John E. Exner Scholar Award

The John E. Exner Scholar Award honors the memory of John E. Exner, Ph.D., a pioneer in personality assessment, by supporting the research of a young personality assessor. Dr. Exner was committed to advancing the science of personality assessment by empirical research in the development and application of assessment instruments. This award honors that commitment by recognizing and supporting a young investigator examining any method of personality assessment.

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Meet the John E. Exner Scholar Award Winner, Dr. Abby Mulay!

Dr. Mulay is a licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Community and Public Safety Psychiatry Division in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She first earned a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and worked as a professional singer for several years in New York City. Dr. Mulay then obtained her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus). She completed her pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology (forensic track) at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine/Federal Correctional Complex (Butner, NC). After internship, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical forensic psychology at MUSC. In her current role at MUSC, Dr. Mulay conducts forensic evaluations (e.g., competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, pre-employment/fitness for duty, psychological autopsy) and supervises trainees in their forensic work. She also maintains a small outpatient psychotherapy practice, where she specializes in the treatment of personality and interpersonal dysfunction. She uses an integrative approach to psychotherapy, drawing upon the principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as well as the relational psychodynamic tradition. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Mulay has several research projects underway examining issues related to forensic evaluation. She also studies the clinical utility of the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). Dr. Mulay was also a co-editor of a book that outlines the use and research support of the AMPD, entitled, The DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders: Integrating Multiple Paradigms of Personality Assessment. She is an active member of the Society for Personality Assessment and the American Psychology-Law Society, and she serves as a reviewer for several personality and criminal justice journals. In her spare time, Dr. Mulay is a volunteer Exhibit Educator at the South Carolina Aquarium and takes care of her four snakes and three cats.