Kimberly Young

Kimberly Sue Young O'Mara (September 9, 1965 – February 28, 2019) was a psychologist and expert on Internet addiction disorder and online behavior. She founded the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995 while she was a psychology professor at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Until her death in 2019, Young was a professor of management at St. Bonaventure University. During her career, she published numerous journal articles and book chapters and served as an expert witness regarding her pioneer research including testimony for the Child Protection Online Act Congressional Committee. Young was a member of the American Psychological Association, the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, and a founding member of the International Society of Mental Health Online. Aged 53, Young died of cancer on February 28, 2019. Young was born September 9, 1965, in Buffalo, New York. She graduated with a degree in business administration from the University at Buffalo in 1988. She then studied clinical psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, receiving her master's degree in 1992 and doctorate in 1994. Young is most known for her work related to internet addiction, which is recognized by the American Psychological Association however is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. She began her career as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She became an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in 1995 and remained there until 2002, when she joined the faculty at St. Bonaventure University as an associate professor of management. Young moved to the Jandoli School of Communication at SBU in 2006, where she directed the master's degree program in strategic leadership. While at Pitt-Bradford, Young founded the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995 and was one of the first researchers in the United States to study the disorder. When she moved to SBU in 2002, she continued her work as clinical director of the Center for Online Addiction.