Susana Patricia

Urbina

Dr. Susana Patricia Urbina, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of North Florida, passed away on October 30, 2026, at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida. She was 80 years old.

Born in Lima, Peru, on January 20, 1946, Susana attended school there before she enrolled in Mary Manse College in Toledo, Ohio, at the age of sixteen. After graduating magna cum laude, she went on to Fordham University, New York City, where she earned her Ph.D. in Psychometrics. She later completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Susana's long and distinguished career included teaching psychological assessment in several colleges before joining the University of North Florida faculty in 1976 and making Jacksonville Beach, Florida, her home. She became involved in early community efforts to address women's issues and supported the Hubbard House, the UNF Women's Center, and the Jacksonville Women's Network.

In addition to teaching, Susana made significant contributions to the field of psychological assessment through her many publications, numerous presentations, and as a licensed psychologist in private practice. She is best known for her several textbooks, most notably Essentials of Psychological Testing and as co-author of the 7th edition of Anne Anastasi's classic textbook, Psychological Testing, which has been translated into 9 languages.

Susana has been recognized with many honors and awards and was invited to speak at numerous conventions and meetings in the United States, as well as in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, and Mexico. Throughout her career, she was active in the American Psychological Association. She was a Fellow of Division 5 (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods), served on the Ethics Committee, chaired the Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessment and the Committee on Professional Practice, and was elected to two terms in the APA Council of Representatives. She was also a Fellow of the Society of Personality Assessment and an honorary member of the Colegio de Psicologos del Peru.

Susana had an indomitable spirit and interests that varied widely. From childhood, she had a deep love of books, learning, the ocean, swimming, movies, Peruvian cuisine, and languages. She traveled throughout the Americas and Europe thoroughly enjoying the history, the culture, and the chance to speak other languages. Her love of music ranged from Chopin to Scott Joplin and Maria Callas to Edith Piaf, and a visit to art museums was essential. Her deepest love was for Peru and her family there. She visited Peru when she could and never stopped missing them.

Susana is survived by her Aunt Carmen Urbina; brother Fernando Urbina and sisters Araceli McCarthy, Maria Ana O'Donoghue, and Alexa Jacobs; beloved cousins and friends. She is predeceased by her father Fernando Urbina, mother Patricia Galofre Urbina, sister Cecilia Urbina Haffele, aunts, and uncles.

Susana's remains will be placed in the Columbarium within Our Lady of Fatima Church in Miraflores, Peru. An event to celebrate her life will be announced at a later date.

Anyone choosing to memorialize Susana may do so by contributing to the Susana Urbina Endowed Scholarship in Psychology fund at the University of North Florida or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.