In Memoriam - Professor Anna Constanza Baldry

It is with sadness that we share the news that Dr. Anna Constanza Baldry, internationally renowned researcher and professor, has died. The following obituary written by her friends and colleagues shares a few of her many accomplishments.

ANNA CONSTANZA BALDRY (May 16, 1970 – March 9, 2019) It is with great sadness that we write this obituary to report on the death of an esteemed colleague and a wonderful friend, Professor Anna Costanza Baldry. We hope that this obituary will serve to celebrate the memory of an excellent scholar by reflecting on her many achievements. In this obituary, it is only possible for us to mention a few of her many accomplishments.  

Anna graduated in Psychology from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 1994, where she later received her doctorate in social and developmental psychology.Nel 2000 ha conseguito anche il PhD in Criminologia presso l'Institute of Criminology della Cambridge University, UK. In 2000 she also received a PhD in criminology at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, UK. Nel 2003 ha conseguito l'idoneità per professore associato in psicologia sociale e dal mese di gennaio 2005 è associata presso la Seconda Università di Napoli.She obtained the prestigious Marie Curie Post-doctoral Fellowship and spent two years at the Free University of Amsterdam. From 2002 to 2004 she was appointed as level III researcher at ISTAT.Dal 2005 tiene corsi di insegnamento in tecniche dell'intervista e del questionario, psicologia di comunità di psicologia giuridica e dal 2008 tiene il corso di vittimologia all'Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore di Milano. Since 2005 she was associated with the Second University of Naples (later renamed: Università degli Studi della Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli). Since 2005, she taught undergraduate and graduate courses on various topics including interview and questionnaire techniques, criminological and legal psychology, community psychology, juvenile delinquency and youth violence. Since 2008 she taught the course on victimology at the Catholic University of Milan.

Her multidisciplinary perspective was also reflected in the numerous consultancy positions that she held. She was an expert consultant for the United Nations, the OSCE, NATO and for the Forces of the Order and the Judicial Authority in matters of violence against women and children. For these activities and her constant dedication to the topic of violence against women, Anna was awarded an OMRI, the Official of the Republican Order for Merit. It is worth mentioning that very recently her work on children who have lost their mother at the hands of their father was presented in the Italian parliament and had influenced government policy.

Despite her numerous academic achievements, Anna was an incredibly modest person. She was always very congenial and humble, and she helped to advance the careers of many young scholars in Italy and internationally. Anna educated numerous cohorts of students during her university career. Her long experience in dealing with students from diverse areas, cultures and levels of interest and involvement was only made possible thanks to her excellent communication skills. She was an engaging presenter and such a fun person to be with; there was not a single dull moment with Anna! Her wonderful smile and positive outlook in life was truly contagious. She was full of energy and this could explain the numerous projects she completed (including several European networks on bullying, intimate partner violence, and femicide) and all the prestigious publications linked to these projects.

Her research helped to advance knowledge on important topics such as bullying, cyberbullying, gender-based violence and victimization. She was one of the leading scholars in these fields of research. She led several international projects on cyberbullying that produced dozens of publications, with cross-cultural comparisons and with research outputs that influenced policy, practice and intervention research across many countries. One of her most prominent research projects focused on violence against women and their children, who Anna identified as ‘special orphans’ since their mothers were killed by their fathers. She raised attention regarding this topic and promoted laws that now protect such vulnerable children. She also used the SARA protocol for assessing risk for spousal assault within the Italian framework. Her legacy will persist, and her achievements will help protect vulnerable individuals for years to come.

She maintained a positive attitude in life until the very end, even when dealing with her long-term illness. Anna was a fighter and she carried through her day to day university duties until the very end with dignity and courage. We will miss her greatly.

David P. Farrington (Cambridge University), Izabela Zych (University of Cordoba), Vicente J. Llorent (University of Cordoba), and Maria M. Ttofi (University of Cambridge)