Johanna Ghei

Johanna Ghei began a lifelong career in Psychology at the University of Minnesota, completing a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology. She worked for many years in Child Psychology. After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she became a licensed psychologist in Wisconsin, focusing in the areas of grief and loss, gender, women’s self-esteem, and trauma.

Johanna established the Som N. Ghei and Ram Kaur Ghei Scholarship in honor of her late husband, Dr. Som N. Ghei (1925-1985), and his mother, Ram Kaur Ghei (1903-1981). Som often spoke of how much his mother would have liked to obtain a higher education – something she
was unable to do because of political turmoil, family obligations, and societal expectations. In part because of her situation, he was especially happy to encourage his students to commit to and to continue their education.

Dr. Ghei grew up in British India, and completed his undergraduate studies and a master’s degree from Punjab University. With a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Minnesota, he completed his Ph.D. in Psychology, drawing from Statistics and Cross-Cultural Psychology. Dr.
Ghei was a professor of Psychology at UW-Oshkosh from 1968 until his death in 1985. His research interests and undergraduate course development included the areas of personality theory, personality across cultures, consciousness, dreaming, and early memories.