Call for Nominations: Meritorious Research Service Commendation
The APA Board of Scientific Affairs (BSA) is soliciting nominations for the Meritorious Research Service Commendation. This commendation recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to psychological science through their service as employees of the federal government or other organizations. Contributions are defined according to service to the field that directly or indirectly advances opportunities and resources for psychological science. This may include staff at federal or non-federal research funding, regulatory or other agencies. Nominees may be active or retired but ordinarily will have a minimum of 10 years of such service. The individual's personal scholarly achievements (i.e., research, teaching, and writing) are not considered in the selection process independent of their service contributions.
To submit a nomination provide the following:
- A letter of nomination that describes and supports the individual's contributions (e.g., nature of the individual's service to psychological science, positions held, program development activities). The nomination letters should be no more than two pages long.
- A curriculum vita
- Three letters of support from scientists, at least two from outside the nominee's organization
The deadline for submitting 2008 nominations is March 17, 2008.
Please email nominations to: Suzanne Wandersman
Meritorious Research Service Commendation recipients: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002
| 2007 Recipient |
Lula A. Beatty, PhD
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Dr. Beatty is Chief of the Special Populations Office, Office of the Director, at the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). She was recognized for her leadership in advancing drug abuse prevention research for underrepresented populations, especially ethnic/racial minorities and women and addressing the problems of health disparities. In addition, as the first and current director of NIDA’s Special Populations Office, she is being recognized for developing programs that have increased the number of ethnic/racial minority researchers supported by NIDA. |
| 2006 Recipients |
Vivian B. Faden
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Dr. Faden is Deputy Director in the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. She was recognized for her role in shaping the priorities of the federal alcohol research effort and her strong and articulate advocacy for the importance of social and behavioral research on alcohol abuse and related problems.
Fred Stollnitz
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Dr. Stollnitz was Program Director for Cross-Directorate Activities at the National Science Foundation (NSF). He was recognized for an exceptional record of over 30 years of service as Program Director at the National Science Foundation. Dr. Stollnitz influenced the shape of research on animal behavior and nurtured research on the biological basis of behavior. He has been a tireless mentor to young scientists and an advocate for the expansion of training opportunities.
Betty Tai
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Dr. Tai is Director of the Center for the Clinical Trials Network at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She was recognized for her leadership of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network and her instrumental role in defining future research issues and identifying new avenues for collaboration within the Network. |
| 2005 Recipients |
Susan F. Chipman
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Dr. Chipman is Scientific Officer, Program Manager, and Program Officer in the Cognitive Science Program at the Office of Naval Research. She was recognized for her commitment to fostering high quality behavioral science, mentoring of young scientists, and balancing basic and applied research at the Office of Naval Research.
Mary Ellen Oliveri
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Dr. Oliveri is Deputy Director of the Division of Pediatric Translational Research and Treatment Development at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM). She was recognized for her advocacy of basic behavioral science within the NIMH, developing new programs and initiatives, and serving as a crucial resource for scores of applicants and grantees at the NIMH.
Cora Lee Wetherington
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Dr. Wetherington is Program Officer in the Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences Research Branch in the Division of Basic Neuroscience and Behavioral Research and she is NIDA’s Women and Gender Research Coordinator. She was recognized for her leadership in the areas of research on women and gender and her contributions to bringing gender issues to the forefront of drug abuse research at NIDA and NIH.
Ellen Diane Witt
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Dr. Witt is Health Scientist Administrator in the Neurosciences and Behavioral Research Branch, in the Division of Basic Research at NIAAA. She was honored for fostering the development of a number of critical research areas in alcohol research and for her constant emphasis on the importance of both basic and applied research in psychological science at NIAAA. |
| 2004 Recipients |
Ronald P. Abeles
Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, National Institutes of Health
He was recognized for raising the standards of psychological science, increasing the skill levels of researchers, and introducing psychologists to cutting edge interdisciplinary research through his leadership roles at the National Institute on Aging, the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, and the Health and Behavior Coordinating Committee at NIH.
Israel I. Lederhendler
National Institute of Mental Health
Dr. Lederhendler is Chief of the Basic Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM). He is also serving as Interim Director of the Electronic Research Administration at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He was recognized for his advocacy of outstanding psychological research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and for his dedication to the interests and needs of psychological researchers.
G. Reid Lyon
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
He was recognized for his leadership of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of NICHD and for enhancing the understanding and appreciation of psychological science to members of Congress, the President of the United States, and the educational community. In addition, his direction of the program on reading and learning disabilities has had a major impact on the shaping of education research and public policy decisions.
Willo Pequegnat
National Institute of Mental Health
She was recognized for her leadership role in HIV prevention research initiatives sponsored by NIMH and for her mentoring of young behavioral scientists entering the field of AIDS behavioral research.
Anita M. Sostek
National Institutes of Health
She was recognized for her leadership at the Center for Scientific Review for ensuring that reviews are fair, equitable, and maintain the highest of scientific standards. In addition, she has served as an outstanding mentor and source of information to scientists in the field. |
| 2003 Recipients |
Steven J. Breckler
National Science Foundation
He was honored for his role in improving the stature of psychology at the National Science Foundation, increasing resources and respect for the field, and facilitating the development of new directions within the field.
Edgar M. Johnson
Army Research Institute
Dr. Johnson recently retired from serving as the Director of the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) and Chief Psychologist of the U.S. Army. He was recognized for his leadership within ARI and for developing the Consortium Research Fellows Program, which provides professional development and financial support to graduate students who are completing their degrees.
Peter G. Kaufmann
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH
He was recognized for increasing the visibility of health psychology and behavioral medicine research at NHLBI, in particular, and at NIH, in general.
Lisa S. Onken
National Institute of Drug Abuse, NIH
She was recognized for developing NIDA's behavioral therapies development research program and for her efforts in bridging basic and clinical research findings.
Delores Parron
National Institutes of Health
Dr. Parron is Scientific Advisor for Capacity Development in the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health. Some of her previous positions included Associate Director for Special Populations at the National Institute of Mental Health and Associate Director of the Division of Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine at the Institute of Medicine. She was cited for her knowledge, research strategies, and career-long dedication to the development of new projects addressing ethnic minority groups. Dr. Parron's contributions to providing funding opportunities to ethnic minority researchers had a major impact on the discipline. |
| 2002 Recipients |
Rodney Cocking (awarded posthumously)
National Science Foundation
Dr. Cocking served psychological science in many capacities across the federal government, most recently as program officer for the Learning and Developmental Sciences program at NSF. In every venue he was instrumental in the inception of initiatives that had a foundational impact on the field – he co-edited and founded a journal devoted to developmental psychology; was the initial staff director of important policy bodies at the National Academy of Sciences (Board on Behavioral, Cognitive and Sensory Sciences; and the Basic Behavioral Sciences Program on Cognition and Learning), and served to foster new developments in learning sciences, cognitive science, children and media, and cross-cultural work.
Robert Croyle
National Cancer Institute, NIH
Dr. Croyle is Associate Director, Behavioral Research Program in the NCI. He was cited for being a strong spokesperson for behavioral research within NIH, strong supporter of interdisciplinary collaboration, and an advocate of both basic and applied research. He was also commended for expanding the institute by bringing in colleagues with strong scientific credentials, initiating collaborations across NIH and other agencies, and supporting and fostering a behavioral research perspective. He was also cited for his championing the development of “cutting edge intervention research to influence complex health behaviors such as smoking, nutrition and exercise..” and “..innovative study of risk communication, health decision making, consumer health informatics, sociocultural research; policy analysis; neuroscience; psychometrics; behavioral genetics…”. His own research is on cancer prevention and control and health threat appraisal.
Sarah Friedman
National Institutes of Child Health & Human Development, NIH
Dr. Friedman has shepherded a groundbreaking longitudinal study at NICHD – the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development – since its inception. This 10-site, multi-measure, multi-investigator study has been going on for about 12 years, and involves 1200 children studied from just after birth. She also has served as grants administrator, Health Scientist Administrator, Director Program on Cognitive Social and Affective Development, and Special Assistant to the Director at NICHD. In addition to her scholarly and administrative work, Dr. Friedman works actively to disseminate the results of her study for their scientific merit and as an example of the issues involved in encouraging multidisciplinary collaborative studies.
David Shurtleff
National Institute of Drug Abuse, NIH
He was cited for being instrumental in initiating and promoting the research area focusing on treatment strategies for drug abuse; and for outstanding administrative abilities within NIDA and increasing support for behavioral researchers.
Joseph Young
National Science Foundation
Dr. Young was cited for longstanding service to research and researchers in cognition, and for a strong role for supporting and being a steward for cognitive science and cognitive research funding within the National Science Foundation and Office of Naval Research. Dr. Young worked at the National Science Foundation for close to 30 years and, as one reviewer said, was the “face” of cognitive psychology for most of that time. |
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