Diana L. Prescott, PhD, is awarded a presidential citation for her commitment to the underserved rural health community, her leadership in federal advocacy, and her contributions to APA's Board of Directors.
Prescott, licensed in Indiana and Maine, directs a rural health consulting practice, evaluating, and treating women and children in Hampden, Maine. She has developed the integrated behavioral health component of Eastern Maine Medical Center’s pediatric obesity program, Way to Optimal Weight (WOW). She has supervised doctoral students through WOW and The Acadia Hospital as an adjunct professor for the University of Maine-Orono.
Committed to rural mental health, Prescott has chaired the Maine Migrant Health Program and served on the Maine Primary Care Association board. She has chaired the APA Committee on Rural Health. Prescott serves as a member-at-large of the International Association of Applied Psychology Board of Directors. She has presented internationally on rural integrated care practice. Prescott has served as a Federal Advocacy Coordinator for APA for nearly 20 years, advocating for science, education, practice, public interest, and applied psychology. She has received the APA Practice Organization’s Federal Advocacy Award for her commitment to advocacy. She has represented Maine on the APA Council of Representatives and has served on the APA Board of Directors for six years, including three years as APA’s Recording Secretary (2019–21).
Prescott completed her bachelor's degree at Butler University and her PhD in psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, after completing her internship at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She and her psychologist husband are the proud parents of three daughters.
Because of her dedication to ensuring access to competent psychological services in the rural population, and her commitment and service to APA and the profession of psychology, it is my honor to award Prescott with this 2023 presidential citation.