Stanley Sue, PhD is awarded the posthumous Presidential Citation for his exceptional leadership and innovative impact on research, clinical practice, and public policy concerning mental health assessment, treatment, and services to culturally diverse clientele and their communities.
Sue is one of the most noted and influential experts in the field of ethnic minority mental health and ethnocultural psychology. Over the last 50 years, he conducted some of the most pioneering and significant work in ethnic minority mental health. These included (a) landmark studies on the delivery of mental health services to minority communities, the effectiveness of psychological treatment for ethnic minority clients, the mental health beliefs, issues, and needs of Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities, the predictors of academic achievement among ethnic minorities, the effects of ethnic match on treatment outcomes, the impact of ethnic specific services, the factors associated with bias in clinical assessment, and the rates and distribution of mental disorders among ethnic clients as well as (b) seminal conceptual and theoretical advances on the role of culture in psychotherapy, cultural considerations in clinical assessment, biases in social science toward the study of cultural diversity, research on interventions and treatment for ethnic minorities, and cultural competence.
In an unprecedented effort to amplify the reach and impact of his scholarly work, Sue was effective in establishing the research infrastructure to conduct and sustain empirical work on ethnic minority mental health issues. He directed the National Research Center on Asian American Mental Health and served as the director of Research for the Asian American Center. For 25 years these two centers provided the primary leadership, institutional support, and vision for ethnocultural research on mental health treatment, services, and public policy. The centers made groundbreaking empirical advances in ethnic minority mental health and cultural diversity research. They also trained and supported several generations of mental health researchers and scholars who have made substantial contributions to empirical knowledge and theory in ethnic minority psychology. Moreover, Sue carried through on his lifetime commitment to apply his research in ways that substantially improved the public's welfare by (a) influencing national and local mental health policies and practices, (b) addressing health disparities among ethnic minorities and articulating strategies to reduce those disparities, and (c) developing working models of cultural competence at both the service provider and service system levels.
Sue received local, national, and international acclaim for this exceptional and creative body of work. He received the following awards and honors: Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest (American Psychological Association (APA), 1986), Distinguished Contributions to Clinical Psychology (Los Angeles County Society of Clinical Psychologists, 1989), Distinguished Contributions to Research in Ethnic Minority Psychology (APA, Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race, 1990), Distinguished Contribution Award (Asian American Psychological Association, 1990), Distinguished Contributions to the Psychological Study of Diversity (American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology, 1995), Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy (APA, 1996), Distinguished Scientific Achievement in Psychology (California Psychological Association, 1998), UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement (2003), Distinguished Research Contributions to Ethnic Minorities (APA, Society of Clinical Psychology, Section VI, 2005), Lifetime Achievement Award in Psychology (California Psychological Association, 2005), Presidential Citation for Contributions to Psychology (APA, 2009); Elder Award (National Multicultural Conference and Summit, 2011); Lifetime Achievement Award (Western Psychological Association, 2014), and Lifetime Achievement Award (APA, Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race, 2018).
For his prominence as an internationally and nationally recognized scholar, scientist, teacher, mentor, and social justice advocate with respect to ethnic minority and cultural diversity issues, it is my honor to award Professor Stanley Sue this APA Presidential Citation.