Apply for Diane J. Willis Early Career Award
APF is accepting nominations for the $2,000 APF/Div. 37 (Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice) Diane J. Willis Early Career Award, which supports talented psychologists who are informing, advocating for and improving the mental health and well-being of children and families, particularly through policy and service.
The goals of the award are to:
- Advance public understanding of mental health and improve the well-being of children and families through policy and service and
- Encourage promising early career psychologists to continue work in this area.
The award honors psychologist Diane J. Willis, PhD, a professor emeritus at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the Child Study Center, who has advocated for children's rights at the state, national and international levels. Submit nominations by Jan. 31. For more information, contact Parie Kadir or go to Diane J. Willis Early Career Award.
Student spotlight: Travel is broadening
University of California, Riverside, graduate student Gazi Begum learned from members of Div. 16 (School) and other school psychologists at APA's 2012 Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla., thanks to a $1,000 APF Paul E. Henkin Travel Grant. By talking to seasoned psychologists at the convention, Begum developed a more multidisciplinary perspective on her dissertation, which focuses on parenting practices and maternal depression among Caucasian and Latina mothers of children with and without developmental delays.
"I learned and collaborated on ways to enhance cultural awareness as well as cultural sensitivity within Div. 16, APA and the profession of psychology at large," she says.
The Paul E. Henkin Travel Grant program supports students seeking careers in school psychology by helping offset costs of attending APA's Annual Convention. For more information, go to APF Paul E. Henkin Travel Grant. The next application deadline is April 15.
Barbara S. Held wins Gittler Award
APF has presented Barbara S. Held, PhD, with the $10,000 Joseph B. Gittler Award for her research and publications on philosophical psychology, much of which critiques the tenets of positive psychology. Held, a clinical and theoretical/philosophical psychologist at Bowdoin College, is the author of the book "Stop Smiling, Start Kvetching: A 5-Step Guide to Creative Complaining," which promotes the idea that a certain amount of negative thinking is healthy. In 2008, she served as president of Div. 24 (Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology).
Past winners of the Gittler Award include Daniel Kahneman, PhD, Louis Sass, PhD, and Jerome Bruner, PhD.
APF established the award through a generous bequest from sociologist Joseph B. Gittler, PhD. To learn more about the award, go to Joseph B. Gittler Award. The next nomination deadline is June 1.