At a Sept. 19 ceremony, APA President Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, presented Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) with a presidential citation honoring the congressman as "an effective champion of the application of psychology to promote human rights, health, well-being and dignity."
"You epitomize our association's values to strive for social justice, diversity and inclusion," said Kaslow, while conferring the citation. "From your early days as a heroic young Freedom Rider, you have fought a long, hard struggle to end racial discrimination and segregation throughout our nation."
Kaslow also cited Lewis's work to improve the child welfare system, eliminate pay disparities for women, further LGBT rights and aid disadvantaged families, among many other accomplishments.
She also thanked Lewis for supporting both biomedical and behavioral research at the National Institutes of Health, which helped to "advance research to enhance our nation's health status and well-being by including attention to behavioral factors, such as unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, that play a significant role in cancer, heart disease, and many other serious disorders."
