Campaign to Transform the Future
APF's Campaign to Transform the Future hopes to raise $6.5 million to increase the foundation's capacity to make grants that give students and early career psychologists the support they need to work on cutting-edge issues and to launch their careers.
So far, the campaign has raised $5.3 million of that goal. Thank you to the distinguished donors who have already contributed to the campaign. For those who would like to give, visit APF Givingopens in new window.
Honoring her husband's legacy
Katharine Gordon has made a generous gift to APF's Campaign to Transform the Future in honor of her late husband, the psychologist Leonard V. Gordon, PhD . Leonard Gordon developed several psychological tests on the subject of personality, most notably the Gordon Personal Profile-Inventory, which helps employers select qualified employees. His tests have been translated into 23 languages, and he worked with the Peace Corps to establish its own testing system.
With her significant gift, Katharine Gordon has joined the other Luminary Campaign donors in helping to transform the future. She believes strongly in APF's mission to support the research projects of young psychologists and hopes her gift will make even more funding available.
For more information on paying tribute to a colleague, mentor or loved one through a gift to APF, visit APFopens in new window or call (202) 336-5843.
Connors receives dissertation award
APF has given Maia Connors, a doctoral candidate in the psychology and social intervention program at New York University (NYU), the $1,000 Annette Urso Rickel Foundation Dissertation Award. The award recognizes her work to understand the effects Head Start has on children's educational development.
Maia received her BA from Brown University and then taught 2-year-olds in San Francisco. She then designed and implemented supports for high-quality preschool throughout California.
The APF Annette Urso Rickel Foundation Dissertation Award for Public Policy supports dissertation research on public policy that has the potential to improve services for children and families who are facing psychosocial issues. Examples include the prevention of child abuse, school programs for children with psychological issues, services for youth in the criminal justice system, healthy parenting, math and science education, and contributing to the adoption of sound policy affecting children, youth and families.
For more information about the Annette Urso Rickel Dissertation Award, please visit APFopens in new window Fundingopens in new window.
Comer receives two early career awards
Jonathan Comer, PhD , director of the mental health interventions and technology program at Florida International University, received APF's 2015 Theodore Blau Early Career Award and Div. 37's Diane J. Willis Early Career Award.
Comer's research has focused on testing and disseminating empirically supported psychotherapies in novel ways so that more children and families have access to them. Comer believes that this work has enormous potential to overcome traditional barriers to care and to improve health delivery nationwide.
Honoring the memory of clinical psychologist and former APA President Theodore Blau, PhD, the Blau Early Career Award recognizes the accomplishments of early career professionals working in clinical psychology. For more information on the award, visit APFopens in new window Fundingopens in new window.
The APF Div. 37 (Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice) Diane J. Willis Early Career Award supports talented young psychologists making contributions toward informing, advocating for and improving the mental health and well-being of children and families, particularly through policy.
For more information on the award, visit APF Fundingopens in new window.
The power of a grant
Brian Buzzella, PhD , was "absolutely thrilled" when he received his APF Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Grant in 2009. Then a graduate student at Boston University, he knew that his dissertation project would not have been feasible without outside funding.
When he began applying for grants, Buzzella didn't know about APF and its funding opportunities. Luckily, his mentor, Sarah Whitton, PhD, sent him the Scrivner Grant request for proposals. The grant proved an excellent fit for Buzzella's research project and allowed him to enhance his recruitment efforts and purchase vital equipment to conduct his dissertation research, which is focused on evaluating a same-sex relationship education program he had developed with his mentor.
Buzzella says the Scrivner grant also helped him after his dissertation was done. When he interviewed for his predoctoral internship, sites frequently asked him about his experience obtaining and overseeing the grant. "They showed significant interest in my ability to apply for and receive a competitive grant," Buzzella recalls, "and I believe it was a primary factor in having matched with a top internship site."
Today, Buzzella directs the Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego's Family Mental Health Program. He is involved in the VA San Diego's efforts to ensure lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans feel supported and cared for within the system.
Buzzella also credits his APF Scrivner Grant for the "enormous impact" it has had on his career as a psychologist. "Not only did it allow me to conduct the project I had envisioned without sacrificing the scope of the science, it indicated to me that my research ideas were valued and of interest to a panel of experts in my field," he says. "This affirmation was invaluable."
"Receiving an APF award can drastically influence the course of one's career, increasing access to positions that support efforts to obtain additional grant funding mechanisms."
For more information on the APF Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Grant and other funding opportunities, visit APFopens in new window.
