Catherine Phillips Carrico, PhD, clinical associate professor in the department of psychology and associate director of the Wyoming Center on Aging at the University of Wyoming, has been named the recipient of APA’s Excellence in Rural Psychology Award. The national award recognizes psychologists whose careers have significantly advanced the health and well-being of rural and frontier communities through leadership, innovation, service, education, research, and advocacy.
Carrico coleads one of the nation’s federally funded Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs. In this role, she has become a driving force behind statewide initiatives that strengthen behavioral health, health care access, caregiver support, and workforce capacity in rural and indigenous communities. In addition, Carrico leads Wyoming’s Healthy U Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, which has expanded evidence-based health education to 20 of Wyoming’s 23 counties through a statewide network of more than 100 trained peer leaders. These programs improve chronic disease management while addressing social isolation, caregiver burden, self-efficacy, and behavioral health resilience among older adults.
Carrico has also pioneered innovative uses of telementoring technology through the University of Wyoming’s Project echo in Geriatrics and the Wyoming Dementia Together Caregiver Network, providing education, consultation, and psychosocial support to health care professionals and family caregivers who often face significant geographic barriers to care. She has served for 10 years on the Board of the National Association for Geriatric Education and currently serves as president of the Board of Directors.
Further, Carrico has contributed to numerous national initiatives focused on aging, dementia care, Indigenous health, and workforce development. This contribution is exemplified by her appointment to the leadership committee for the recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Alzheimer’s Association Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map for American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples.
The APA Excellence in Rural Psychology Award recognizes psychologists whose careers exemplify outstanding dedication to improving the lives of individuals living in rural and remote communities by transforming health care delivery and improving quality of life for rural Americans. For more than a decade, Carrico has dedicated her career to improving access to behavioral health care, chronic disease management, caregiver support, workforce development, and telehealth services for older adults living in rural and frontier communities. Her work has strengthened health care systems across Wyoming by expanding evidence-based programming, building sustainable community partnerships, and developing innovative workforce training models that improve care for historically underserved populations.
