Congratulations to Our Newly Elected Div. 18 Fellows

APA fellow status is an honor that recognizes evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions to or performance in the field of psychology that has had impact beyond a local, state or regional level.

In Div. 18 (Psychologists in Public Service), we view election as a fellow to be an honor not only for the individual but also for the division, and we welcome the nomination of outstanding division members for this distinction who have make substantial contributions to public service psychology. 

We would like to congratulate Gary Fischler, Herbert Gupton and Jack Tsai, who were elected to fellow status in 2018.

Fischler, Gupton and Tsai join an illustrious group of psychologists who have APA fellow status in Div. 18.

I earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1984, and have been practicing since 1986 (police psychology since 1991). I am a board-certified specialist of the American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology and a member of its board of directors, serving as its national chair of examinations. I am the Immediate past general chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Police Psychology Services Section (PPSS). I am also an adjunct assistant professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota and a past chair of the University of Minnesota Press Advisory Board, Test Division. I am a past chair of the IACP PPSS Education Committee, Fitness-For-Duty Guidelines Committee, and Ethics Consultation Committee. I have also served as a court-appointed psychological examiner in Hennepin County since 1995. My special interests relate to the interface between psychology, legal issues, and workplace concerns, and I have authored or co-authored several publications on these topics. I have been a member of APA since 1980 when I joined as a student, and of Div. 18 for many years. I sought fellow status in the division to deepen my involvement with APA and Div. 18.

I’m a clinical psychologist for Connecticut’s Critical Time Intervention Team for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and associate professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. My practice and research are focused on homelessness, severe mental illness and trauma. I’ve received federal grants for my work and regularly serve on grant review committees for the work of others. I also serve as editor-in-chief for the Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless. I have been involved in APA in several capacities, including serving elected positions in both Divs. 18 and 56. I am currently president-elect of Div. 18 and look forward to working with the presidential trio to better serve its members and to advance the division as whole. I’m honored to have recently been inducted as a fellow of Div. 18 and applied to express my commitment to public service psychology as well as encourage others to be engaged in the division and APA in general.