Hi Division 20 members,
Application for Fellow status is open to any APA member who meets the criteria of both APA and Division 20.
- APA requirements and online application for Initial Fellow status
- Division 20 criteria for Fellow status
Benefits of becoming an APA Fellow
- Professional recognition: Honors outstanding contributions to the field of psychology and affirms your expertise, reputation, and dedication.
- Peer acknowledgment: Offers meaningful recognition from colleagues, affirming your impact and leadership in the profession.
- Career advancement: Strengthens candidacy for promotions, leadership roles, and institutional support. Some organizations even provide financial or professional incentives.
- Inspiration and mentorship: Serves as a model of excellence for students, early career psychologists, and underrepresented voices in the field.
- Field-wide impact: Elevates the importance of psychology as a profession and reinforces the influence of your specialty area within practice and research.
- Division recognition: Reflects positively on your APA Division, showcasing its role in advancing the field through the achievements of its members.
- Leadership engagement: Encourages the involvement of diverse and emerging psychologists in shaping the future of APA.
Interested applicants
Please check with Division 20 Fellows Chair Michelle Mlinac prior to starting an application to confirm the deadline for submitting an application to the division.
Advice for applicants and endorsers on submitting a successful application is also available on the APA Fellows page. Division 20 welcomes self- and other nominations for Fellow status in APA and the Division.
There are two processes:
- If you are currently not a Fellow in any APA division, you would be applying for initial Fellow status; or
- If you are a Fellow in another APA division, and you are a member of Division 20, you can request consideration for Fellow status in Division 20.
Please note
- Initial Fellows must be a member or have been a member of Division 20 for at least 2 years.
- Members of APA who are already Fellows of another division must be members of Division 20 for one year.
Nominees should be aware of the importance of the nominee’s self-statement, which must make clear exactly how the nominee has made “unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in the field of psychology” (an essential APA requirement). Such contributions must go well beyond those typically necessary for tenure or promotion recommendations for individuals in academic positions. Also, although not mandatory, evidence of involvement in APA in general and in Division 20 in particular is very helpful and greatly strengthens the application.
Recommenders must fill out two forms: one is called “Worksheet” and contains a rating scale; the second form (the “Fellow Status Evaluation Form”) includes the actual letter of recommendation. Nominees are expected to send both forms to their recommenders (unless someone else is handling the entire nomination process). The last day to submit all materials for Initial Fellow applications is December 1.
The application process for individuals who are already Fellows of an APA division requires only a current CV and brief cover letter emailed Michelle Mlinac, PsyD, ABPP. The deadline for submitting materials for Current Fellows is April 1.
Special Congratulations to our incoming Division 20 Fellows
- Grace Caskie, PhD
- Denis Gerstorf, PhD
- Christopher Nguyen, PhD, ABPP