Highlights from the Div. 44 Awards Ceremony
The following awards were presented during the Div. 44 Awards Ceremony at the 126th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association:
Distinguished Book Award
Peter Hegarty, PhD, for his work entitled "A recent history of lesbian and gay psychology: From homophobia to LGBT."
The division offers this award for a book that has made a significant contribution to the field of LGBT psychology. These works represent valuable contributions to scholarship that synthesize research and practice and that advance the development of science, practice and policy on LGBT issues in psychology.
To quote the publisher, Taylor and Francis, in describing this work:
This ground-breaking text explores the contemporary history of how psychological research, practice and theory has engaged with gay and lesbian movements in the United States and beyond over the last 50 years. Peter Hegarty examines the main strands of research in lesbian and gay psychology that have emerged since the de-pathologizing of homosexuality in the 1970s that followed from the recognition of homophobia and societal prejudice.
The author details the expansion of “lesbian and gay psychology” to “LGB” to “LGBT psychology” via its paradigm shifts, legal activism, shifts in policy makers’ and mental health professionals’ goals in regard to sexual and gender minorities. For the first time, the origins of the concepts, debates and major research programs that have made up the field of LGBT psychology have been drawn together in a single historical narrative, making this a unique resource. A case is made that psychology has only very lately come to consider the needs and issues of transgender and intersex people, and that LGB paradigms need to be critically interrogated to understand how they can be best brokered to bring about social change for such groups.
" A Recent History of Lesbian and Gay Psychology" will serve as an advanced historical introduction to this field’s recent history and current concerns and will inform both those who have been a part of this history and students who are new to the field.
Distinguished Contribution to Education and Training
Brian S. Mustanski, PhD
The division offers this award to colleagues who have made distinguished contributions to the interests, goals and purposes of Div. 44 in the area of education, either academic or public. Award winners typically have developed programs or curricula that raised the consciousness of the general public about LGBT issues or that improved the quality of education and training in psychology at graduate and undergraduate levels. The winners of this award represent individuals who have distinguished themselves in disseminating science and scholarship on LGBT issues.
Brian S. Mustanski is the director of the Northwestern University Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, which has a mission to conduct translational research to improve the health of LGBT individuals and train the next generation of LGBT health scholars.
While some may consider Mustanski primarily a scientist, he has focused equally on using his scientific project to support the training of the next generation of LGBTQ psychologists, researchers and educators. Further, he has used his important IMPACT program to translate research into education for LGBTQ youth and engage LGBTQ youth in creating educational initiatives. Mustanski created the HRSA-funded psychology internship in LGBT health — the first track of its kind in the nation. His team has also partnered with Chicago’s Center on Halsted to extend its educational and practice initiatives. The Halsted Center is an LGBTQ resource center providing mental health services, HIV testing and an active youth program.
Distinguished Professional Contribution
William Elder, PhD
The division offers this award to recognize distinguished professional contributions advancing the interests, goals and purposes of Div. 44. Winners of this award typically have developed innovations in practice with LGBT people and their families, have developed models and paradigms for affirmative practice and have advanced the visibility of LGBT issues within the entire field of professional psychology. Their work has collectively raised the quality of services available to LGBT people and their families seeking care from professional psychologists by informing the practice of all who work with this population.
William Elder has worked collaboratively with members of Div. 51 (Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities) to improve psychological practice with sexual and gender minorities. He and colleagues co-led a workgroup to write “Recommendations for Integrating Masculinities into the Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People." It teaches clinicians how masculine gender socialization influences transgender and gender-conforming client experiences, and it provides a summary of relevant research and a recommendations section, which describes how the guidelines may be applied in psychological practice. Relating to this project is another project with lore dickey, PhD, involving revising Div. 51’s Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men.
Elder is actively involved in clinical work at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, working in the PTSD clinical team primarily with patients who have a history of sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse and interpersonal violence. Committed to a cognitive behavioral therapy with a feminist orientation, Elder uses evidence-based techniques to examine how sociopolitical power dynamics affect trauma. This includes integrating exposure and cognitive work around masculine gender roles, such as acting against socialized male norms about emotional expression, developing emotional intimacy with him as a cisgender male therapist and discussing intersecting identity masculinity norms (e.g., Black men and anger, Latino men and machismo, white men and financial power, gay men and appearing straight-acting and military masculinities and violence). As the president-elect of Div. 51, Ryan McKelley wrote, “I know very few psychologists in the division who so intentionally use the framework of intersectionality in clinical practice.”
Elder has been active in our division and an important bridge between us and other divisions. This past year he assisted the Div. 44 Accreditation Committee Board to draft a letter to the Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) to suggest greater oversight of psychology programs with discriminatory policies toward LGBTQ students and faculty/staff. He also helped find endorsements of the letter from other social justice divisions. At the 2017 APA convention, Elder helped coordinate a co-hosted social hour between Divs. 17, 35, 44 and 51 to build collaborative relationships among diversity divisions. Suffice it to say that Elder is also actively involved in teaching/supervision and advocacy.
Distinguished Scientific Contribution
Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, PhD
The division offers this award for distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to LGBT psychological issues. The winners of this award have made far-reaching and visionary contributions to the development of a science of LGBT psychology and have provided the science base for practice, education, and public policy. Many of these award winners are pioneers who first asked affirmative research questions about the lives of LGBT people, their families and their communities.
Mark L. Hatzenbuehler is an associate professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University. He has published widely on the health correlates of structural stigma in the lives of LGB individuals. He also has focused on the mechanisms linking stigma to adverse health outcomes. His work has been published in outstanding journals, including Psychological Bulletin, Pediatrics, Social Science and Medicine and the American Journal of Public Health. He is well-cited by his colleagues, a marker of the impact of his work on researchers. He is a recipient of various scholarly awards, such as the 2015 Louise Kidder Early Career Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the 2016 Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest from the American Psychological Association and the 2016 Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformational Early Career Contributions from the Association for Psychological Science. His work has reached beyond the confines of the academy. It has been cited in amicus curiae briefs, which were submitted as evidence in court cases related to status-based discrimination (e.g., National Association for the Advancement of Colored People vs. Horne; Perry vs. Schwarzenegger) and the US Commission on Civil Rights’ report on inter-student violence.
Distinguished Service Award
Beverly Greene, PhD
The division offers this award for distinguished contributions to Div. 44 through exceptional service. Award winners have a long history of being active contributors to the life of the Division and are the lifeblood of this organization whose efforts we appreciate.
Beverly Greene has been an active scholar in the area of intersectionality years before intersectionality became topical. The role and interplay of institutionalized racism, sexism, heterosexism and other oppressive ideologies in the paradigms of psychology and practice of psychotherapy in organized mental health have been a continual focus of her work. These interests naturally overlap with her interests in understanding psychological resilience and vulnerability in socially marginalized people and their use in psychotherapy, as well as examining social privilege and marginalization via the development of multiple identity paradigms as more complex ways of understanding human identity. She also has argued for using psychotherapy and psychological science to facilitate social justice. Her scholarship in these areas have sensitized and been recognized by the division. She has received the division’s awards for Distinguished Scientific Contribution and for Distinguished Contributions to Ethnic Minority Issues.
Greene’s scholarly and clinical pursuits have only been matched by her commitment to Div. 44. She is the founding co-editor of the Div. 44 book series "Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Issues." She has represented the division in the Council of Representatives. Her scholarly contributions and work on behalf of the division have brought her acclaim throughout APA. She is the recipient of numerous national awards, including: the 1996 Outstanding Leadership Award from the APA Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns; 2004 Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to Ethnic Minority Research, presented by Div. 45; 2005 Stanley Sue Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Diversity in Clinical Psychology, presented by Div. 12; 2009 Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest Senior Career Award, presented by APA.
Distinguished Student Contribution
Roberto Abreu and Dawn Brown
The division offers this award to a graduate student in psychology who has made a distinguished contribution to research or practice or who has performed exceptional service to the division. Winners of this award represent the future of this division and have taken leadership early in their careers to advance LGBT issues in psychology.
Roberto Abreu is a doctoral student at the University of Kentucky, specializing in LGBTQ scholarship, service and leadership. He has published 11 peer-reviewed articles and five book chapters and made 13 presentations at international, national and regional conferences. One of his articles is a first-authored meta-analysis of cyberbullying experienced by LGBT youth. His dissertation research focuses on Latino LGBTQ individuals and family relationships. He has been active in Div. 44, serving as reviewer for APA conference proposals and being a member of the Committee on Children, Youth and Families. He is working with our immediate past president, Kimberly Balsam, PhD, and president, David Pantalone, PhD, to forge collaborations between our division and Orgullo, an LGBTQ interest group in the National Latina/o Psychological Association. Last year, Abreu was honored by Div. 44 with a Student and Early Career Psychologist Engagement Award.
Dawn Brown is a doctoral student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in counseling psychology. Brown has been an active member of Div. 44 since 2011. She has served as student representative. She created a regional student ambassador program, which provided LGBTQ students around the country opportunities for networking, support and new leadership positions. She also updated the official Div. 44 Facebook page to engage and recruit new members. She has also been active outside of APA, given her work at the Human Rights Campaign as co-chair of membership and community outreach and member of the Board of Governors. Her research also exemplifies her commitment to the populations represented by Div. 44. It focuses on the connection between gender expression and contextual and psychological outcomes for queer women.
Evelyn Hooker Award for Distinguished Contribution by an Ally
Cirleen DeBlaere, PhD
The division honors the enduring legacy of Evelyn Hooker as an ally of people with sexual minority orientations. In commemoration of her contribution, the division offers this award for distinguished contribution by an ally in the areas of research, clinical practice, education and training, public advocacy, mentorship and/or leadership.Cirleen DeBlaere is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services at Georgia State University. DeBlaere has co-chaired Div. 44’s Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CoRED) for two years. She is an associate editor of Div. 44’s journal, Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. In 2013, she served as guest editor for a special issue of the journal, "Sex Roles," which focused on the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. Indeed, since her graduate school days, she has focused her research on intersectionality.
Importantly, DeBlaere’s research has been recognized by multiple professional communities. The Association for Women in Psychology awarded her the 2012 Women of Color Psychologies Award for her research focusing on the role of collective action in the lives of sexual minority women of ethnic or racial minority backgrounds. The Society of Psychology honored her with the Major Contribution Award in 2011 for her scholarship that outlined strategies for addressing methodological barriers encountered in conducting research with LGB individuals of ethnic or racial minority backgrounds. Through her research and service in multiple professional associations, DeBlaere has demonstrated her commitment to psychological science and practice. Most notably, her publications have advanced the understanding of sexual orientation and gender diversity through basic and applied research.
As a professor, she has mentored graduate students from diverse backgrounds. Her publications and presentations often involve graduate students. Additionally, she has chaired theses and dissertations that have focused on several sexual minority populations.
Clarity Award
Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union
By means of the president-elect, the division offers this award to a leader who advances the rights of LGBT people and advocates for equality for LGBT people.
For me, the selection of Anthony Romero was relatively easy when I considered the difficult times LGBT individuals are experiencing during the tenure of the Trump administration alongside the recent and current efforts of the ACLU under Romero’s direction. The victories have included Windsor v. United States in 2013, in which Edith Windsor challenged the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that discriminated against married same-sex couples in federal benefits and protections. Two years later, in 2015, the Supreme Court provided another legal relief, overturning, in Obergefell v. Hodges, the Sixth Circuit decision and ruling that state bans on same-sex marriages were unconstitutional. There have also been what I hope are temporary set-backs, such as the 2018 case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. However, the ACLU has been the defender of civil liberties in all areas of life since its founding in 1920 and as demonstrated by some of the nation’s most celebrated cases, such a Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Thus, not only will its efforts continue, but they clearly extend to LGBT civil liberties, as the examples I just mentioned attest.
Presidential Citation
Oakland LGBTQ Community Center
This award is for individuals or organizations whose mission and work are consistent with the theme or focus of Div. 44's president. Recipients of presidential citations are selected by the division president and often go to individual or organizations whose mission and work are consistent with the president's theme or focus.
Dr. Richard A. Rodriguez Student Travel Award
Andrew J. Choi, MA, and Mirella J. Forles, MA
CoRED acknowledges that LGBTQ students of color frequently experience increased demands on time and resources as a result of managing multiple identities within professional organizations. Thus, the Dr. Richard A. Rodriguez Div. 44 Student Travel Award seeks to encourage and support greater participation in APA and Div. 44 convention activities of LGBTQ students of color by defraying travel costs to the APA.
Malyon-Smith Scholarship Award
Caitlin Wolford Clevenger, MA
The Malyon-Smith Scholarship is named for two founding past-presidents of the division, the late Alan Malyon and the late Adrienne Smith. It is a fund that annually awards up to $1,000 to selected graduate students in psychology to advance research in the psychology of sexual orientation and gender identity. The award represents one of the division's major efforts to mentor and support science in LGBT psychology by encouraging the work of young researchers.
The Bisexual Foundation Scholarship Award
Anna Salomaa, MS
The Bisexual Foundation Scholarship is an annual fund awarding up to $1,000 per award to selected graduate students to advance research on the psychology of bisexuality. This new award recognizes the growing importance of research on bisexuality to the field of LGBT issues in psychology and offers concrete support and encouragement to emerging scholars in this field.
Committee on Bisexual Issues Student Travel Award
Cathryn Richmond, MA
The purpose of the Committee on Bisexual Issues Student Travel Award is to support graduate student engagement with LGBTQ psychology by defraying travel costs to the APA Annual Convention. Through this award, the Committee on Bisexual Issues also hopes to encourage LGBTQ graduate student participation in the Div. 44 activities at APA's Annual Convention (e.g., the Committee on Bisexual Issues discussion hour and other programming in the hospitality suite).
Committee on Mentoring Student Travel Award
Mirella J. Flores MA
The purpose of the Committee on Mentoring Student Travel Award is to support graduate student engagement with LGBTQ psychology by defraying travel costs to the 2016 APA Convention in Denver. Through this award, the Committee on Mentoring also hopes to encourage LGBTQ graduate student participation in the Div. 44 annual convention activities (e.g., the Mentoring Roundtable and other programming in the Div. 44 Hospitality Suite, student pizza party and division social hours).
Committee for Transgender People and Gender Diversity Research Award
Morgan Sinnard, MEd
The Transgender Research Award (TRA) recognizes psychological research that addresses trans issues. It is open to anyone conducting psychological research using trans participants or studying issues affecting trans people and communities. The award winner commits to disseminating and/or sharing findings with multiple audiences and communities that are directly impacted by the research (e.g., academic audiences, traditional publications, community-focused workshops, etc.).
Student and Early Career Psychologist Engagement Awards
- Alvin P. Akibar, MS
- Shawn M. Fraine, MA
- Monica A. Ghabrial, MA
- Halleh Hashtpari, MS
- Amanda M. Lappin, MS
- Quillan D. Murphy, MS
- Thomas A. Vance, MAEd
Certificates of Appreciation
- Laura Alie, PhD, member-at-large
- Kimberly Balsam, PhD, immediate past-president
- Ja’Nina Garrett-Brown, PhD, chair, Program Committee
- Carlton Green, PhD, co-chair, Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity
- Gary Howell, PhD, co-chair, Clinical Issues and co-chair, Fundraising
- Joshua Kellison, PhD, co-chair, Membership Committee
- Megan Lytle, PhD, co-chair, Committee on Children, Youth & Families
- Jonathan J. Mohr, PhD,co-chair, Science Committee
- Jayme Peta, PhD, communications
- Stacey Williams, PhD, newsletter editor
APA Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award
Keren Lehavot, PhD, and Jae Sevelius, PhD
The Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (CSOGD) of the APA annually presents the Outstanding Achievement Awards to recognize psychologists for significant contributions to the mission of CSOGD.