Members of APA routinely make a variety of contributions to the discipline of psychology and to the health of the organization and its divisions. Most APA members know that each division has a system for acknowledging members who have made exceptional contributions. APA specifies that Fellow status may be awarded when members have made contributions that have a national or international impact. divisions in APA are generally free to consider how to evaluate applications for Fellow status so long as the applicants have made an impact of such proportions.
In practice, many, if not most, of APA members who become Fellows do so on the basis of research and publications. However, Div. 44 makes an intentional effort to consider member contributions that reflect work in other arenas as well as research. Our discipline is certainly reflected in its research, and it is also reflected in education and training and in advocacy and activism. As much as that is true of psychology in general, it may be especially true in a division focused on people faced with and fighting against stigma in its many manifestations. It is inevitably true if a division is working to fight against and undo the racism and white supremacy that have been part of psychology since its emergence as a discipline.
It is in this spirit that the Div. 44 Fellows Committee makes a point of inviting its members to consider applying for Fellow status based on contributions along the entire range of work to promote psychological and community health and wellbeing for all. We will send out announcements about applications for next year’s Fellow process in the Newsletter and on the list-serv after the August convention. Meanwhile, we encourage you to consider all the ways that you and your colleagues have made contributions.
We also extend a warm invitation to you all to attend convention programming focused on Div. 44 Fellows. Our 2020 Fellows will give addresses about aspects of their lives and work that led them to the Fellow distinction at the convention in August. Come and hear the incredible variety in the contributions made by Henny Bos, Paz Galupo, Melissa Grey, and Josh Wolff.
And you won’t want to miss a follow-up live conversation with these 2020 Fellows on Saturday at 3 pm (PT)/6PM (ET), which will be directly after the Div. 44 Awards program.