Distinguished Contribution to Education and Training

The Division offers this award to colleagues who have made distinguished contributions to the interests, goals, and purposes of Division 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.

2007 winner

Jane Simoni - Dr. Simoni is a professor in clinical psychology at the University of Washington. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from UCLA in 1993 and completed postdoctoral research fellowships at USC and Columbia. Dr. Simoni's work has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to educating others on the physical and mental health of those marginalized by society, more specifically, on stress and coping among stigmatized populations. Dr. Simoni has focused her research and training on individuals living with HIV/AIDS; on lesbians, gay men and transgender people; and on racial and ethnic minority group members, particularly native Americans. With 75 publications and more than $6 million in grants, Dr. Simoni is a wonderful role model of intellectual accomplishment for her students. Her nomination letter praises her "formidable intellect" and her "interpersonal warmth and generosity," further stating: "Jane encourages students to study topics that are important to them personally as well as those which are compelling intellectually; anything is fair game as long as it has the potential to contribute to the field and to the betterment of society. This encouragement and collaborative ingenuity have paid off, as a significant proportion of Jane's trainees have gone on to careers in research and clinical work focused on bettering the lives of LGBT or HIV-positive individuals." Dr. Simoni clearly is a model of effective training and mentoring, and it is for this reason that we honor her with this award.

2006 winner

Allen M. Omoto - Dr. Omoto is Professor of Psychology in the Department of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences at Claremont University in Claremont, CA. He earned his doctorate from the University of Minnesota in Social Psychology. He has worked in the US Congress as the APA inaugural William A. Bailey AIDS Policy Congressional Fellow. Dr. Omoto has published numerous articles and chapters on topics related to volunteerism and civic participation. He supervises both Masters and Ph.D. students and teaches courses in Psychology, Social Policy, Grant Writing, and Gender Studies.

Past winners

  • 2005 no award
  • 2004 Joseph Roy Gillis
  • 2003 Ruth Elizabeth Fassinger
  • 2002 Isiaah Crawford
  • 2001 Y. Barry Chung
  • 2000 Kristin Hancock, Armand Cerbone, Douglas Haldeman, Christine Browning
  • 1999 no award
  • 1998 no award
  • 1997 Ron Scott
  • 1996 Dorsey Green
  • 1994 no award
  • 1993 no award
  • 1992 Jeannine Grammick
  • 1991 Leah Fygetakis
  • 1990 Douglas Kimmel

Nominations

Please send nominations for this award to the president-elect