Awards

About SfHP Awards

Each year, SfHP recognizes members for outstanding contributions to the field by presenting awards in Research, Clinical Practice, Education & Training, Mentoring, and Career Service. Award categories were established to acknowledge and appreciate excellence in health psychology across the career span and throughout the field.

This avenue of highlighting our contributions can be successful only if members actively engage in the nominations process. Nominating a psychologist whose work you respect can provide a significant career boost for early-, mid-, and late-career colleagues, and raises the profile of all health psychologists.

The nomination process is simple and will not take a great deal of time. Most awards require a 1-2 page letter describing the nominee’s work and why that person is worthy of recognition, as well as a current CV. Full details (including special requirements for some awards) are provided below. For a review of past recipients, visit here.

In our efforts to reduce the impact of unconscious and conscious bias, be a more inclusive Society, and to recognize the contributions to all members, candidates/nominators for all awards are invited to comment (in their letters of nomination) on ways in which the candidate overcame challenges in their achievements, how they serve as a role model for others, and/or how their work advances SfHP’s and health psychology’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion for members, the field, and the public.

All nominees must be current members of the Society for Health Psychology. Each award is accompanied by a $500 honorarium, and award winners may be granted a $500 travel stipend in order to attend the APA convention to receive their award in person at the SfHP Membership Meeting.

Nominations should be sent as e-mail attachments to the Society’s Administrative Office (admin@societyforhealthpsychology.org) by March 31 of each year; notifications are made in April. Nominations received after the deadline may be considered for the following year.

Please take a moment to think of colleagues whose work exemplifies the mission of the Society, and then take a half hour to honor someone who inspires you. Nominate a colleague (or yourself!) today!

Excellence in Health Psychology Research Awards

The Excellence in Health Psychology Research Awards highlight the accomplishments of psychologists who have made significant contributions to the body of academic literature, demonstrating the value of psychological science and inquiry toward the betterment of health and healthcare.

These awards honor and support those whose work exemplifies psychological science towards health improvement, while simultaneously motivating other scientists and providing role models.

The awards are a membership benefit of the Society for Health Psychology as part of the Society’s mission to promote psychologists’ academic work.

1A) To nominate for the Excellence in Health Psychology Research award: Please send a 1-2 page letter describing the nominee’s work and why that person is worthy of recognition, as well as a copy of the nominee’s CV. Considerations may include (but are not limited to):

Earned terminal degree more than 10 years ago.
Sustained record of important original contributions in research and scholarship.
Commitment to upholding the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion by addressing needs of diverse/under-represented groups, including those defined by gender/sexual identity, physical ability, geographic location, income, education, race, and ethnicity.
Multiple contributions reflect an important programmatic or thematic focus.
Recognized impact on the field.
Relevant indicators include: number, quality, and impact of publications (e.g., high impact outlets, citations); professional honors and other recognition (e.g., awards, external funding, and editorial positions).
Although most prior recipients have been senior Health Psychology researchers, nominations of outstanding mid-career psychologists are welcome.
Nominees must be current members of the Society for Health Psychology.

1B) To nominate for the Excellence in Health Psychology Research by an Early Career Professional award: Please send a 1-2 page letter describing the nominee’s work and why that person is worthy of recognition, a copy of the nominee’s CV, as well as copies of a few (2-3) key publications. Considerations may include (but are not limited to):

Earned terminal degree less than 10 years ago.
Strong record of important original contributions in research and scholarship.
Commitment to upholding the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion by addressing needs of diverse/under-represented groups, including those defined by gender/sexual identity, physical ability, geographic location, income, education, race, and ethnicity.
Some contributions reflect an important programmatic or thematic focus.
Recognized emerging impact on the field.
Relevant indicators (appropriate to career stage) include: number, quality, and impact of publications (e.g., high impact outlets, citations); professional honors and other recognition (e.g., awards, funding, editorial positions).
Nominees must be current members of the Society for Health Psychology.

Excellence in Clinical Health Psychology Awards

The Excellence in Clinical Health Psychology Awards highlight the accomplishments of psychologists whose primary career has been in the clinical realm.

Nominees should exemplify excellence in clinical contributions to the health of their community through a mix of exemplary clinical practice, community-based program development, policy work that facilitated improved clinical access or quality, or other innovative means of improving health. A nominee may be recognized as a leader their community, serving as both a role model to other psychologists and an excellent representative of our discipline to the community at large.

These awards honor and support those whose work exemplifies psychological practice towards health improvement, while simultaneously motivating other clinicians and providing role models.

These awards are a membership benefit of the Society for Health Psychology (SfHP) as part of the Society’s mission to promote psychologists as health care professionals who impact the health of their communities.

2A) To nominate for the Excellence in Clinical Health Psychology award: Please send a 1-2 page letter describing the nominee’s work and why that person is worthy of recognition, as well as a copy of the nominee’s CV. Considerations may include (but are not limited to):

Earned terminal degree more than 10 years ago.
Primary career focus is the design, implementation or provision of clinical programs and services.
Clinical work exemplifies a spirit of innovation.
Additional time may be spent in non-clinical professional activities.
Significant efforts to address unmet community needs and/or improve healthcare provision (e.g. started a program, met a need).
Commitment to upholding the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion by addressing needs of diverse/under-represented groups, including those defined by gender/sexual identity, physical ability, geographic location, income, education, race, and ethnicity.
Exemplar of clinical excellence (e.g. attained board certification or eligibility).
Nominee must be a current member of the Society for Health Psychology.

2B) To nominate for the Excellence in Clinical Health Psychology by an Early Career Professional award: Please send a 1-2 page letter describing the nominee’s work and why that person is worthy of recognition, as well as a copy of the nominee’s CV. Considerations may include (but are not limited to):

Earned terminal degree less than 10 years ago.
Primary career focus is the design, implementation or provision of clinical programs and services.
Clinical work exemplifies a spirit of innovation, seeking to address emerging areas of need with new approaches, or through the evolution of existing approaches.
Additional time may be spent in non-clinical professional activities.
Significant contribution to address unmet community needs and/or improve healthcare provision.
Commitment to upholding the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion by addressing needs of diverse/under-represented groups, including those defined by gender/sexual identity, physical ability, geographic location, income, education, race, and ethnicity.
Nominee must be a current member of the Society for Health Psychology.

Excellence in Health Psychology Mentoring

The Excellence in Health Psychology Mentoring award allows mentees and colleagues to honor the generative role a psychologist has played in the careers of other health psychologists.

This award is not limited to psychologists who work in academic settings, in recognition of the various ways mentors may positively impact the careers of other psychologists. Nominees should serve as role models by exemplifying excellence in one’s own career. In addition, this award is intended to recognize those health psychologists who have given their expertise, time, energy and support to other health psychologists to help them find success.

Special consideration will be given to health psychologists who focused their mentorship toward under-represented groups. The psychologist may play a mentor role to others at any stage in the development of a career in health psychology, or across many developmental stages.

This award is a membership benefit of the Society for Health Psychology (SfHP) as part of the Society’s mission to promote mentorship in the field of health psychology.

To nominate for the Excellence in Health Psychology Mentoring award: Please send a 1-2 page letter describing the nominee’s work and why that person is worthy of recognition, a copy of the nominee’s CV, as well as up to three detailed letters from mentees and colleagues familiar with nominee’s mentoring activities. Self-nominations are not accepted for this award. Considerations may include (but are not limited to):

Earned terminal degree more than 10 years ago.
Exemplar of mentoring excellence, as evidenced by outstanding service as a mentor in research and/or clinical Health Psychology training.
Sustained record of successful mentoring of multiple trainees, including undergraduates, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and/or early career professionals.
Fostered advancements in Health Psychology via contributions to the professional development of trainees.
Demonstrated widespread influence on the field of Health Psychology specifically via mentoring activities. Indicators include: Subsequent placements and career achievements of mentees.
Modeled excellence in own research and/or clinical Health Psychology accomplishments.
Nominee must be a current member of the Society for Health Psychology.

Cynthia D. Belar Award for Excellence in Health Psychology Education and Training

This award was instituted in 2014, in honor of Dr. Cynthia Belar (who was also the first recipient). It is intended to honor a psychologist whose work has positively influenced the health psychology education and training community. Nominees’ primary career focus will have been education and training. The nominee may have developed curricula, engaged in education policy or advocacy work, and/or served as a role model to psychologists in training at any level.

This award recognizes health psychologists who have engaged in innovative and transformative teaching and training initiatives.

To nominate for the Cynthia D. Belar Award for Excellence in Health Psychology Education and Training: Please send a 1-2 page letter describing the nominee’s work and why that person is worthy of recognition, as well as a copy of the nominee’s CV. Considerations may include (but are not limited to):

Education-focused role for more than 10 years
- Teaching, Supervision, Administration; combined years do not have to be all in one setting.
Significant contributions to the field of Education in Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine
- Contributions to literature in education, program development, curricular development, creation of learning tools/approaches.
- Provide leadership at the local, state, and/or national level.
Significant contributions to the Training of learners in Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine
- Contributions to supervising, training, coaching, inspiring, and developing future providers in training settings.
- Learners can be undergraduate, graduate, interns, postdoctoral fellows, medical residents.
- Learners will demonstrate training effectiveness through their own achievements in Health psychology.
Nominee must be a current member of the Society for Health Psychology.

Nathan W. Perry, Jr. Award for Career Service to Health Psychology

The Nathan W. Perry, Jr. Award for Career Service to Health Psychology honors individuals who have made significant lifetime career contributions to the Society for Health Psychology and/or the advancement of Health Psychology as a field, nationally and/or internationally. This award was originated in 1998 to honor Dr. Nathan Perry, who held numerous leadership and governance positions both in the Society for Health Psychology and in the American Psychological Association.

To nominate for the Nathan W. Perry, Jr. Award for Career Service to Health Psychology: Please send a 1-2 page letter describing the nominee’s contributions and achievements related to the Society for Health Psychology and/or the advancement of health psychology as a field.

Award focuses on contributions made throughout the professional career.
Significant contributions to the Society for Health Psychology through substantial and long-term service to the Society,

and/or

Significant contributions to the advancement of Health Psychology, nationally or internationally, through substantial and long-term service to the field.
Nominee must be a current member of the Society for Health Psychology