Congratulations to our 2025 Award Recipients!
Lifetime Achievement Award
Bethany Brand, PhD
Outstanding Contribution to Trauma Psychology by an Early Career Psychologist
Ateka Contractor, PhD
Outstanding Contributions to Practice in Trauma Psychology
Melissa Brymer, PhD, PsyD
Outstanding Contributions to the Science of Trauma Psychology
Anka Vujanovic, PhD
Outstanding Service to the Field of Trauma Psychology
Nancy Sidun, PsyD ABPP
Outstanding Dissertation Award
Jazzmyn Ward, PhD
Annual Awards
This award recognizes distinguished contributions to psychological practice. It may be given for the development of a highly effective intervention, for contributions to practice theory, or for a sustained body of work in the field of trauma psychology practice.
Previous Recipients
- 2025 Melissa Brymer
- 2024 Ilene Serlin
- 2023 Carmen P. McLean
- 2022 E. Alison Holman
- 2021 Eric Kuhn
- 2020 Carl Shubs
- 2019 Lillian Comas-Diaz
- 2018 Richard B. Gartner
- 2017 Tyson D. Bailey
- 2016 Ani Kalayjian
- 2015 Marylene Cloitre
- 2014 None
- 2013 Allan N. Schore
- 2012 Mary R. Harvey
- 2011 Lenore E. A. Walker
- 2010 Barbara Rothbaum, JoAnn Difede, Greg M.Reger, and Albert "Skip" Rizzo
- 2009 Francine Shapiro
- 2008 Laurie A. Pearlman and Karen W. Saakvitne
- 2007 Christine Courtois
This award recognizes distinguished contributions to scientific research. It may be given in recognition of a particular discovery or for a sustained body of research and scholarship.
Previous Recipients
- 2025 Anka Vujanovic
- 2024 None
- 2023 Rebecca K. Blais
- 2022 Robert H. Pietrzak
- 2021 Victoria Banyard
- 2020 Amy Ai
- 2019 Bethany Brand
- 2018 Karen J. Saywitz
- 2017 Sherry Hamby and Bryan Marx
- 2016 Tery Keane
- 2014 Fran Norris
- 2013 Daniel and Lynda King
- 2012 Bonnie L. Green
- 2011 Jennifer J. Freyd
- 2010 John Briere
- 2009 Jennifer Vasterling
- 2008 Paula P. Schnurr
- 2007 Dean Kilpatrick
The Outstanding Service Award is designed to recognize an individual who has made significant and sustained contributions to the field of advocacy and/or policy in trauma psychology, furthering the mission of Division 56.
Previous Recipients
- 2025 Nancy Sidun
- 2024 Anne DePrince
- 2023 Maryam Kia-Keating
- 2022 Donald E. Edmondson
- 2021 Anne DePrince
- 2020 To Wing Ching Timothy
- 2019 Phyllis Cohen
- 2018 Mark C. Russell
- 2017 Sylvia Marotta-Walters
- 2016 Kathleen Kendal-Tackett
- 2015 Joan Cook
- 2014 Steve Gold
- 2013 Terence M. Keane
- 2012 Kristy Straits-Troster
- 2011 Roxane Cohen Silver
- 2010 Judith Armstrong
- 2009 Farris K. Tuma
- 2008 Sandra G. Wartski
- 2007 Judith Alpert
This award recognizes a senior distinguished psychologist who has made outstanding contributions to science, practice, advocacy, and/or education/training over the course of his/her career. These contributions would be at such a level that they have advanced the field of trauma psychology.
Previous Recipients
- 2025 Bethany Brand
- 2024 Ani Kalayjian
- 2023 Terence Keane
- 2022 Steven N. Gold
- 2021 Richard Gartner
- 2020 Roxane Silver
- 2019 Laurie Anne Pearlman
- 2018 Christine Courtois
- 2017 Gail E. Wyatt
- 2016 Constance Dalenberg
- 2015 Laura S. Brown
- 2014 Stevan Hobfoll
- 2013 Patricia A. Resick
- 2012 Yael Danieli
- 2011 Judith Lewis Herman
- 2010 Edna Foa
- 2009 Charles Figley
This award recognizes psychologists in the early stages of their careers who have shown outstanding achievement or who have made outstanding contributions to the study of psychological trauma. Nominees' contributions may be in the areas of clinical practice/research and writing or basic/applied empirical research. Nominees should have earned their degree no more than 10 years prior to the year in which they are nominated.
Previous Recipients
- 2025 Ateka Contractor
- 2024 Matthew Yalch
- 2023 Philip Held
- 2022 Sarah R. Lowe
- 2021 Sierra Carter, Dana Garfin, Isha Metzger, Lauren Ng
- 2020 Wilson Brown, Blair Wisco, and Michelle Desir
- 2019 Allison Zalta
- 2018 Rebecca K. Blais
- 2017 Glenna Stumblingbear-Riddle
- 2016 Brian Hall
- 2014 Erika J. Wolf
- 2013 Paul Frewen
- 2012 Lisa DeMarni Cromer
- 2011 Judith Pizarro Andersen
This award recognizes the most outstanding dissertation defended in the prior academic year on a topic in the field of trauma psychology. Quantitative qualitative and theoretical dissertations are all welcome.
- 2025 Jazzmyn Ward
- 2024 Norah Fahad Aldawsari
- 2023 Whitney Livingston
- 2022 Krista Engle
- 2021 Sabrina Liu
- 2020 No applicants, no winner
- 2019 Viann Nguyen-Feng
- 2018 Megan K. Maas
- 2017 Jennifer M. Gomez
- 2016 Sarah Campbell
- 2015 Elizabeth Verbeck
- 2014 Darryl Etter
- 2013 Courtney Welton-Mitchell
- 2012 Kelly Young-Wolff
- 2011 Denise H. Sandole
- 2010 Erica Wolf
- 2009 Michael Baratta
- 2008 Meredith E. Charney
- 2008 Carolyn Allard
This award is given at the discretion of the President to an individual who has made unusual and outstanding contributions to the Division of Trauma Psychology.
Previous Recipients
- 2021 Ayli Carrero Pinedo
- 2020 Della Mosley and Pearis Bellamy
- 2019 Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
- 2018 Terrence M. Keane
- 2017 George Rhoades and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
- 2016 Shaka Senghor
- 2015 Nnamdi Pole
- 2014 None
- 2013 Frank Putnam
- 2012 Lynn Brem - Division 56 Website
Previous Division 56 Awards
This award recognized the creators of media presentations for lay audiences that educated the public scientifically about the psychology of trauma. Any kind of work available in any form was eligible (e.g., written word, film, video, web, graphics). Fiction and non-fiction representations were equally welcome. Nominations included the names of the creator(s) of the work being nominated, as well as samples of the work nominated, a web address for the nominated work, or both.
No longer awarded separately. See Award for Outstanding Service to the Field of Trauma Psychology
Previous Recipients
- 2023 Erin Hambrick
- 2022 David C. Rozek
- 2021 Amanda Zelechoski, Lindsay Malloy
- 2020 Joan Cook and Jennifer Gomez
- 2019 Maria Sachetti and Bryann DeBeer
- 2018 Jennifer J. Freyd
- 2017 Thema Bryant-Davis
- 2016 Gerald Young
- 2014 Julia Hoffman
- 2013 Jessica L. Hamblen - AboutFace, Alex Kotlowitz - This American Life
- 2012 Sonja V. Batten - Department of Veteran's Affairs Make the Connection Team
- 2010 Garry Trudeau - Doonesbury, Nicholas Kristof and Sheyl WuDunn - Half the Sky
This award recognized those psychologists from ethnic/racial minority backgrounds who have made outstanding contributions to the study and practice of trauma psychology within 10 years of graduating from doctoral programs. Nominees' contributions were in the areas of clinical/practice, research/writing, basic/applied research, or other professional contributions (e.g., governance/leadership) and were more heavily weighted toward nominees who made contributions in traumas affecting or were associated with ethnic minority status/issues.
No longer awarded separately. See Award for Outstanding Contribution to Trauma Psychology by an Early Career Psychologist
Previous Recipients
- 2019 Delishia Pittman
- 2018 Angela Narayan
- 2017 Guler Boyraz
- 2016 Jack Tsai
- 2014 Betty S. Lai
- 2013 Christine L. Chee
Division 56 Poster Awards for the APA 2020 Conference
Trajectories of PTSD symptoms after a natural disaster in South Korea – Junwon Lee, M.A., Dongil Kim, Ph. D., Jusuk Song, B.A., Chanhoon Park, B.A. Seoul National University, South Korea
Typical university crime alert emails contribute to mail student agreement with rape myths - Adams-Clark, Alexis - Alexis Adams-Clark, M.S., Carly Smith, Ph.D., Prachi Bhuptani, M.A., Jennifer J. Freyd, Ph.D University of Oregon
Examining patterns of adverse childhood experiences as predictors of psychological symptoms in early childhood school age and adolescents - Whaling, Kelly, University of California, Santa Barbara
Callous and emotional traits moderate the relationship between trauma exposure and Traumatic symptoms - Kathryn McGill, M.A. & Tres Stefurak, Ph.D., Clinical & Counseling Psychology University of South Alabama
Post traumatic outcomes for veterans who have caused serious harm or death to others - Marvin Cabral, M.A.; Antonella Bariani, M.A.; & Carolyn B. Allard, Ph.D., ABPP, Alliant International University (CSPP)