Nomination Information

Request for 2024 Award Nominations and Submissions

M. Powell Lawton Award for Distinguished Contributions to Clinical Geropsychology

Nominations are sought for the Society of Clinical Geropsychology (SCG; Division 12, Section 2) M. Powell Lawton Award for lifetime contribution to Clinical Geropsychology. Over his many years as a highly productive scholar, Dr. Lawton made significant contributions to theory, research methods, and perhaps most important to him, the application of knowledge to improve the lives of older adults. Spanning topics that included the physical environment, quality of life, lifespan development, caregiving, and community programs, among others, Dr. Lawton’s national and international contributions to geropsychology were complemented by his generous mentorship and kind spirit. This award seeks to honor the legacy of Dr. Lawton by honoring distinguished geropsychologists who have come after him.

Nominators and nominees must be members of SCG.  A letter of nomination and current vitae for the nominee must accompany nominations.  Previously submitted nominations may remain active; however, nominators and/or nominees should contact the Awards & Recognition Committee Chair to update their materials to be considered for the award.  The award recipient will be asked to give an address at the 2024 APA convention.  Nominations for this award should be sent in Word or PDF format by Monday, April 1, 2024 to Brian Carpenter, Awards & Recognitions Committee Chair, at [email protected].  

Distinguished Clinical Mentorship Award

Nominations are sought for the Society of Clinical Geropsychology (SCG; Division 12, Section 2) Distinguished Clinical Mentorship Award.  The purpose of the award is to recognize clinical geropsychologists who have played important mentorship roles in the clinical supervision or professional development of psychology graduate students, interns, and/or postdoctoral fellows who are training for careers in clinical geropsychology. 

Nominators and nominees must be members of SCG. Of note, nominations are accepted from both full members and student members of SCG.  Nominations must be accompanied by letters from at least three current or former students attesting to the abilities of the nominee as a supervisor or mentor, as well as a copy of the vitae of the nominee.  Previously submitted nominations may remain active; however, nominators and/or nominees should contact the Awards & Recognition Committee Chair to update their materials to be considered for the award. Nominations for this award should be sent in Word or PDF format by Monday, April 1, 2024 to Brian Carpenter, Awards & Recognitions Committee Chair, at [email protected].   

Todd “TJ” McCallum Gerodiversity Awards

Nominations are sought for the Society of Clinical Geropsychology (SCG; Division 12, Section 2) Todd “TJ” McCallum Gerodiversity Award. The purpose of the award is to acknowledge, encourage, and honor psychologists and psychologists-in-training in the advancement of clinical practice, training, research, advocacy, and/or public policy for marginalized older adults including but not limited to people or communities of color, women, LGBTQ+ older adults, and older adults with a disability. Nominators are welcome to encourage individuals to self-nominate and can also contact the Awards Committee to pass along names for consideration. In the latter case, the Awards Committee will contact the potential nominee to encourage submission of materials. Nominees must be members or student members of SCG. Of note, this award can be given to both a member and student member of SCG in the same year.

Nominees should submit a current vitae along with a response of no more than 500 words to address the following question:  How have you advanced principles of gerodiversity in your psychology work for clinical practice, training, research, advocacy, public policy and/or mentoring? For a definition of gerodiversity, see:

Iwasaki, M., Tazeau, Y. N., Kimmel, D., Baker, N. L., & McCallum, T. J. (2009). Gerodiversity and social justice: Voices of minority elders. In J. L. Chin (Ed.), Diversity in Mind and in Action: Vol. 3. Social Justice Matters (pp. 71-90). Westport, CT: Praeger.

The award winner(s) will be chosen based on dedication to gerodiversity in professional work, as evidenced by the submitted response and vitae.  Please submit your entry in Word or PDF format by Monday, April 1, 2024 to Brian Carpenter, Awards & Recognitions Committee Chair, at [email protected].

Student Paper Award

The Society of Clinical Geropsychology (SCG; Division 12, Section 2) invites entries for its  Student Paper Award. The award is for exemplary student research papers, and the winner will receive a $350 check and plaque in recognition of the achievement at the upcoming APA convention.  Entries should be reports of original research with relevance to geropsychology for which the student is the senior author.  All entries should be consistent with the structure of a journal submission.  If the paper is co-authored, the entry should be accompanied by a letter from the mentor stipulating that the work was conducted primarily by the student.  Graduate students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows who are members or student members of SCG are eligible for this award.  Please submit your entry in Word or PDF format by Monday, April 1, 2024 to Brian Carpenter, Awards & Recognitions Committee Chair, at [email protected].