Awards
We currently have five SIG awards:
1. Joel L. Becker Student Research Award
Each year, one student member will receive this award in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the field in the form of a poster presentation at the annual convention. In order to be eligible for this award, applicants must be: (1) a student (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate) or in another post-baccalaureate position (e.g., a research assistant); and (2) first-author on an accepted poster presentation at the annual convention.
This award is supported by a generous donation from Dr. Joel Becker, the founder and director of Cognitive Behavior Associates in Los Angeles and a clinical professor in the Department of Psychology at UCLA. Dr. Becker has also been an active member of the SGM SIG throughout his career, including serving as the chair from 1984-1988. To help reduce the financial barriers associated with convention attendance, Dr. Becker’s donation will provide recipients of this award with an honorarium of $400.
2. Student Paper Award
Each year, one student member will receive this award in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the field in the form of a paper presentation (i.e., an oral presentation) at the annual convention. In order to be eligible for this award, applicants must be: (1) a student (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate) or in another post-baccalaureate position (e.g., a research assistant); and (2) first-author on an accepted paper presentation (i.e., oral presentation) at the annual convention. Recipients of this award will receive an honorarium of $200.
3. Amplifying Intersectionality Award
Each year, one member will receive this award in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the field in the form of a presentation (any type of submission is eligible) at the annual convention that examines intersectionality and/or issues relevant to the intersection of SGM and BIPOC communities. In order to be eligible for this award, applicants must be: (1) an ABCT member (at any level – students, postdocs, faculty are all eligible); and (2) first-author on an accepted presentation at the annual convention (any format). Recipients of this award will receive an honorarium of $200.
4. Diverse Scholar Development Award
Each year, one student member who is new to ABCT and who is from a traditionally underserved background will receive this award to support their attendance at the convention. The goal of this award is to increase the richness and diversity of our SIG membership by providing financial support to diverse scholars who may not otherwise be able to attend. In line with this intention, applicants must: (1) be a student (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate) or in another post-baccalaureate position (e.g., a research assistant); (2) be new to ABCT (i.e., attended no more than once before application); (3) provide a brief, one-paragraph plan for how attendance at the convention will allow them to develop as a scholar (e.g., specific sessions they will attend, scholars they intend to meet); and (4) agree to submit a 500-word post-convention blog post for the SIG website (e.g., summary of sessions attended, Q&A with a SGM scholar met at the convention, etc). Unlike our other awards, recipients of this award do not need to have an accepted presentation at the annual convention. Recipients of this award will receive an honorarium of $200.
5. Award for Service and Social Justice
Each year, one member will receive this award in recognition of their outstanding contribution to advancing equity for SGM people through one or more social justice initiatives during the last 5 years. These activist efforts may take place at the university, local, state, national, or international level, and do not need to be part of a research project. This award is inspired by Dr. Charles Silverstein, a renowned clinical psychologist who, as a graduate student, played a pivotal role in the behavior therapy field’s move away from so-called “conversion therapies” and in the removal of homosexuality from the DSM.
The goal of this award is to acknowledge and celebrate the many activities our SIG members engage in that advance equity (including health, legal, and social) for SGM people, but which are not represented in typical academic forums like journal articles and conference presentations. Recipients of this award should be ABCT members (at any level — students, postdocs, faculty are all eligible) who are nominated by SGM SIG members (self-nominations are accepted) for their contributions to service and social justice. Nominations can be brief (e.g., one paragraph), and should highlight how the nominee’s work meets the intentions of this award. Recipients of this award will receive an honorarium of $200, or a donation of this amount to a lab or SGM-related cause of their choice.
Previous Award Recipients
1. Joel L. Becker Student Research Award
Each year, one student member will receive this award in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the field in the form of a poster presentation at the annual convention. In order to be eligible for this award, applicants must be: (1) a student (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate) or in another post-baccalaureate position (e.g., a research assistant); and (2) first-author on an accepted poster presentation at the annual convention.
This award is supported by a generous donation from Dr. Joel Becker, the founder and director of Cognitive Behavior Associates in Los Angeles and a clinical professor in the Department of Psychology at UCLA. Dr. Becker has also been an active member of the SGM SIG throughout his career, including serving as the chair from 1984-1988. To help reduce the financial barriers associated with convention attendance, Dr. Becker’s donation will provide recipients of this award with an honorarium of $400.
2. Student Paper Award
Each year, one student member will receive this award in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the field in the form of a paper presentation (i.e., an oral presentation) at the annual convention. In order to be eligible for this award, applicants must be: (1) a student (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate) or in another post-baccalaureate position (e.g., a research assistant); and (2) first-author on an accepted paper presentation (i.e., oral presentation) at the annual convention. Recipients of this award will receive an honorarium of $200.
3. Amplifying Intersectionality Award
Each year, one member will receive this award in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the field in the form of a presentation (any type of submission is eligible) at the annual convention that examines intersectionality and/or issues relevant to the intersection of SGM and BIPOC communities. In order to be eligible for this award, applicants must be: (1) an ABCT member (at any level – students, postdocs, faculty are all eligible); and (2) first-author on an accepted presentation at the annual convention (any format). Recipients of this award will receive an honorarium of $200.
4. Diverse Scholar Development Award
Each year, one student member who is new to ABCT and who is from a traditionally underserved background will receive this award to support their attendance at the convention. The goal of this award is to increase the richness and diversity of our SIG membership by providing financial support to diverse scholars who may not otherwise be able to attend. In line with this intention, applicants must: (1) be a student (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate) or in another post-baccalaureate position (e.g., a research assistant); (2) be new to ABCT (i.e., attended no more than once before application); (3) provide a brief, one-paragraph plan for how attendance at the convention will allow them to develop as a scholar (e.g., specific sessions they will attend, scholars they intend to meet); and (4) agree to submit a 500-word post-convention blog post for the SIG website (e.g., summary of sessions attended, Q&A with a SGM scholar met at the convention, etc). Unlike our other awards, recipients of this award do not need to have an accepted presentation at the annual convention. Recipients of this award will receive an honorarium of $200.
5. Award for Service and Social Justice
Each year, one member will receive this award in recognition of their outstanding contribution to advancing equity for SGM people through one or more social justice initiatives during the last 5 years. These activist efforts may take place at the university, local, state, national, or international level, and do not need to be part of a research project. This award is inspired by Dr. Charles Silverstein, a renowned clinical psychologist who, as a graduate student, played a pivotal role in the behavior therapy field’s move away from so-called “conversion therapies” and in the removal of homosexuality from the DSM.
The goal of this award is to acknowledge and celebrate the many activities our SIG members engage in that advance equity (including health, legal, and social) for SGM people, but which are not represented in typical academic forums like journal articles and conference presentations. Recipients of this award should be ABCT members (at any level — students, postdocs, faculty are all eligible) who are nominated by SGM SIG members (self-nominations are accepted) for their contributions to service and social justice. Nominations can be brief (e.g., one paragraph), and should highlight how the nominee’s work meets the intentions of this award. Recipients of this award will receive an honorarium of $200, or a donation of this amount to a lab or SGM-related cause of their choice.
Previous Award Recipients
| Year | Award | Name | Affiliation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Joel L. Becker Student Research Award | Carly Owen | Massey University | Queer Joy Across the Globe: Links with LGBTQIA+ Wellbeing and Flourishing |
| 2024 | Student Paper Award | Yumei "Olivia" Chen | University of Miami | Untangling threads: A longitudinal examination of trauma exposure and posttraumatic distress in a public HIV care clinic |
| 2024 | Amplifying Intersectionality Award | Daisey Lopez | UCLA | Examining the Protective Role of Enculturation on Positive Symptoms of Subclinical Psychosis Among Black and Latine Heterosexual and LGB+ Adults |
| 2024 | Diverse Scholar Development Award | Michelle Liu | San Diego State University | |
| 2024 | Award for Service and Social Justice | Ellen Murphy | Georgia Southern University | |
| 2023 | Joel L. Becker Student Research Award | Nokia Kirakosian | University of Miami | Suicide Risk Screening Among Trans Women and Femmes: Validating the PHQ-9 Item 9 for Screening in a High Priority Population |
| 2023 | Student Paper Award | Lee Robertson | Florida State University | TBA |
| 2023 | Amplifying Intersectionality Award | Margarid Turnamian | Massachusetts General Hospital | Gender Identity and Expression in Relation to Experiences of Discrimination in Racial and Ethnic Minority Youth: A Population-based Study |
| 2023 | Diverse Scholar Development Award | Donovan Edward | Georgia Southern University | |
| 2023 | Award for Service and Social Justice | Jared Boot-Haury | San Francisco VA Medical Center | |
| 2022 | Student Research Award | Julia Hunter | Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health | LGBQ and TGD Identities as Independent and Cumulative Predictors of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Adolescents: a Minority Stress Model |
| 2022 | Diverse Scholar Development Award | Jordan Alvarez | Auburn University | |
| 2022 | Award for Service and Social Justice | Craig Rodriguez-Seijas | University of Michigan | |
| 2022 | Student Paper Award | Jenny Shen | Stony Brook University | A qualitative analysis of mental health concerns, treatment barriers, and experiences of discrimination among LGBTQ+ people of color |
| 2022 | Amplifying Intersectionality Award | Roberto Rentería | Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science | Intersectional Discrimination, Psychological Distress, and Physical Health Symptoms Among Latinx Sexual Minority Adults |
| 2021 | Student Research Award | David Rivera | University of California, Santa Barbara | Examining COVID-19 Pandemic-related Household & Economic Stress & its Association with Mental Health, Alcohol & Substance Misuse in a National Sample of Latinx Sexual Minority & Heterosexual Adults |
| 2021 | Wombat Award for Treatment Equity | Sage Volk | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Cultural Competency and Credibility of Gender-Affirming Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Seen as Synonymous by Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults |
| 2021 | Student Paper Award | Cindy Chang | Rutgers University | The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide: How Does It Apply to LGBTQ+ Youth Who Use Crisis Services |
| 2021 | Amplifying Intersectionality Award | Lauren Wiklund | Michigan State University | Development of a Group Therapy Model for Queer and Trans Communities of Color |
| 2020 | Student Research Award | Benjamin Shepherd | Nova Southeastern University | Whose side am I on? Examining conflicts in allegiances as a mediator between intersectional discrimination and mental health among Latinx sexual minority adults |
| 2020 | Student Paper Award | Benjamin Katz | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem | A Network Theory of Minority Stress |
| 2020 | Amplifying Intersectionality Award | Kevin Narine | William James College | Serving Queer People of Color: A National Peer Support Helpline by and for LGBTQ+ South Asians |
| 2019 | Student Research Award | Rin Nguyen | Michigan State University | Housing Options Meet the Needs of LGB/TGD College Students: Is Gender-Inclusive Housing Needed for Everyone? |
| 2019 | Student Paper Award | Tiffany Glynn | University of Miami | Gender minority stress and co-occurring psychosocial conditions among newly diagnosed HIV-infected transgender women in Argentina |
| 2018 | Student Research Award | Manuel Gonzales | San Diego State University | Ethnic/racial differences in eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and steroid misuse in a U.S. sample of sexual minority men and women |
| 2017 | Student Research Award | Adoril Oshana | San Diego State University | Minority stress and body dysmorphic disorder symptoms among sexual minority males |
| 2016 | Student Research Award | Norik Kirakosian | McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School | Treatment response disparities in LGBTQ patients receiving intensive CBT partial hospital care |
| 2015 | Student Research Award | Hamish Gunn | University of Massachusetts Boston | Drinking motives, drinking problems, and mental health symptoms in sexual minority men |
| 2014 | Student Research Award | Nicholas Perry | University of Utah | Sociodemographic characteristics, intimate relationship power, and their relative influence on sexual agreement investment in gay male couples |
| 2013 | Student Research Award | Natalie Stratton | Ryerson University | A cognitive interference model of sexual functioning for gay and bisexual men: The relationship between internalized homophobia and erectile functioning |
| 2011 | Student Research Award | Michael Newcomb | University of Illinois at Chicago | Moderate levels of depression predict sexual risk in HIV+ MSM: A longitudinal analysis from six sites involved in a prevention for positives trial |
| 2010 | Student Research Award | Brian Feinstein | Stony Brook University | Self-concept and internalized sexual prejudice in lesbians and gay men |
| 2005 | Student Research Award | David Pantalone | University of Washington | Childhood abuse and beliefs about sexual identity development in a national sample of lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults |