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AAPA Annual Awards and Grants

Recognizing, Celebrating, and Funding Individuals and Projects to Advance the Mission and AAPA

Each year, a number of professional and student awards and grants are made available and recognized during the AAPA Annual Convention.

These Awards and Funding generally include the following.

 

  • Lifetime Achievement Award

  • Distinguished Contributions Award

  • Okura Community Leadership Award

  • Early Career Award for Research

  • Early Career Award for Service

  • Graduate Student Dissertation Grant

  • Stephen C. Rose Fund for Student Research

These funding opportunities do not include those offered through each AAPA Division, which can be made available at a different schedule.

For those interested in nominating or applying, please note that Call for Nomination is usually released in April through AAPA Listserv and Website.

APF Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation Fellowship

The AAPA-APF Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation Fellowship provides grants to support psychology’s efforts to benefit the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community through research, training, and service/practice. The grant is to enable better understanding, better treatment, better services and better training, all essential aspects to a healthy, robust, and high achieving AAPI population.

Past Recipients

2017 Alicia del Prado 
2015 Stephen Chen
2014 Joey Fung
2012 Cindy Liu and Huijun Li
2011 Neha Navsaria and Razia Kosi
2010 Pei-Chen Hsu and Pei-Wen Winnie Ma
2009 Doris Chang



AAPA Dissertation Research Grant

AAPA students (Doctoral candidates) are eligible to apply for the AAPA Dissertation Research Grant. Students applying should have completed and passed a Proposal hearing. AAPA Dissertation Research Grant Proposals should be for the initiation or completion of a dissertation, which has implications for the field of Asian American Psychology. A grant will be awarded to the student with the most outstanding research proposal. There will also be two honorable mentions; all three students will present their research in a symposium at the next AAPA convention.

Past Recipients

2021 Xiaoli Zong
2020 Chan Jeong Park
2017 Ming-Che Tu
2016 Tao Liu
2015 Alicia Ibaraki
2013 William Tsai
2012 Oh Myo Kim
2011 Lauren Berger
2009 Noriel Lim
2008 Manveen Dhindsa
2004 Pei-Wen Winnie Ma
2003 Sunna Jung




AAPA Distinguished Contributions Award

AAPA formally recognizes members who have made Distinguished Contributions to psychological issues relevant to Asian American/Pacific Islander Americans in three areas: Scholarship, Practice, and Leadership.

Award Criteria

  1. Scholarship: contributions to the development of conceptual psychological schemes or theories; applications of research and theories; the integration of knowledge to provide greater understanding of Asian Americans.
  2. Practice: innovations and outstanding applications of the knowledge base in Asian American psychology; the development of programs, procedures, or technical skills in mental health, intergroup relations, and Asian American welfare.
  3. Leadership: activities related to furthering Asian American interests through legislative, legal, political, or organizational involvement; leadership in local, state, or federal organizations.


Previous Award Recipients

2021 Meifen Wei, Ph.D.
2021 Nita Tewari, Ph.D.
2020 Sumie Okazaki
2017 Anna Lau
2016 Mary Ann Takemoto
2015 Alvin Alvarez
2013 Karen L. Suyemoto
2008 Gayle Iwamasa
2007 Davis Ying Ja and Vivan Ota Wang
2006 Lisa Suzuki
2005 Yu-Wen Ying
2004 Larke Huang and Jeffery Scott Mio
2003 John Moritsugu
2002 George Hong
2001 Jean Lau Chin
2000 Christine Iijima Hall
1999 Gordon Nagayama Hall
1998 Frederick Leong and Katsuyuki Sakamoto
1997 Yoshito Kawahara
1996 Maria P.P. Root
1995 Alice F. Chang
1994 Nolan Zane
1993 Harry Yamaguchi
1992 S. Andrew Chen
1991 Bertram Brown and Chalsa Loo
1990 Stanley Sue and Reiko True
1989 Derald Sue
1987 Patrick Okura and Richard Suinn
1985 Robert Chin



AAPA Lifetime Achievement Award

The AAPA Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes distinguished and exemplary long-term contributions to the field of Asian American Psychology from a senior level psychologist. Long-term is defined as a career spanning no less than 25 years.

Award Criteria

Scholarship: contributions to the development of conceptual psychological schemes or theories; applications of research and theories; the integration of knowledge to provide greater understanding of Asian Americans.
Practice: innovations and outstanding applications of the knowledge base in Asian American psychology; the development of programs, procedures, or technical skills in mental health, intergroup relations, and Asian American welfare.
Leadership: activities related to furthering Asian American interests through legislative, legal, political, or organizational involvement; leadership in local, state, or federal organizations.


Previous Lifetime Award Recipients

2017 Maria Root
2015 Nolan Zane
2014 Larke Nahme Huang
2013 Frederick T. L. Leong and Gordon C. Nagayama Hall
2004 Alice F. Chang
2003 Reiko Homma-True
2000 Patrick Okura
1999 Richard Suinn
1993 Derald Wing Sue and Stanley Sue




AAPA Early Career Award for Distinguished Contribution to Research*

The AAPA Early Career Award for Research recognizes distinguished contributions to the field of Asian American Psychology from a psychologist early in his or her career. The candidate may not be more than 8 years post-Ph.D. at the time of nomination. The awardees are honored during the AwardsBanquet at the annual AAPA Convention.
This award will be given to an early career psychologist who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in research and scholarship. (*Prior to 2013, this award category encompassed both research and service. Starting 2013, there are separate Early Career Awards for Distinguished Contribution to Research and for Distinguished Contribution to Service.)

Award Criteria

A qualified candidate must demonstrate achievement in one or more of the following areas: (a) development or advancement of psychological theories in Asian American psychology; (b) noteworthy research contributions that further the knowledge base of Asian American psychology.


Previous Award Recipients

2021 Priscilla Lui, Ph.D.
2020 Stephen H. Chen
2017 Anne Saw and Cixin Wang
2016 Shu-wen Wang
2015 Munyi Shea
2014 Derek Iwamoto
2013 Joyce Chu and E.J.R. David
2012 Y. Joel Wong
2011 Kevin Nadal and Hyung Chol (Brandon) Yoo
2010 Su Yeong Kim
2009 Meifen Wei and Wei-Ching Hwang
2008 Lawrence Yang
2005 Kevin M. Chun and Y. Barry Chung
2004 Alvin Alvarez
2003 Jeanne Tsai and Bryan Kim
2002 Richard Lee
2001 Jeanette Hsu and Christine Yeh
2000 Sumie Okazaki
1999 Gayle Iwamasa



AAPA Okura Community Leadership Award

In recognition of the outstanding contributions and tireless support provided by K. Patrick Okura, his wife Lily, and the Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation, the AAPA Okura Community Leadership Award was created to recognize a leader who demonstrates outstanding community service and/or leadership that benefits the Asian American community. The awardees may come from a variety of disciplines including: psychology, social work, health, psychiatry, medicine, etc.

About K. Patrick Okura and Lily Okura

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K. Patrick Okura and his wife Lily had been married for just two months in December, 1941 when the U.S. War Department gave them four days to pack only what they could carry and sent them to live on an internment camp. Like thousands of other Japanese Americans, Okura was imprisoned immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor during an era when an Asian heritage was viewed as a threat to national security, an experience that has since stayed with him. In 1988, when the U.S. government paid the Okuras and all other former internment camp prisoners $20,000 each, they used that money, along with personal savings, to help today’s Asian-Pacific Americans, who they believe are imprisoned in a different way: The Okuras launched the Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation, which helps Asian-Pacific Americans overcome racial, sociopolitical, language and other barriers through its Week in Washington Leadership Seminar.
Okura had a long, highly successful career in mental health and has been a strong leader and pioneer for Asian-Pacific Americans throughout his life. Among many achievements, Okura worked at NIMH for 17 years, retiring in 1985. During his last four years, he directed the NIMH International Mental Health Program, visiting mental health agencies all over the world. He also helped found the Asian American Psychological Association. In recognition of the tireless support provided by K. Patrick Okura and the Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation, the Pat Okura Community Leadership Award was created for a professional or student who demonstrates outstanding community service and/or leadership that benefits the Asian American community. Awardees may come from a variety of disciplines including: psychology, social work, health, psychiatry, medicine, etc. The award recipient might be a senior leader in community mental health or an Asian American community organization whose leadership has benefited the Asian American community.

Previous Award Recipients

2016 Qian Lu & Jorge Wong
2013 Pawanjit Kalra
2009 Asuncion Austra
2008 Richard M. Lee
2005 Richard M. Suinn
2004 Barbara W. K. Yee
2002 Reiko True




AAPA Early Career Award for Distinguished Contribution to Service

The AAPA Early Career Award recognizes distinguished contributions to the field of Asian American Psychology from a psychologist early in his or her career. The candidate may not be more than 8 years post-Ph.D. at the time of nomination. The awardees are honored during the Awards Banquet at the annual AAPA Convention.
This award will be given to an early career psychologist who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the areas of practice, advocacy, or leadership in applied (non-academic) settings.

Previous Award Recipients

2021 Koko Nishi, Ph.D.
2020 Niyatee Sukumaran
2017 Nellie Tran
2015 Richelle Concepcion
2013 Chun-Chung Choi

Award Criteria

A qualified candidate must demonstrate achievement in one or more of the following areas: (a) innovative and outstanding delivery of psychological services to Asian Americans ; (b) development of programs, procedures, or technical skills in mental health, intergroup relations, and Asian American welfare; (c) activities related to furthering Asian American interests through legislative, legal, political, or organizational involvement (including student and community organizations); (d) leadership in local, state, or federal organizations that serve the public interest of Asian Americans; (e) other advocacy work on behalf of Asian Americans (e.g., providing pro-bono work to Asian Americans whose access to services may be limited).



The Stephen C. Rose Scholarship for Psychology Research on Asian American Youth

The AAPA is proud to offer The Stephen C. Rose Scholarship for Psychology Research on Asian American Youth. Established by The Steve Fund, this scholarship is in memory of Stephen C. Rose whose passions included psychology, in which he attained a graduate degree. It seeks to encourage and promote research on psychological challenges confronting Asian American youth and young adults. This is an area of study which needs greater attention, particularly given the impact of societal issues such as racism, which have a negative effect on the mental health of Asian American college-aged youth.
The Steve Fund has established this annual award in recognition of the inspiration Stephen gave to all of those who knew him. Stephen was a young African American man who lived life with courage, determination, and compassion. He cared deeply about the well-being of others, therefore this fund was created by his family and friends to promote the mental and emotional well-being of young people of color.

Scholarship Detail and Criteria

Award: $1,000 plus travel stipend to present research at the upcoming AAPA Convention.
Criteria: Graduate or Undergraduate student members of AAPA may apply


Previous Award Recipients

2021 Jean Abigail saavedra
2020 Thomas Le
2017 Yun Lu
2016 Ming-Che Tu


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