APA Meeting Awards Presentation - Congratulations to the 2018 SoAP Award Winners!

Carlo DiClemente: Distinguished Scientific Contributions to the Application of Psychology. Dr. Carlo DiClemente is the richly deserving 2018 recipient of the award for Distinguish Scientific Contributions to the Application of Psychology. Dr. DiClemente’s contributions to the development and refinement of the transtheoretical model of change has had a substantial impact on understanding and facilitating personal behavior change. His impressive list of over 200 peer-reviewed publications and several books attest to the dissemination of his work to a broad audience of addiction scientists. He has influenced hundreds of professional careers and, by extension, the lives of countless people who are struggling to change their patterns of addictive behaviors. Elements of the transtheoretical model, such as the stages of change, been applied to virtually all social science disciplines, providing further support for Dr. DiClemente receiving this award for the application of psychology.

Jennifer Merrill: Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions. Dr. Jennifer Merrill is the 2018 recipient of the award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions. Dr. Merrill received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The State University of New York at Buffalo in 2012, after completing a Clinical Psychology Residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. She went on to complete a postdoctoral Fellowship at Brown University, where she is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Dr. Merrill is building a strong program of research to examine the cognitive, affective, and environmental processes that contribute to behavioral choices regarding alcohol consumption in young adults. Dr. Merrill is a highly productive young scientist, with 54 peer-reviewed publications and demonstrated success in obtaining grants from NIAAA, including a K01 Award to support her work using ecological momentary assessment to study the contextual and normative influences on drinking decisions. Dr. Merrill is a distinguished early career scientist who is richly deserving of this award.

Ricky Bluthenthal: Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Public Interest. Dr. Bluthenthal is the 2018 recipient of the award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Public Interest. He has had a profound impact on public awareness and policy as a result of his research, program development, and advocacy activities, especially in the areas of injection drug use and syringe exchange programs. As testament to the wide ranging impact of Dr. Bluthenthal’s work, his research has been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Bluthenthal has also testified numerous times to local, county, and state government legislative committees in support of harm reduction, making him an ideal recipient of this award.

Carlton Erickson: Outstanding Contributions to Advancing the Understanding of Addictions. Dr. Erickson is the 2018 recipient of the award for Outstanding Contributions to Advancing the Understanding of Addictions. As a research scientist, Dr. Erickson has studied the effects of alcohol on the brain for over 45 years. Having a broad knowledge of the neurobiology of alcohol and other drugs, he has widely disseminated that knowledge. He presents approximately 8-10 lectures annually to health professionals, and provides a another valuable service through Grand Rounds at health science centers to update pharmacy, nursing, social work, and medical faculty and students about the latest neurobiological research on addiction. As a science educator, Carl has spoken to approximately 88,000 health professionals and people in recovery since 1978. He is clearly the ideal person to receive this award, and we hope he will proudly include it among his many other prestigious awards, including the Betty Ford Center Visionary Award, the John P. McGovern Award for Excellence in Medical Education, and the Annual Award from the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Mark Schenker: Presidential Citation for Distinguished Service to the Society of Addiction Psychology. Dr. Schenker is the 2018 recipient of the Presidential Citation for Distinguished Service to the Society of Addiction Psychology. In addition to his previous service as Member at Large, Dr. Schenker has worked tirelessly to implement and coordinate monthly Clinical Conference Calls for the Division. His sustained commitment to the mission of APA and the goals of SoAP contribute to his recognition with this award. You can find the fruits of Dr. Schenker’s labors on our website, at https://addictionpsychology.org/education-training/conference-calls.