From lifetime achievement to emerging scholarship, three 91亚色 academics at the Faculty of Health have earned international recognition for advancing research on identity, methodology and the foundations of psychology.
The awards from the Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, a division of the American Psychological Association (APA), supports scholarship exploring theories and philosophies, including the conceptual foundations, history, ethics and methodology of the field.
This year, the division honoured three 91亚色-affiliated academics for their scholarly contributions to theoretical and philosophical psychology as well as service and emerging leadership in the field.
Professor Thomas Teo was recognized with the Award for Distinguished Theoretical and Philosophical Contributions to Psychology for lifetime scholarly achievement. 鈥淚 am honoured to be awarded the division鈥檚 highest award,鈥 says Teo, whose work has drawn on theory and philosophy to examine the history and foundations of how psychologists have understood concepts such as intelligence, mental illness and human identity over time.
Through widely published research, he is an internationally recognized leader who has helped shape discussions about how ideas and methods in psychology are influenced by scientific, social and cultural forces. 鈥淚 need to thank 91亚色 as well as the Department of Psychology for supporting these areas of scholarship,鈥 Teo says. 鈥淗opefully, I have had some role in making the case for a theory-informed and reflexive psychology.鈥
Assistant Professor Donald Brown also received recognition, earning the Sigmund Koch Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology. The award is presented annually to a psychologist within 10 years of their PhD who has made promising contributions to theoretical or philosophical psychology. "This award means a lot to me as an early career professor," Brown says. "It encourages me to keep pursuing the intellectual paths I am on because they have value to other scholars in my field."
Brown鈥檚 work explores how psychologists study and understand social identities, such as race and gender, and how cultural influences shape knowledge in this area of study. His scholarship uses a critical social lens to examine how research is conducted and how ideas about identity are developed, interpreted and applied in society.
Through articles, book chapters and an award-winning National Science Foundation-supported dissertation, his research encourages psychologists to think more critically about how social categories are defined, studied and communicated, helping to advance more nuanced approaches to identity in psychological science. "This award is a confirmation that the work I am doing has potential to be meaningful in the field," Brown says.
The third 91亚色-affiliated recipient is Benjamin Stevenson, a master鈥檚 student in the Department of Psychology. He received the Outstanding Student Service Award, which recognizes significant contributions by a student affiliate who has furthered the goals of theoretical and philosophical psychology. Stevenson has served as a student representative on the department's executive board and assisted in liaising with local community organizations for a conference.
His work draws on his background in songwriting and seeks to incorporate the arts into psychology. 鈥淭his award affirms that my experience in music and academic interests have found a place,鈥 says Stevenson. 鈥淚t gives me hope that psychology is expanding its horizons to include art and scholarship in new ways.鈥