PhD Clinical Psychology Program Wins 2017 Richard M. Suinn Minority Achievement Award

We are very proud to announce that the PhD Clinical Psychology Program at Palo Alto University has been selected as the winner of the 2017 Richard M. Suinn Minority Achievement Award by the APA Commission on Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention, and Training II (CEMRRAT2) Task Force.

Per the award letter:

"The CEMRRAT2 Task Force was very impressed by the clinical program’s upward trend of enrollment of racial or ethnic minority students which proves its commitment to recruiting, training, and graduating students of color. The program’s long-time efforts to prepare and produce culturally competent practitioners of color is impressive and timely. Please note that the program’s nomination was advanced by several of your own students. Such action highlights the important and valuable work the program accomplishes to mentor scholars of color. Clearly, the program’s work and its dedication to the education and training of psychologists has not gone unnoticed by your students and your nomination was unanimously well received by the Task Force."

If you are planning to attend the APA conference in Washington DC next month, please note that you are invited to come to the presentation of this award during the CEMA/CEMRRAT Social Hour and Award Reception that is scheduled for Thursday, August 3, at 6:00 pm in the Union Station Room of the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC.

When the award mentions "long-time efforts to prepare and produce culturally competent practitioners of color" it is referring to a number of national awards that the PhD program and its students have received in this area:
1. In 2011 the Diversity and Community Mental Health area of emphasis received APA's Board of Educational Affairs Award for Innovative Practices in Graduate Education in Psychology
2. Also in 2011 the PhD program's Diversity and Community and Mental Health area of emphasis received NCSPP Award for Innovation in Professional Psychology Education
3. Several PAU PhD students have received APA Minority Fellowship Awards: Jeannie Celestial (2013--14), Kahanaaloha Kuikahi (2014-15) and Margareth V. Del Cid (2017-18)

Importantly, we would like to thank the students who nominated the PhD Program for this prestigious award: Amardeep Singh Khahra, Helen Ma, Brandon Hoeflein, Brian Maruyama, and Shweta Ghosh. We would also like to thank all the Faculty, Students, Staff, and Administration, for their efforts to make the PhD Program one of the best in cultural competency training in clinical psychology