2014 SPP faculty awards


Congratulations to the winners of the 2014 SPP faculty awards.

Carolyn Schroeder Clinical Practice Award


The newly established Carolyn Schroeder Clinical Practice Award was given to Bryan Carter, PhD. This award recognizes excellence, innovation and leadership in the clinical practice of pediatric psychology. Carter is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine’s Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology and is director of the Pediatric Consultation-Liaison Service at Kosair Children’s Hospital, chief psychologist with the Bingham Clinic and director of postdoctoral fellowship training in pediatric psychology. He received his PhD in clinical child psychology from the University of Virginia, predoctoral residency at United States Air Force Medical Center in San Antonio and postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine. Carter is nationally recognized for his research on inpatient pediatric consultation-liaison psychology. He has been the co-chair of the Div54 CL SIG and manages the Pediatric Psychology Resource Bank website sponsored by the CL SIG. His most recent clinical and research activity has been developing a manualized treatment program for adolescents with painful and fatiguing conditions associated with pediatric chronic illness, the Children’s Health and Illness Recovery Program (CHIRP).

He also developed the Kosair Coping Cart and Mini-Coper and the Coping Club website, in conjunction with Kosair Children’s Hospital. This video project has received national attention and has joined the efforts of several children’s hospitals in providing a library of useful patient-generated videos to augment patient clinical and teaching activities to facilitate patient education, coping and adherence with hospitalization and illness management.

Dennis Drotar Distinguished Research Award


The Dennis Drotar Distinguished Research Award was given to Tonya Palermo, PhD. This award recognizes excellence and significant contributions in establishing the scientific base of pediatric psychology. Palermo is a professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at University of Washington with adjunct appointments in pediatrics and psychiatry and is a principal investigator in the Center for Child Health Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

Palermo’s longstanding National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research program has focused on assessment and treatment of chronic pain in children and adolescents. She is specifically interested in cognitive-behavioral interventions, delivery of psychological treatment via the internet, sleep disturbances and parent/family factors as they relate to pain treatment. She has published over 120 peer-reviewed articles and a book on cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic pain in children and adolescents.

Through her work as program director for the University of Washington Anesthesiology T32 program, she is active in training clinician-scientists at the postdoctoral and junior faculty level. Palermo has served on the executive boards of the Society of Pediatric Psychology and the American Pain Society, serves as an associate editor for the Clinical Journal of Pain and the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and has been elected fellow of the American Psychological Association.

She also serves as a regular member of an NIH study section, Behavioral Medicine Interventions and Outcomes.

The Marvin P. Levin Mentorship Award


The Martin P. Levin Mentorship Award was given to Edward R. Christophersen, PhD, ABPP. This award honors a pediatric psychology faculty member who mentors students in an exemplary way, providing professional advice and guidance through various phases of training including early career development.

Christophersen is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine and a staff psychologist at Children’s Mercy Kansas City. As chief psychologist, he served as co-advisor for 33 PhD students and as a clinical supervisor to over 100 pre- and postdoctoral trainees. He co-authored the best-selling APA book, Treatments that Work with Children, now in its second edition. He has published over 100 papers and chapters with trainees as co-authors.

In 2013, he co-authored the peer-reviewed Primer for Career Development and Promotion: Succeeding as a Psychologist in an Academic Health Center through APA’s Div. 12 (Clinical Psychology). As chair of one of the School of Medicine’s promotion committees, he has served as a mentor to over 30 PhDs and MDs applying for promotion.

Routh Early-Career Award in Pediatric Psychology


The Routh Early-Career Award was given to Amy Holley, PhD. This award recognizes significant contributions to the field of pediatric psychology in research, clinical training and/or service during the early career. Holley is an assistant professor of psychology in the Institute on Development and Disability at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). She received a PhD in clinical child/pediatric psychology from Case Western Reserve University. She completed her predoctoral internship at Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School and postdoctoral training at OHSU.

Her research interests include functional outcomes in children and adolescents with chronic pain and treatment of chronic pain in primary care. Currently, she is examining conditioned pain modulation, psychological factors and sleep disturbances as risk factors for the development of chronic musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents ages 10-17 years. The study utilizes a combination of psychophysical and psychological assessment to identify risk factors for pain persistence and understand pain mechanisms

Wright Ross Salk Service Award


The Wright Ross Salk Award for Distinguished Service was given to Sharon Berry, PhD. In recognition of the early founders of pediatric psychology, this award honors outstanding service contributions to the Society of Pediatric Psychology or to the field of pediatric psychology generally.

Berry is director of internship training and psychological services site lead at Children’s Hospitals/Clinics of Minnesota. A fellow of Div.54, she was previously honored in 2007 with the Martin P. Levin Mentorship Award. She served two terms on the SPP board (2001-2006), during which time she coordinated awards for members and students. Berry developed and continues to coordinate the SPP Mentoring Project connecting students and early career members with mid- to senior career division members for guidance and mentoring related to professional development, clinical services and research.

Berry has served on a number of national boards within the education/training or health areas including APA Board of Educational Affairs, Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers, APA Div. 12 (Clinical Psychology), Association of Psychologists in Academic Health Centers and the Council of Clinical Health Psychology Training Programs.