International Collaboration Award

Deadline: October 16
Sponsor: Division 54

Description Eligibility How to Apply Past Recipients

Description

The purpose of the International Collaboration Award is to facilitate Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP) members to visit an international research or clinical program for a minimum of one week and up to one month, although longer stays are possible with a compelling rationale. The winner will engage in training and collaborative activities under the supervision of an identified mentor/host at the designated facility. There will be up to one awardee per academic year.

For research, the goal(s) of the proposed visit should aim to either (1) develop or pursue a specific research project at the international hosting facility in the area of pediatric psychology or (2) engage in training to acquire a skill at the visiting laboratory that is of relevance for the applicant’s ongoing research projects and for which training is not available at the applicant’s current training institution.
For clinical programs, the goal(s) of the proposed visit aims to observe and obtain vital information regarding clinical program implementation and infrastructure that can be transferred to the visitor’s home institution.

The research or clinical program development project should be feasible within the timeframe of the award. If the project cannot be completed within the time of travel, a plan for distance collaboration and further consultation should be well-articulated.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include current postgraduate students (i.e., who graduated with an undergraduate degree) in clinical/pediatric psychology training programs, PhD trainees or international equivalency, postdoctoral fellows, or early career faculty (within 5 years of first appointment).

There are no restrictions as to the applicant’s age or nationality.
Applicants must be a member of SPP.
Mentors must be members of SPP.
There are no restrictions regarding the country that is to be visited for the lab visit.
The applicant must not have received the International Collaboration Award within the last five years, and can only receive one award per training stage. The mentor or host must not have served as a mentor/host for an International Collaboration Award within the last two years.
The mentor’s host organization must approve the lab or clinical program visit prior to application for the award. Documentation should be provided to this agreement.

Terms of the international collaboration award:

The applicant will receive a maximum $4,000 USD to offset costs of travel and accommodations to visit the lab or clinical program of a mentor.
The mentor must demonstrate an ongoing commitment to work with the applicant to complete the academic or programmatic goals described in the proposal.
Within one month of the international visit, the applicant must submit a completed feedback form, 1-page report, and an article for Progress Notes to the SPP International Committee. This report needs to describe how the proposed objectives and plan for the visit were met. Rationale needs to be provided for any deviation from the objectives or plan and any alternative activities engaged in due to this deviation. In addition, the report needs to include a status of the proposed project or the applicant’s ongoing research or clinical program development efforts for which the proposed skill was invaluable. Lastly, the report needs to describe any products generated with the help of this grant (e.g., publications; presentations at conferences, colloquia, seminars or symposia; implementation of specific research methodology or clinical approaches in the applicant’s home institution) and the specific plans for continued collaboration.
The awardee must acknowledge the International Collaboration Award in publications and other products arising from work achieved as a result of this award.
Candidate and prospective mentor must work out all visa-related issues

How to Apply

Please submit a PDF document containing the components described below to Rocio de la Vega by October 15:

1. International Collaboration Award Checklist

2. A maximum 2-page letter (11 pt. font, 1⁄2 inch (1.27 cm) margins) providing:

Clear outline that eligibility criteria are met.
Overview of the rationale and methodology for proposed project or program initiative for which the proposed visit is requested.
Description and justification for purpose and anticipated benefit of international visit in the context of the proposed or ongoing research or clinical program.
Evidence of prior communication or discussion with the international mentor/host.
Clear outline of specific objectives of the proposed visit/project.
A clear plan for executing above objectives, including outline of the proposed activities and preliminary timetable of these activities.
Outline of plan for continued collaboration, dissemination, and products generated as a result of this visit.
A budget plan illustrating how the funds will be utilized to cover transportation, accommodation, expenses, and meals. This budget plan should also state if the mentor/host or applicant possess or applied for any additional resources to facilitate this visit and/or the proposed or ongoing research or clinical program.

3. Curriculum vitae for applicant (maximum of four pages)

4. A letter of support from the applicant’s home institution confirming support for the applicant’s:

Anticipated travel plans and anticipated benefits.
Plans to produce scholarly work or clinical program outcomes as a result of the award.
Strengths and qualifications.
Qualifications for the proposed or ongoing project.

5. Curriculum vitae (maximum of four pages) of the mentor/host

6. A 1-page letter of support from the mentor/host in which the mentor/host:

Agrees to be the applicant’s mentor/host for the proposed visit.
Testifies to any previous communication with applicant as outlined in the proposal.
Confirms that there is sufficient time and resources to support the planned activities during the specified time period.
Has not served as a mentor/host for an International Collaboration Award in the past two years.
Confirms that the host organization would in principle support a lab or clinical program visit.

Award selection process
Two representatives from the SPP International Committee will use a standardized scoring system to independently evaluate each proposal and rank their choice of applicants. Proposals will be evaluated with respect to:

Scientific or programmatic merit (i.e., background, rationale, methodology) of the proposed or ongoing project
Clarity and feasibility of the proposed objectives/plans of the visit
Anticipated benefit of an international visit
Qualifications of applicant
Support of the home institution of the applicant
Support of the hosting institution/mentor/host
Potential for ongoing scientific collaboration and product between the applicant and the hosting institution/mentor/host.

Applicants will be notified via email by mid-December regarding the outcome of their application.

Past Recipients

2025 Awardees:

Applicant and Institution: Dr. Patrick Goh, from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
Mentor and Institution: Dr. Maria Rogers at the Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

2024 awardees:

Applicant and Institution: Dr. Leandra Desjardins, Centre de Recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine: Maladies immunitaires et cancers
Mentor and Institution: Dr. Anne Kazak, Nemours Children's Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware (US)

2023 awardees:

Applicant and Institution: Taylor Dattilo, M.S., Center for Pediatric Psychology Oklahoma State University
Mentor and Institution: Dr. Vicky Lehmann at the Amsterdam University Medical Center in the Netherlands

Applicant and Institution: Kristine Durkin, PhD., Alpert Medical School through Brown University.
Mentor and Institution: Dr. Caroline Heary, School of Psychology, University of Galway in Ireland.

2022 awardees:

Applicant and Institution: Rocio de la Vega, PhD; University of Málaga, Spain.
Mentor and Institution: Rikard Wicksell, PhD, Capio St Göran’s Hospital University Hospital

Applicant and Institution: Sandra Soca Lozano, MA; University of South Florida, Florida.
Mentor and Institution: Lauren Winkler, PhD, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Behavioural Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital/UNSW Sydney

2020 awardees:

Applicant and Institution: Melissa Pielech, PhD; Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University School of Public Health, USA
Mentor and Institution: Christine Chambers, PhD; Dalhouse University, Halifax, Canada

Applicant and Institution: Katherine Traino; Oklahoma State University
Mentor and Institution: Annastasia Ediati; Deponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia

2019 awardees:

Applicant and Institution: Hadas Nahman-Averbuch, PhD; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, USA
Mentor and Institution: Abbie Jordan, PhD; University of Bath, UK

Applicant and Institution: Katrina M. Cordts, PhD; Oregon Health & Science University, USA
Mentor and Institution: Liesbet Goubert, PhD; Ghent University, Belgium

2018 awardees:

Applicant and Institution: Christina Sharkey, MS; Oklahoma State University
Mentor and Institution: Martha Grotenhuis, PhD; Emma Children's Hospital, Amersterdam, Netherlands

Applicant and Institution: Lauren Heathcote, PhD; Stanford University
Mentor and Institution: Lorimer Moseley, DSc PhD BPhty; University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia

2017 awardees:

Applicant and Institution: Jessica Fales, PhD; Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, USA
Mentor and Institution: Line Caes, PhD; University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK

Applicant and Institution: Kathryn Birnie, PhD; University of Toronto and The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mentor and Institution: Rashmi Bhandari, PhD; Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA

Check Out:

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Journal of Pediatric Psychology

Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology

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