Aaron and Matty Canter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Psychology

The Aaron and Matty Canter award is the highest award given by the Arizona Psychological Association. It is given to recipients who have demonstrated leadership and dedication in psychology. For more than 60 years, Aaron and Matty Canter embodied the best of our profession. The Distinguished Contribution to Professional Psychology award honors those who follow in their spirit of compassion and service. The award is given to those who have shown commitment to AzPA and the broader psychological community throughout their careers. 

2020 Award Recipient

Martin Levy, Ph.D. 
Dr. Levy was in private practice in Tucson for 31 years. He was President of AzPA in 1997 and President of SAPA twice. He received the prestigious Karl F. Heiser Award for Advocacy for Psychology from the APA. AzPA recognized his many contributions with the Distinguished Service and Distinguished Mentor awards. His greatest contribution is his genuine kindness. He has been a leader in southern Arizona for decades through his unselfish service to the profession and the community. 

Distinguished Contribution to Advocacy

The Advocacy award honors those who have used their expertise to assist the psychological community and broader society by building coalitions to achieve social goals. They may work with psychological organizations, community organizations, judicial or legislative bodies, or the public to advance worthwhile causes.

2020 Award Recipients

                      

Roxana Samaniego, Ph.D.          Courtney Schuneman, Psy.D.

Dr. Samaniego and Dr. Schuneman are each receiving this award for their work on the SAPA in the Community (SITC) program. Dr. Samaniego is the current president of SAPA. Dr. Schuneman is the chair of the SITC committee of SAPA. The SITC committee works with local art, theater, film, and dance organizations to bring psychological information to the Tucson community. It integrates cultural diversity and mental health information with the creative arts. It is an exemplary community outreach program. 

Distinguished Contribution to Diversity

We live and work in communities that reflect a myriad of identity diversity, including those of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious identity, and disability status.  The professional psychology community reflects these varying identities, and as psychologists we are also obligated to competently serve the diversity in our society. The Distinguished Contribution to Diversity award is given to persons who advocate for diversity in all forms. It recognizes the value of identities that enrich the population of our state.

2020 Award Recipient

Evelyn Burrell, Psy.D. 
Dr. Burrell is the Diversity Representative on the AzPA Governing Council. During the protests over police brutality and racial injustice, she provided leadership and training to AzPA members and the community. Her company, Arise Consultation and Training Services, offers training to psychologists and educators on social justice and inclusion issues. She has worked with community organizations in Phoenix to give a voice to underserved populations.

Distinguished Contribution to Science

Research and scholarship are the scientific foundations of psychology. It honors those who disseminate their scholarship through undergraduate and graduate teaching. Scholars mentor their students to value intellectual curiosity, scientific methodology, and critical reasoning. The Distinguished Contribution to Science award recognizes Arizona psychologists who conduct research that improves the lives of others.

2020 Award Recipient

Jamie Edgin, Ph.D.  
Dr. Edgin is an Associate Professor in the Cognition and Neural Systems program in the Psychology Department of the University of Arizona. Her area of research is the neuroscience of developmental disorders. She is receiving this award for her current work on the role of sleep in Down’s Syndrome. Dr. Edgin volunteers her time with several organizations associated with developmental disabilities to bring the latest research to persons with disabilities. 

Distinguished Contribution to the Professional Practice of Psychology

Those who apply psychology in professional practice are experts in assessing and diagnosing problems, preventing and alleviating suffering, and expanding health and resilience. The Distinguished Contribution to the Professional Practice of Psychology award recognizes those who dedicated their efforts to the prevention, assessment, or treatment of mental health problems. Recipients may have developed a clinical strategy, promoted a theoretical orientation or modality, or brought a psychological intervention to an underserved population. 

2020 Award Recipient

Nancy Eldredge, Ph.D.  
Dr. Eldredge provides psychotherapy services to the deaf community in Tucson. She is the former Director of the Rehabilitation Counseling/ Deafness Program at the University of Arizona. Dr. Eldredge is fluent in American Sign Language. She has conducted research and provided training in several countries. She makes psychotherapy accessible to this underserved population. 

Distinguished Service to Psychology

Distinguished service as a psychologist is reflected in leadership and support of the psychological community. The Distinguished Service to Psychology award honors those who have served AzPA and other psychological organizations. Recipients may have defended the profession from efforts to restrict the practice of psychology in Arizona. The Distinguished Service to Psychology award is given to our leaders who have dedicated themselves to unselfish service for our profession.

2020 Award Recipient

Richard J. "Duffy" Wagman, Ph.D.
Dr. Wagman is a school psychologist in the Catalina Foothills Unified School District in Tucson. For many years he worked in the Sunnyside Unified School District. He has served as the President of SAPA twice. Dr. Wagman has mentored a generation of school psychologists in southern Arizona. He volunteers his time to educate the community about adolescent development and learning issues. 

Lifetime Advocacy Award

This is a special award being given this year. The award recognizes remarkable contributions in the field of advocacy across a lifetime of professional service.

2020 Award Recipient

Patricia Johnson, Ph.D. 
Dr. Johnson has been the Federal Advocacy Coordinator for AzPA for 32 years. She is finally leaving that leadership role. She has done lobbying for AzPA and APA on Capitol Hill in Washington, and she has mentored many other AzPA leaders. She is truly knowledgeable about state and federal legislative issues. Dr. Johnson is a former President of AzPA and a past recipient of the Aaron and Matty Canter Award. When she is not advocating for psychology, Patricia loves to travel and make international friends, such as the penguins in the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, where this photo was taken. She is legendary. 

Outstanding Psychology Faculty

This award is chosen by the AzPA Graduate Student membership. It recognizes the many and varied roles that psychology faculty perform in the education and mentoring of their students. It honors those faculty members who have inspired students and colleagues, contributed to the advancement of psychological science, and created an atmosphere of joyful learning.

2020 Award Recipient

Jessica Powell, Psy.D.  
Dr. Powell is an Assistant Professor at Midwestern University in Glendale. She coordinates the Neuropsychology training program. She conducts research in neuroscience. Dr. Powell was selected by the graduate students in AzPA because of her dedication to teaching and mentoring. She genuinely cares about her students and they care about her. 

Hal Arkowitz Award for Outstanding Mentor

Mentors play a unique and critical role in supporting the development of future generations in our profession. The Hal Arkowitz Award for Outstanding Mentor honors those who readily share what they know with students, early career psychologists, and established colleagues. Through their work, they help others integrate their personal and professional roles.

 Presented by the Arizona Psychological Foundation.

2020 Award Recipient

Marcus Earle,  Ph.D., LMFT, CSAT, S-PSB
Dr. Earle is the clinical director of Psychological Counseling Services in Scottsdale. He has provided supervision to interns and postdoctoral residents in Arizona since 1993. His supervision and mentorship have shaped many well-rounded psychologists and marriage and family therapists in Arizona. Dr. Earle has served as a board member and President of The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health, as well as a board member of the Arizona Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. His leadership and mentorship have been invaluable to the Arizona mental health community. 

Outstanding Early Career Psychologist

This award honors psychologists who are in the first ten years of their careers. It recognizes those new psychologists who are already making significant contributions in the areas of professional leadership, service, and research. Recipients of this award are the future of psychology in our state.

 Presented by the Arizona Psychological Foundation.

2020 Award Recipient

John Delatorre, Psy.D. 
Dr. Delatorre has been a licensed psychologist since 2018. He has been active in the media as a commentator for the Law & Crime Trial Network. Dr. Delatorre volunteers his time as a disaster mental health volunteer for the American Red Cross and chairs the Disaster Resource Network for the Arizona Psychological Association. He has been active in providing information, awareness, and engagement with the current COVID-19 pandemic, and has spent time educating other psychologists on physical safety in the workplace. Dr. Delatorre’s level of involvement with the psychological community early in his career is a testament to his dedication to the field. 

Outstanding Postdoctoral Resident

This award recognizes postdoctoral residents in Arizona who have demonstrated exceptional potential for leadership roles within psychology.

 Presented by the Arizona Psychological Foundation.

2020 Award Recipient

Brittany Brown, Psy.D.
Dr. Brown is a postdoctoral resident at Psychological and Consulting Services. Dr. Brown is an active member of the Board of Directors for the Arizona Psychological Foundation. When COVID began to hit Arizona, Dr. Brown was quick to reach out to her fellow residents in the Arizona Psychology Training Consortium. She demonstrated leadership by collaborating with others on maintaining the mental health and wellness of the residents during the pandemic. Dr. Brown is a leader among her peers and shows great promise in becoming a leader among the psychological community in Arizona.