APSAC Awards

APSAC recognizes achievement in many ways through its annual awards program. Each year, APSAC solicits its membership for nominations in several categories. Awards are presented during the organization's Annual Colloquium. 

Award categories include:

• Outstanding Service - The Award recognizes a member who has made substantial contributions to APSAC through leadership and service to the Society.
• Outstanding Professional - The Award recognizes a member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of child maltreatment and the advancement of APSAC’s goals.
• Outstanding Research Career Achievement - The Award recognizes an APSAC member who has made repeated, significant and outstanding contributions to research on child maltreatment over her or his career.
• Outstanding Front Line Professional - The Award recognizes a front-line professional (e.g. child protection worker, law enforcement personnel, mental health counselor or medical professional) who demonstrates extraordinary dedication and skill in his or her direct care efforts on behalf of children and families.
• Outstanding Media Coverage - The Award recognizes a reporter or team of reporters in newsprint or broadcast journalism whose coverage of child maltreatment issues shows exceptional knowledge, insight and sensitivity.
• Outstanding Research Article - The Award recognizing the authors of a research article judged to be a significant advancement to the field of child maltreatment. 
• Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation - The Award recognizes an individual whose dissertation has the greatest potential for making a significant contribution to the child maltreatment theoretical and applied knowledge base.
• Outstanding Service in the Advancement of Cultural Competency in Child Maltreatment Prevention and Intervention - The Award recognizes an individual, organization or agency that has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of cultural competency in child maltreatment prevention and intervention.

• Ronald C. Laney Distinguished Service Award - The Ronald C. Laney Life Time Service Award is awarded on a periodic and exceptional basis by the Board of Directors of APSAC to an individual who has exhibited a life time of service to others as exemplified by Ron C. Laney.

• William Friedrich Memorial Award - The Award is presented by the APSAC Board of Directors to an individual who has demonstrated a career that exemplifies the achievements and character of the late William Friedrich.

Past Award Winners

Please note that awards are recognized by the year in which contributions occurred; not the year in which the award was presented at the conference. For example, awards presented at the 2008 would recognize 2007 achievements.

Outstanding Service

The Award recognizes a member who has made substantial contributions to APSAC through leadership and service to the Society.

Former Recipients: Jon Conte, PhD (1992); David Corwin, MD (1993), John E.B. Myers, JD (1994); David Chadwick, MD (1995); Joyce Thomas, RN, MPH (1996), Barbara Bonner, PhD (1997); Kathleen Coulborn Faller, PhD, ACSW (1998); Susan Kelley, RN, PhD (1999); Mark Chaffin, PhD (2000); Linda Williams, PhD (2001); Diane DePanfilis, PhD (2002); Nancy Lamb, JD (2003); Sandra Alexander, MEd (2004); Cynthia Cupit Swenson (2005); Terry Hendrix (2006); Patti Toth, JD (2007); Judy Donlin (2008); Kathy D. Johnson, MS (2009)

Outstanding Professional

The Award recognizes a member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of child maltreatment and the advancement of APSAC’s goals.

Former Recipients: Ann Wolbert Burgess, DNSc (1992); Lucy Berliner, MSW (1993); Kee McFarlane, MSW (1994); David Finkelhor, PhD (1995); Ken Lanning, MS (1996); Robert M. Reece, MD (1997); Anne Cohn Donnelly, DPH (1998); John Briere, PhD (1999); Richard Krugman, MD (2000); Howard Dubowitz, MD, MS (2001); Judith Cohen, MD (2002); Martin Finkel, MD (2003); Carole Jenny, MD (2004); Cordelia Anderson & Eliana Gil, Ph.D. (2005); David Corwin, M.D. (2006); Suzanne Starling, MD (2007); Charles Wilson, MSSW (2007); Judith S. Rychus, PhD, MSW (2008); Emalee G. Flaherty, MD (2009)

Outstanding Research Career Achievement

The Award recognizes an APSAC member who has made repeated, significant and outstanding contributions to research on child maltreatment over her or his career.

Former Recipients: Gail Goodman, PhD (1992); Norman Polansky, PhD (1993); Murray Strauss, PhD (1994); William Friedrich, PhD (1995); Byron Egeland, PhD (1996); Dante Cocchetti, PhD (1997); Susan Zuravin, PhD (1998); Richard Gelles, PhD (1999); David Wolfe, PhD (2000); Ben Saunders, PhD (2001); David Kolko, PhD (2002); Karen Saywitz, PhD (2003); Gary Melton PhD (2004); Linda Williams, Ph.D. (2005); John Landsverk, PhD (2006); Kathleen Coulborn Faller. PhD, ACSW (2007); Esther Deblinger, PhD (2008); John Lutzker, PhD (2009)

Outstanding Service in the Advancement of Cultural Competency in Child Maltreatment Prevention and Intervention

The Award recognizes an individual, organization or agency that has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of cultural competency in child maltreatment prevention and intervention.

Veronica Abney, MSW (2001); Children’s Advocacy Center of SW Florida, Inc (2003); Lisa Fontes (2004); Dorothy Roberts JD (2005); National Children’s Alliance (Nancy Chandler, Executive Director) (2005); Delores Big Foot (2006); Toni Cardenas (2007); BRYCS – Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (2008); Michael A. de Arellano, PhD (2009)

Outstanding Front Line Professional

The Award recognizes a front-line professional (e.g. child protection worker, law enforcement personnel, mental health counselor or medical professional) who demonstrates extraordinary dedication and skill in his or her direct care efforts on behalf of children and families.

Former Recipients: Alice J. Lindner, RN, BSN, CCRC (2003); Lisa Parks (2004); Detective Sergeant Bob Adams & Clare Sheridan-Matney, M.D. (2005); Moira Ann Szilagyi, MD, PhD (2006); Margaret McHugh, MD, MPH (2007); Katherine J. Melhorn, MD (2008); Richard Kaplan, MD (2009)

Outstanding Media Coverage

The Award recognizes a reporter or team of reporters in newsprint or broadcast journalism whose coverage of child maltreatment issues shows exceptional knowledge, insight and sensitivity.

Former Recipients: Karen Grau and Bill Hussung, Executive Producers, Calamari Productions - MSNBC Special: “In a Child’s Best Interest” (2003); Michael Landauer, Rod Dreher, Rodger Jones – Dallas News (2004); Fran Waters, DCSW, LMFT & Cavalcade Productions, Inc. (2007); Oprah Winfrey/Harpo Productions, Inc. (2008); Dennis Ferrier (WSMV-TV, Nashville) (2009)

Outstanding Research Article

The Award recognizing the authors of a research article judged to be a significant advancement to the field of child maltreatment.

Former Recipients: Dante Cicchetti, Fred Rogosh, Sheree Toth: Fostering secure attachments in infants in maltreating families through preventive interventions [Development and Psychopathology, 2006]; David Finkelhor, PhD (2007); Elizabeth Letourneau, Ph.D., Jason Chapman, Ph.D., & Sonja Schoenwald, Ph.D.: Treatment Outcome and Criminal Offending by Youth With Sexual Behavior Problems (2008), Child Maltreatment, 13 (2), 145-166.

Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation

The Award recognizes an individual whose dissertation has the greatest potential for making a significant contribution to the child maltreatment theoretical and applied knowledge base.

Former Recipients: Michael R. McCart, M.S. (2005)

Ronald C. Laney Distinguished Service Award

The Ronald C. Laney Life Time Service Award is awarded on a periodic and exceptional basis by the Board of Directors of APSAC to an individual who has exhibited a life time of service to others as exemplified by Ron C. Laney.

Former Recipients: Ronald C. Laney (2007); Jon R. Conte, PhD (2009)

Special Recognition Award

The APSAC Board of Directors voted to present three special awards at its 2008 Annual Conference to recognize the outstanding contributions and services provided by Jenner & Block, Bill Forcade and Henry Schafer. The firm provides pro-bono legal services for APSAC, and Bill Forcarde and Henry Schaffer serve as legal counsel.

Former Recipients: Jenner & Block LLP (2007); Bill S. Forcade, JD (2007); Henry M. Schaffer, JD (2007); Margaret Simpson, JD (2007); Barry Sullivan, JD (2007)

William Friedrich Memorial Award

The Award is presented by the APSAC Board of Directors to an individual who has demonstrated a career that exemplifies the achievements and character of the late William Friedrich.

Former Recipients: Lucy Berliner, MSW (2005); Dr. Anthony Mannarino (2006); Ben Saunders, PhD (2007); Thomas Lyon, JD, PhD (2008); John E.B. Myers, JD (2009)