Status as a fellow in the American Psychological Association is an honor that recognizes evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions to or performance in the field of psychology that has had an impact beyond the local, state, or regional levels. Application for fellow status is rigourous and selective.
In Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Service), we view election as a fellow to be an honor not only for the individual but also for the Division, and we welcome the nomination of outstanding division members for this distinction who have made substantial contributions to public service psychology. This year, we welcome and congratulate three new and much deserved members to this high membership ranking. Read about the outstanding accomplishments and incredible work of Drs. Coghlan, Gaither, and Lyn below. We couldn’t be prouder to have these wonderful psychologists representing public service psychology!
Dr. Coghlan’s work falls within the Division’s special interest mandate in Police and Public Safety. However, many of his contributions have occurred beyond the usual and typical duties of those who work within police psychology. Dr. Coghlan has focused on law enforcement wellness and response to suicide. He has made significa nt contributions to national programs for the prevention of suicide among law enforcement and to international forums in office wellness training. Dr. Coghlan has worked to advance public safety through “a more psychologically healthy and emotionally well law enforcement population.” He is recognized as a national subject matter expert and consultant to several national public safety organizations, and is a contributing author and consultant to a number of national programs including preventing violence against law enforcement and responses to officer suicide.
Dr. Coghlan’s unique history as a former and now retired police officer provides him credibility to contribute important psychological knowledge and principles to critical areas, such as the study and prevention of officer suicides, peer support among law enforcement personnel, and proactive efforts to promote resilience and wellness among those involved in policing and public safety. His work has affected a wide range of those concerned with public safety – community leaders, organizations representing members of law enforcement, first responders, and line staff. Law enforcement training and wellness is within the national spotlight and as an APA member, Dr. Coghlan is making significant national contributions to this area of psychology.
Dr. Gaither’s work falls within the Division’s mandate specifically within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and service provided to veterans with mental illness.
Dr. Gaither has provided evidence of unusual and significant contributions to the practice of psychology in the provision of services within the VHA. She is recognized as a subject matter expert in the provision of treatment for those patients with psychosis. The impact of her work can only be understood within the context of her practice and professional activities. The VHA employs over 4000 psychologists and, within that system, Dr. Gaither has been recognized by her selection to be the “Clinician and Administrative Lead for the National Telemental Health Center for the Psychosis Program.” This takes Dr. Gaither outside of her own facility assignment and she is now developing policies and providing protocols to be followed by providers (not just psychologists) across all VHA facilities nationwide who provide services for veterans with psychosis. Her expertise has resulted in multiple invitations to share her knowledge nationally and internationally in addition to publications in the area.
Additional context for impact is found in those who have endorsed Dr. Gaither for Fellow. Dr. Iwamasa (Division 18 President-elect) is the VA’s National Director for Inpatient Mental Health Services. She recognized Dr. Gaither for her expert consultation “internal and external to t he VA” and added that Dr. Gaither was just selected to co-lead a recently developed “national, interdisciplinary Psychosis Education Series.” Dr. Klee (Past President of Division 18) noted Dr. Gaither is recognized as an Expert Consultant supporting VA providers nationwide and that Dr. Gaither has unique “breadth and depth in SMI expertise and training.
Dr. Lyn’s career, leadership positions, and broader professional engagement demonstrates the national impact of her outstanding work and strong leadership. Dr. Lyn’s supporting documents reflect her unusual and outstanding contributions to the practice of psychology. Her contributions fall well within the mandates of Division 18.
Dr. Lyn has applied psychological principles to leadership and crisis management, enhanced the use of evidence-based practices, and integrating clinical psychology into overall behavior management. Not only did her contributions affect the psychologists within the system, but also improved the quality of the lives of those incarcerated and preparing to return to society. Her leadership has had a lasting impact on the training programs within the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) where the professional identity paradigm she created now serves as a basic element of all federal prison psychology training programs. She was recognized through promotions within the BOP, including being assigned the role of warden which she notes by her retirement was a position held by women by only 17% of the wardens. She was recognized within the BOP not only through performance awards and promotions, but also receiving the Regional Director’s Recognition Award. She has been appointed or elected to many leadership roles in national professional organization in psychology. Dr. Lyn’s leadership in various professional organizations has extended her national impact beyond the impact she had within the national corrections system. As a woman of color holding the rare position as a warden most certainly had a national impact as a role model for the myriad of trainees which benefited from the training programs under her influence and responsibility. Her national impact was certainly evident in her faculty role with the APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology.
We also thank Drs. Jeremy Mills (Fellows Committee Chair), Robert Morgan, Dave Corey, and Kathy McNamara for their service in reviewing and promoting these new fellows. Contact fellows@publicservicepsychology.org with questions about the fellows application process. A full list of Division 18 fellow can be found here.
