2025 Art Nezu Dissertation Diversity Awardee
Kirsten Klein is a doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology at the University of Florida and is currently completing her pre-doctoral internship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical Center. She also serves as the Co-Director of the UF Health Cancer Center Community-Partnered Cancer Disparities Research Collaborative (CDRC), which aims to prevent, treat, and reduce the impact and burden of cancer among underserved racial and ethnic minority communities. Kirsten's research broadly focuses on advancing health equity for multiply marginalized Black communities by 1) assessing and identifying systemic barriers to healthcare and wellness and 2) co-creating culturally sensitive health and wellness interventions. Kirsten takes great pride in engaging in research, activism, and service that extends beyond the walls of the academy and believes that the community should be centered in all aspects of the work.
Doctoral dissertations regarding diversity/multiculturalism may be eligible for the Art Nezu Dissertation Diversity Award.
The Art Nezu Dissertation Diversity Award is a prestigious award that recognizes an individual whose doctoral dissertation makes an outstanding contribution to the fields of professional psychology and diversity and/or multiculturalism. The recipient of the award will receive a $1,000 award.
Eligibility Criteria
- The doctoral dissertation must have been successfully defended in 2025.
- The dissertation must be completed by a student in a professional psychology discipline.
- The dissertation must focus on theoretical, empirical, or applied dimensions of diversity and/or multiculturalism within professional psychology.
- The dissertation topic must reflect some aspect of psychology specialization, represented by at least one ABPP specialty.
- The dissertation must be publication-eligible, consistent with submission to peer-reviewed professional psychology journals.
Please submit the following materials online (all at once)
- Current Curriculum Vita.
- Letter from the candidate (no more than 2 pages) must address the specific ways the dissertation advances diversity and/or multiculturalism scholarship; the theoretical, empirical, and/or applied significance of the findings; and how the work demonstrates the candidate’s trajectory toward scholarly excellence. .
- Specify which specialty board in American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) the dissertation represents.
- Electronic copy of the entire dissertation (Abstract, Literature Review, Results, Discussion, References & Appendices).
- Copy of program-issued final approval of dissertation defense form.
- Recommendation letter from the dissertation chair or committee member that addresses how and why the dissertation advances the diversity/multiculturalism literature within professional psychology, and the publication-readiness of the work.
- Recommendation letter from a second person (may or may not be a member of the doctoral committee), addressing how the dissertation advances the field and publication-eligibility of the document.
The award winner will be chosen primarily based upon the quality of dissertation research and its likelihood to impact the fields of professional psychology and diversity/multiculturalism. Secondary criteria include (a) dedication to a multicultural/diversity focus in career choice and professional psychology work, and (b) professional strengths and successes identified in recommendation letters.
For questions regarding online submissions, contact us.
The deadline for submitting a nomination is April 15, 2026.
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