Underrepresented Scholars Award

2026 Nominations open on February 3, 2026!

Early to mid-career scholars (within 10 years of receiving their highest degree) from underrepresented groups in academia and within the field of traumatic stress are diverse and include those from various racial, ethnic, gender, religious, indigenous, and sexual identity groups, and those with other underrepresented lived experiences such as first-generation students, those with refugee or displaced backgrounds, or those from low- or middle-income country. ISTSS aims to foster representation within the field and within ISTSS membership to promote social justice and opportunities for all. In alignment with these goals, this award provides an avenue for membership and organizational involvement for talented scholars from around the world who identify with a group or lived experience that is underrepresented in the scientific field of traumatic stress. Awardees receive one full year of ISTSS membership and one complimentary registration for the ISTSS Annual Meeting. Individuals may apply whether or not they are current ISTSS members.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Nominees can be self-nominated or nominated by someone else
• Nominees must be within the first 10 years of receiving their highest degree (excluding career disruption*)

*Career disruptions of up to 12 months will be taken into account when calculating the time limit of this award. Career disruptions are defined as periods of leave or reduced effort due to childcare, caring responsibilities, illness, and/or other circumstances (e.g., time spent away in humanitarian settings).

Award Criteria

This award is given to up to five early to mid-career trauma professionals from around the world who identify as being from an underrepresented group (broadly defined, see above), on the basis of their potential contribution to the field of traumatic stress in research, teaching, clinical service, policy, or advocacy.

Applications will be judged against the following criteria:

• Demonstrated active engagement and outstanding scholarship and achievement (research, practice, clinical, teaching, policy) in the field of traumatic stress
• Demonstrated active engagement with other researchers or practitioners in own country, regionally, or internationally, including community-engaged or participatory contributions
• Demonstrated engagement or commitment around diversity, equity, inclusion, or social justice activities

Benefits

The awardee(s) will receive:

• One-year membership to ISTSS with opportunity for renewal if the awardee reapplies
• Complimentary registration to the ISTSS Annual Meeting (excludes Pre-Meeting Institutes but does include access to any post-meeting recordings included with registration)
• Award recipients will be featured in the ISTSS newsletter StressPoints and their names will be posted on the ISTSS website
• Invitation to be matched with an ISTSS mentor at the annual meeting who will meet individually to discuss opportunities within the organization and collaborate on future opportunities

Nomination Requirements

• A statement addressing the award criteria (up to 500 words)
• A statement detailing the nominee’s self-identification with a group traditionally underrepresented in academia and the traumatic stress field (up to 250 words). This statement may include:
  • How the nominee's identity or lived experience could help shape their academic, clinical, or advocacy work.
  • Any barriers the nominee has encountered or perspectives they bring that contribute to advancing diversity. inclusion, and equity in the field of traumatic stress studies.
  • Ways in which the nominee has supported or could support greater representation and inclusion within ISTSS.
  • Nominees and nominators are encouraged to share as much as they feel comfortable with; this statement is intended to recognize and value diverse pathways and perspectives rather than to assess personal circumstances.
• A statement outlining how the nominee meets the criteria of having received their highest degree within the past 10 years, including evidence of any career disruption that may extend this timeline (up to 250 words).
• A two-page CV (minimum 10-point font)

**Materials may be submitted in any language. Materials in a language other than English will be run through available translation software before being passed onto the awards committee for review.

Nominations submitted after the deadline of March 17, 2026, 11.59pm US Eastern Time, incomplete nominations, or nominations that do not adhere to submission requirements (word and page limits) will not be considered.

Past Underrepresented Scholars Award Winners

2025:
JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji, PhD
Victor Cruz, MD
Henri M. Garrison-Desany, PhD
Berhanie Getnet Gebresilus, PhD
Miss Buhle S. Songo

2024:
Abdulai Jawo Bah PhD
Engida Girma MD
Alexis Ndaizigiye MS
Dany Laure Wadji PhD
Samuel Habimana

2022:
Dr. Uchechukwu Hope-Ekwueme

2021:
Cynthia “Nicole” White, PhD
Stephanie Hargrove, PhD
Nathaniel Harnett, PhD
Maria Christina Crouch, PhD
Stacey McMullen, Clin PsyD