Betsy D. Kennard, PsyD, Named 2018 Alfred M. Wellner, PhD, Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists is proud to present the 2018 Alfred M. Wellner, PhD, Lifetime Achievement Award to Betsy D. Kennard, PsyD.

The award, named after the first Executive Officer, Alfred M. Wellner, PhD, is the highest honor bestowed on a Registrant by the National Register to commemorate numerous and significant contributions to psychology during a distinguished career.

Dr. Kennard was selected for the Wellner award based on her numerous professional accomplishments including significant research on the treatment of child and adolescent depression with a focus on suicide prevention, as well as a long history of mentorship and supervision of emerging clinicians.

Upon receiving the award, Dr. Kennard said, “It is a great honor and privilege to have been selected as a recipient of the Alfred M. Wellner, PhD, Lifetime Achievement Award. While I did not know Dr. Wellner personally, I am familiar with his numerous contributions to the field and feel quite humbled to be associated with such an outstanding psychologist. Having joined the National Register in 1995, I am pleased to be recognized by an organization that is focused on advancing the field of health service psychology. The National Register, which focuses on psychology as both a science and a profession, continues to invest in the education and advancement of young professionals, a focus that I have shared in my career. I am grateful to my mentors, research collaborators, clinician colleagues, and graduate students, all of whom have taught me much along the way and with whom I share this award.”

Dr. Kennard is a licensed psychologist who is Board Certified in Clinical Psychology with a focus in adolescent depression. Dr. Kennard is a Professor in Psychiatry and Director of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at the Pediatric Psychiatry Research Program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and Children’s Health System of Texas. Additionally, Dr. Kennard is Program Director of the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at UT Southwestern and Clinical Director of the Suicide Prevention and Resilience Program at Children’s Health. Her research focuses on developing and testing effective cognitive behavioral treatments for depression and suicidal behavior in adolescents. Dr. Kennard has more than 20 years of clinical experience working with children and adolescents with a variety of psychiatric disorders, and has contributed to more than 100 publications.

Dr. Kennard has been credentialed by the National Register since 1995.

This announcement will also be featured in the National Register’s Fall 2018 issue of the Journal of Health Service Psychology.

About the National Register of Health Service Psychologists

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists is the largest credentialing organization for psychologists. Established in 1974, the independent nonprofit organization is dedicated to improving healthcare by identifying psychologists who meet specific credentialing standards to consumers, healthcare organizations, and regulatory bodies. For more information, visit www.nationalregister.org.

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For more information about this announcement, contact the National Register at 202.783.7663.