Gail Burns-Smith and ATSA Awards

Presented at ATSA Annual Research & Treatment Conference

Lifetime Significant Achievement Award

The ATSA Lifetime Significant Achievement Award acknowledges and celebrates an individual who, throughout their career, has made a significant impact in the realm of sexual abuse. This award recognizes individuals who have contributed to advancing knowledge in the field of sexual abuse, efforts in mitigating or averting instances of sexual abuse, or the establishment of initiatives or programs aimed at aiding both those who have caused sexual harm and those who have been sexually harmed. It is bestowed upon someone whose lifelong dedication and work have profoundly influenced progress in the field while emphasizing prevention and the well-being of those impacted by sexual abuse and the broader community.

The recipient of this award should embody the following criteria:

• Has dedicated a minimum of 25 years to addressing sexual abuse.
  • Has enriched the understanding and discourse surrounding sexual abuse.
  • Has exerted influence through various leadership roles, such as innovator, educator/mentor, theorist, advocate, or policy developer, pertaining to sexual abuse.
  • Has contributed to proactively preventing sexual abuse.

Nomination Procedures

• Nominations must be made by an ATSA member.
• Nominations should be submitted to awards@atsa.com with the subject line “Lifetime Achievement Award”.
• Please submit the email address and telephone number of the person you are nominating.

In addition to addressing how the nominee contributed service to the Association for the Treatment & Prevention of Sexual Abuse, at the national, regional, state, and/or local levels, the Lifetime Significant Achievement Award nominations should include two detailed letters of support addressing at least 3 of 6 areas below, as well as the nominee's current CV.

1. How has the nominee's research and publications contributed to the knowledge in our field?​
2. If the nominee is also a treatment provider or other service provider in the assessment and/or treatment of abusers, what significant contributions have they made to the evolution of best practices in evaluation and treatment?
3. How has the nominee's research contributed to informing policy analyses or evidence-based policy development?
4. How has the nominee played a role in advocating for evidence-based policy, practices, or human rights and social justice as it pertains to people who have abused?
5. What outstanding contributions has the nominee made in serving the community through dedicating their time, energy, knowledge, and skills to support/facilitate community safety and abuse prevention?
6. What significant impact has the nominee had on the growth and development of professionals in the field through mentoring and clinical guidance to others?

The submission must be received by June 30, 2024.

One award will be granted annually.  Award recipients will receive the following:

• Plaque/trophy
• 50% off conference registration at the ATSA Annual Research & Treatment Conference.
• 2 nights hotel at the ATSA Annual Research & Treatment Conference.
• ATSA Press Release highlighting the award recipient and their achievements.

Decision And Presentation

The Awards Committee will review the nominees and make recommendations to the ATSA Board of Directors, who will vote on the presentation of the Award to the most appropriate and deserving nominee. The recipient will be informed and the award will be presented as part of the conference program.

Presented at ATSA Annual Research & Treatment Conference

Early Career Research Award

The ATSA Research Committee recognizes the outstanding achievement of an early career researcher. The ATSA Early Career Research Award is designed to recognize a scholar whose research has made an outstanding contribution to the understanding, management, or prevention of sexual abuse. It is open to any researcher, from any field, in any country, whose work is consistent with ATSA’s mission to prevent sexual abuse through sound research and education.

Eligibility:

• The candidate’s Ph.D. (or other terminal degrees) was conferred no more than 10 years ago (independent of time spent on parental leave).
• The research contribution being recognized was not part of the candidate’s undergraduate or graduate studies.
• The award is not limited to those working in a university setting.
• The award is for research contributions only.
• An individual may only win this award once.
• No self-nominations are permitted.
• Applications will be considered annually, but the ATSA Research Committee is not compelled to grant the award every year.
• Members of the ATSA Research Committee, the ATSA Board of Directors, and the Editor-in-Chief of the ATSA journal Sexual Abuse are not eligible for this award.

Taken together, the scholar’s written work must demonstrate any of the following:

• A critical evaluation of extant research or policy that generates new directions or sets an agenda for future study.
• A compelling and innovative use of original research.
• A new evidence-informed theoretical perspective or integration of existing perspectives that increases our understanding.
• A novel empirically based approach in therapy, treatment, management, or intervention.
• A programmatic empirical investigation of a critical issue on sexual abuse.

Nomination/Application Process:

Send the following information electronically to awards@atsa.com with the subject line “Early Career Research Award”:

• Two (2) nomination letters, with at least one (1) nomination letter from an ATSA member (no more than 3 pages), that address the candidate’s research excellence and detail the contributions of the research and its impact on the understanding, management, or prevention of sexual abuse.
• A copy of the nominee’s Curriculum Vitae, edited to emphasize research accomplishments.
• Up to three (3) first-authored research publications in peer-reviewed journals that are representative of the candidate’s contributions to the field since graduate school.

The deadline for submission is June 30, 2024.

Award:

• Recipient will receive an award plaque with an inscription.
• Recipient will receive their conference registration fee waived.
• Recipient will also receive tickets to the Next Generation Luncheon.

Presented at ATSA Annual Research & Treatment Conference

Graduate Student Research Award

ATSA will present a Graduate Student Award to one successful applicant each year. The award winner will be selected from graduate level research completed with either sexual abusers or sexual abuse victims/survivors. The award winner will be selected by a panel of distinguished researchers who have produced some of the seminal work in this field. ATSA has developed this awards program with the intent of attracting research excellence to the assessment and treatment of individuals perpetrating or affected by sexual abuse.

To submit your research for award consideration, e-mail awards@atsa.com with the subject line “Graduate Student Research Award” a cover letter containing a physical address, e-mail address, and telephone number where you can be reached through the end of August. Attach a copy of your vita and a copy of your research. The following additional guidelines apply:

1. Research should be prepared in the format of a manuscript submitted for publication, strictly adhering to APA style. The research and manuscript must be of publishable quality.
2. Research completed as a thesis or dissertation is eligible for award consideration but must be submitted in the form of a manuscript for publication.
3. Only completed investigations are eligible. Proposals, theoretical papers, book manuscripts, and projects with preliminary data analyses will not be considered.
4. The author(s) of the manuscript must currently be enrolled in a graduate training program in a recognized healthcare profession or have completed the graduate training pertaining to this submission since November 2018.
5. The author(s) must be willing to present the research at the Annual Research and Treatment Conference of the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse. Reasonable costs for travel and lodging will be paid by ATSA.
6. The author(s) are strongly encouraged to submit the manuscript for consideration for publication in ATSA’s official Journal, Sexual Abuse.
   1. Applicants should submit the strongest piece of work from the PhD regardless of whether or not it has already been published.
   2. Awardees will be required to provide a short (600-800 words) piece for the ATSA Forum that summarizes their paper.
7. The author(s) cannot be a former recipient(s) of the ATSA Graduate Student Award.
8. The length of submissions is limited to 40 pages, excluding references, tables, and figures.
9. A copy of the manuscript should be submitted, including the principal investigator's vita, mailing address, telephone or fax number, and e-mail address.
10. The recipient will be asked to provide a poster presentation at the ATSA conference.

The submission must be received by June 30, 2024.

Winners of the award will be selected at least one month prior to the annual conference so that preparation of a presentation to the conference, as well as travel arrangements, can be completed.

Award

• $1,000
• Free conference registration
• $500 airfare reimbursement
• Two nights hotel at conference, plus reasonable expenses associated with transportation to and lodging at the ATSA Annual Conference on Research and Treatment.

Presented at ATSA Annual Research & Treatment Conference

Pre-Doctoral Research Grant

Thank you for your expressed interest in the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse’s Research Grant Program. This year, ATSA will provide funding for grants designated as student research. The total amount of grant monies available is $15,000. Applications requesting any amount up to this limit will be considered. More than one application can be funded until the full $15,000 has been awarded.

The Grant Program has been established to fulfill the organization’s commitment to promoting research on the causes and treatment of sexual offending. The Pre-doctoral Research Grant also fulfills ATSA’s commitment to encouraging and the training of new investigators. ATSA believes that original research is vital to the continued growth and advancement of the field and is eager to provide new investigators with the resources to undertake promising research projects. The ATSA research program encourages and supports all research on sexual aggression including research on the assessment, management, and treatment of identified sexual offenders, on the assessment of risk for re-offending, and on the treatment of the victims of sexual abuse. During the current granting cycle, however, ATSA is especially interested in research proposals that target the causes of sexually abusive behavior, the identification of characteristics that predispose individuals to perpetrate such abuse, and the investigation of the optimal intervention methods for preventing the occurrence of sexual abuse.

The funding is intended to support research costs other than the student’s own time. For example, the costs could include travel to meet participants, advertisements, participant fees, and payments to others for help with the research project (e.g., data entry). Direct payment to the grant recipient, including “buy-out” of academic duties, is not an allowable expense.

Grant applications must be received by June 30, 2024.  E-mail awards@atsa.com with the subject line “Pre-Doctoral Research Grant” a cover letter containing a physical address, e-mail address, and telephone number where you can be reached through the end of July.

• Attach the completed application and all required supplemental material indicated by the application for submission.
• Application and cover letter must be sent electronically.
• All forms should be submitted in a single word document (DO NOT submit multiple attachments).
• The submission must reflect the submitter's identification in the document name (e.g. “jane smith atsa grant submission.doc”).
• The grant application listed below completely filled out.
• All submissions should be reviewed by thesis or dissertation advisor(s) (or another mentor with grant experience) prior to being submitted.

Award

• Up to $15,000 as determined by Committee, processed through official funding of the applicant’s university.
• Free conference registration.
• PreDoctoralGrantApplication_2024

Presented at Annual Membership Meeting Virtually

Volunteer of the Year Award

The ATSA Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes individual members for the contributions they've made to the benefit and overall goals of ATSA through volunteering their time and resources.

Eligibility

A nominee must be an active member of ATSA, not a current member of the association’s Board of Directors and not a recipient of this award in the past 10 years.

Nomination Criteria

The Nominee shall have exhibited extraordinary voluntary service and commitment to the mission of ATSA. The individual shall have a demonstrated record of service evidenced by a meaningful commitment of effort and time. Nominations can be made by sending a letter of support to awards@atsa.com with the subject line “Volunteer of the Year” detailing the nominee’s commitment to the following criteria:

• Actively participated in the activities of ATSA at the national level in the past year.  Additional consideration will be given for members who substantially supported their local chapter.
• Supports and upholds the aims and goals of ATSA.
• Makes an outstanding contribution to the Association through volunteer service.
• Demonstrates exceptional commitment, service, creativity, and cooperation.
• Inspires others to engage in volunteer activities.

The submission must be received by June 30, 2024.

One award will be granted annually.  Award recipients will receive the following:

• Plaque/trophy
• Recognition in the virtual Annual Membership Meeting held in the fall of each year virtually.
• ATSA Press Release highlighting the award recipient and their achievements.

Decision And Presentation

ATSA staff will review applications and make a final recommendation to the ATSA Board of Directors who vote on the presentation of the Award to the most appropriate and deserving nominee.

Presented at Annual Membership Meeting Virtually

President’s Award

Annually, the President of the Board of Directors, in discussion with the Board of Directors will have the ability to offer one award to an ATSA member who has made a significant contribution to the field.  This award shall be open to all disciplines and areas of the field of sexual abuse.

Eligibility

A nominee must be an active member of ATSA, not a current member of the association’s Board of Directors and not a recipient of this award in the past 10 years.

Areas of work that may be recognized include, but are not limited to:

• Demonstrated excellent and innovative clinical skills that have engaged clients in the process of change and advanced the state of sex offender treatment; or
• Made outstanding contributions in serving the community through dedicating their time, energy, knowledge, and skills to support/facilitate community safety and abuse prevention; or
• Through the press, television or film has advanced the public understanding of relevant issues regarding sexual abuse and offending, as well as the role of effective treatment in risk management; or
• Promoted advances in the effective management of sex offenders through other avenues, disciplines, etc.

Nominations may be made by submitting a letter highlighting the nominee’s contributions via e-mail at awards@atsa.com with the subject line, “President’s Award.”

The submission must be received by June 30, 2024.

One award may be granted annually.  Award recipients will receive the following:

• Plaque/trophy
• Recognition in the virtual Annual Membership Meeting held in the fall of each year virtually.
• ATSA Press Release highlighting the award recipient and their achievements.