IPPA Award Winners 2013

Christopher Peterson Gold Medal

The Christopher Peterson Gold Medal honors an IPPA member who exemplifies the best of positive psychology at the personal, professional, and academic levels. This award is named after Christopher Peterson, a beloved IPPA Fellow, professor, scholar and pioneer in the field of positive psychology. Peterson’s many scholarly contributions include his work on the character strengths and values classification and assessment with Martin Seligman. On a personal level, Peterson was known for his sincerity, humility, integrity, sense of humor and generosity.

Barbara L. Fredrickson
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Barbara L. Fredrickson, Ph.D. is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina.
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Barbara L. Fredrickson, Ph.D. is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina. She is a leading scholar studying positive emotions and their role in the promotion of individual and collective well-being. Her work is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Dr. Fredrickson has provided key contributions to the advancement of knowledge in positive psychology, through peer-reviewed articles published in prestigious journals book chapters, and books including Positivity and Love 2.0. Dr. Fredrickson’s work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the American Psychological Association’s Templeton Prize in Positive Psychology and the Society of Experimental Psychology’s Career Trajectory Award.

Dissertation Award

This award is conferred on the author of a recent Ph.D. dissertation that advances the science or application of positive psychology. Many of the applications received this year were characterized by impressively high levels of originality and methodological complexity: a very promising perspective for the future of positive psychology.

Claudia Harzer
TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY DARMSTADT, UNIVERSITY OF GREIFSWALD, GERMANY

Dr Claudia Harzer is Visiting Professor for Positive Psychology at the Technical University Darmstadt, Germany, and Visiting Professor for Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment at the University of Greifswald, Germany.
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Dr Claudia Harzer is Visiting Professor for Positive Psychology at the Technical University Darmstadt, Germany, and Visiting Professor for Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment at the University of Greifswald, Germany. Dr Harzer received her master’s degree in psychology from the University Bielefeld, Germany, and her PhD in psychology from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Since 2012 she worked as visiting professor at several universities in Germany and taught courses on positive psychology, health promotion, psychological assessment, and test development. Her research is mainly focused on the role of character strengths and strengths-related person-job fit for various indicators of optimal functioning at work (e.g., well-being, performance). In 2013, she has been awarded the Dissertation Award by the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). She actively contributes to the dissemination of positive psychology by (a) publishing in scientific journals (e.g., Frontiers in Psychology, Journal of Happiness Studies, Journal of Positive Psychology, Human Performance), (b) delivering talks at academic conferences, different universities, and companies, (c) teaching courses on positive psychology and supervising theses of bachelor, master, and doctoral students with topics linked to positive psychology, and (d) disseminating her findings to the broader public via press releases and interviews in public media.

Dissertation Award Honorable Mention

This award is conferred on the author of a recent Ph.D. dissertation that advances the science or application of positive psychology. Many of the applications received this year were characterized by impressively high levels of originality and methodological complexity: a very promising perspective for the future of positive psychology.

Dana Arakawa
University of Hawaii at Manoa

Dr. Dana Arakawa is an organizational psychologist who takes a research-guided approach to creating organizational resilience.
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Dr. Dana Arakawa is an organizational psychologist who takes a research-guided approach to creating organizational resilience.

She has worked with Federal and State government agencies, technology startups, private industry and small businesses to create meaningful change.

Dana began consulting in 2013, after completing a postdoctorate fellowship with the VA National Center for Organization Development. This role was her introduction to offering assessment, facilitation, training, and coaching throughout the VA’s nationwide system of hospitals and program offices.

Her consultation skills have been most developed and tested as a teacher, having taught online and in-person at the University of Hawai‘i since 2011.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Dana has a PhD in psychology from the University of Hawai’i, a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University

When she’s not consulting or teaching, she loves practicing Ashtanga yoga, swimming, and meditation.

Dissertation Award Honorable Mention

This award is conferred on the author of a recent Ph.D. dissertation that advances the science or application of positive psychology. Many of the applications received this year were characterized by impressively high levels of originality and methodological complexity: a very promising perspective for the future of positive psychology.

Rhea Owens
University of Minnesota Duluth

Rhea L. Owens, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota Duluth and a Licensed Psychologist in Wisconsin.
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Rhea L. Owens, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota Duluth and a Licensed Psychologist in Wisconsin. She graduated from the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Kansas. Dr. Owens completed her pre-doctoral internship in child clinical psychology at Children’s Mercy Hospitals & Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri and a postdoctoral experience in neuropsychological assessment and child and adolescent therapy at the Achieve Center in Wausau, Wisconsin. Her research interests include: (a) the assessment, development, and use of strengths; (b) the clinical application of positive psychology, with the goal of promoting the best within people and enhancing their well-being, as well as simultaneously addressing barriers and challenges; and (c) the mental health and well-being of underrepresented, under-served, and economically disadvantaged children and youth. She is currently an Editorial Board member for the Journal of Counseling Psychology, The Counseling Psychologist, and the Journal of Positive Psychology Wellbeing. She is also the President of the Positive Clinical Psychology Division of the International Positive Psychology Association and the Chair of the Section on Positive Psychology of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Owens received the Shane J. Lopez Award for Professional Contributions in Positive Psychology and the Student Award for Distinguished Contributions in Positive Psychology from the Section on Positive Psychology, as well as the International Positive Psychology Association Honorable Mention Dissertation Award.

In her spare time, Dr. Owens enjoys running, hiking, going to concerts, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her partner, family, friends, and two dogs.

Dissertation Award Honorable Mention

This award is conferred on the author of a recent Ph.D. dissertation that advances the science or application of positive psychology. Many of the applications received this year were characterized by impressively high levels of originality and methodological complexity: a very promising perspective for the future of positive psychology.

Marco Weber
University of Greifswald, Germany

Dr. Marco Weber received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Zurich (Switzerland).
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Dr. Marco Weber received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Zurich (Switzerland). His research focuses on the relations between and the assessment of determinants and indicators of individuals’ well-being and mental health broadly construed across the life span in different nations with a current focus on children and adolescents. From 2013 to 2014 he held an 18-months post-doctoral fellowship for prospective researchers (awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation; SNSF) for a research stay at the University of South Carolina, USA. In 2013, Dr. Weber has been awarded an “Honorable Mention Award in Recognition of an Outstanding Contribution to Positive Psychology Research” by the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). He has published peer-reviewed scientific journal articles (e.g., Journal of Adolescence, Journal of Happiness Studies) and contributed talks at international conferences. Since 2005, he has been teaching and research associate as well as visiting/interim professor at several universities (e.g., University of Zurich, Switzerland; University of Kassel, Germany). Currently, he is visiting professor at the Technical University of (TU) Darmstadt, Germany (teaching courses on positive psychology), and interim professor at the University of Greifswald, Germany (teaching courses on individual differences).