IPPA Award Winners 2025

Dr. Ryff is Principal Investigator of the MIDUS (Midlife in the U.S.) national longitudinal study, which is widely used by researchers around the world.  She also directed MIDJA (Midlife in Japan), for which she received an NIH Merit Award.  A major objective of these studies is biopsychosocial integration – i.e., understanding pathways to health or illness via linkage of sociodemographic factors (age, gender, race, socioeconomic status) with behavioral, psychological, and social factors, including stress exposures and contextual influences.  Her own research focused on a model of psychological well-being she developed decades ago, which has been translated to 40 languages and is used across diverse scientific fields.  More than 1,900 publications have been generated using this model of well-being.

Dr. Ryff has studied how psychological well-being varies by age, educational status and cultural context as well as by the challenges and transitions of adult life. Whether well-being is protective of good physical health is a major interest, with numerous findings linking different aspects of well-being to morbidity and mortality, diverse biomarkers (neuroendocrine, immune, cardiovascular) and neural circuitry.  A guiding theme is resilience – how some are able to maintain, or regain, well-being in the face of adversity and what neurobiology underlies this capacity. Increasingly, she is interested in how major historical events, such as the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, are undermining the well-being and health of socioeconomically disadvantaged segments of society.  Of major concern are recent findings from MIDUS documenting persistent disadvantage (over 20 years) in well-being among those lacking opportunities for higher education.  Widening inequality and its impact on health and well-being is a contemporary imperative for science and practice.

Andrew Soren is the Founder and CEO of Eudaimonic by Design, a global network of facilitators, coaches and advisors who share a passion for well-being and believe organizations must be designed to enable it. Together they harness the best of scholarship and years of experience to advise organizations and design systems that unlock potential and bring out the best in people.

Since 2013, he has been faculty with the University of Pennsylvania’s internationally renowned Masters  of Applied Positive Psychology program. He is also the past president of the program’s Alumni Association.

Andrew is an ICF certified coach through the Co-Active Training Institute. He splits his time between Toronto, Canada and Montevideo, Uruguay.

He holds a Ph.D. in psychology, MFA in writing, and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a Review Editor for Frontiers in Psychology special section Positive Psychology, Dr. Tomasulo was also recently honored by Teachers College, Columbia University with their 2021 Teaching Award.

Sharecare honors Dr. Tomasulo as one of the top ten online influencers on the issue of depression. His award-winning memoir, American Snake Pit (2018) tells of the first experimental group home releasing inmates from America’s most notorious asylum, Willowbrook. His most recent book, Learned Hopefulness, The Power of Positivity To Overcome Depression, is hailed as: “…the perfect recipe for fulfillment, joy, peace, and expansion of awareness.” by Deepak Chopra, MD: Author of Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential. Martin Seligman, Ph.D., author of Flourish, adds: “This is the best go-to book on how to use hope to relieve your depression.”

In her evidence-based consulting work, she helps mission-driven organizations and programs use science, research, and data to measure and maximize their social impact. Dr. Cabrera is passionate about helping others flourish and reach their full potential, especially those from marginalized groups, and specializes in well-being, professional development, workforce development, DEI, and positive psychology interventions and programs.

Dr. Cabrera has over 20 years of experience working to create positive social impact across the nonprofit, education, public, and business sectors in the United States, the Philippines, and internationally. As a scholar-practitioner, she also conducts academic research, publishes, and presents at conferences. Her research has appeared in The Journal of Positive Psychology and the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology. She holds a PhD in Positive Organizational Psychology and Evaluation & Applied Research Methods from Claremont Graduate University and an MPA in Public & Nonprofit Management & Policy from New York University.

With over twenty years of experience in translational wellbeing science, she has designed and implemented evidence‑based programmes and interventions across corporate and community contexts. Her doctoral research led to the development of the Model of Elemental Wellbeing—a holistic, lived-experience-informed framework that identifies the core elements that constitute wellbeing and the golden threads that thwart or and support it. The model bridges scientific theory with everyday realities,  offering a culturally grounded alternative to traditional wellbeing approaches.

Annalise serves as President of the New Zealand Association of Positive Psychology, and she is co‑author of the Ethical Guidelines for Positive Psychology Practice, available in twelve languages. Annalise has published peer‑reviewed articles, contributed book chapters, and presented at major global conferences. As both a researcher and practitioner, Annalise champions inclusive approaches to wellbeing science and calls for research that better reflects the diversity of lived experience.

She was previously the inaugural Research Scientist at the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard University, US, where she led initiatives in well-being measurement and contributed to research considering psychological well-being as a predictor of healthy aging and longevity. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Laval University, Canada, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in social epidemiology at Harvard.

Her current research explores whether individuals’ approaches to coping with stress and regulating emotions—two key mechanisms of resilience—predict the onset of chronic diseases and influence relevant behavioral and biological processes over time. She also investigates how coping and emotion regulation are distributed across various individual and contextual characteristics (e.g., gender, education, perceived social status) to inform targeted prevention strategies for diverse populations. She currently holds the UQTR Research Chair in Social Disparities, Coping, and Health, and was selected as a 2021-2022 Michigan Integrative Well-Being & Inequality scholar.

She received her doctorate in social and personality psychology from the University of California, Riverside and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary Washington.

Dr. Nelson-Coffey’s research bridges developmental, social, and positive psychology to investigate the correlates, causes, and consequences of parents’ well-being. She investigates these questions with a variety of methods, including randomized controlled interventions, longitudinal studies, daily experience studies, and cross-sectional surveys of nationally representative samples. In 2021, Dr. Nelson-Coffey was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science for her research on these topics. Dr. Nelson-Coffey’s research has been published in Psychological Bulletin, Psychological Science, Emotion, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Psychoneuroendocrinology, and other journals and featured in numerous media outlets, including The Washngton Post, The Chicago Tribune, National Geographic, The Atlantic, and other outlets.

Dr. Philip Streit is a trained clinical and health psychologist, NLP Master Practitioner, Psychotherapist, Supervisor, and Social and Life Coach. He is Head of the Institute and the Academy for Child, Youth and Family (IKJF) e.U. in Graz, Austria, Director of the Institute for Positive Psychology and Mental Coaching, Coordinator for Seligman Europe, and a current member of the IPPA Board of Directors. Dr. Streit has been working actively in the field of positive psychology since 2009, specializing in psychological interventions for counseling, coaching and therapy.

As part of the positive psychological platform, Seligman Europe, Dr. Streit organized symposia, lectures, and seminars on positive psychology.  In 2011, he developed training for Applied Positive Psychology in German-speaking countries in collaboration with Prof. Martin Seligman and the University of Pennsylvania (USA)

That same year he founded the Institute for Positive Psychology and Mental Coaching in Graz, where he regularly conducts workshops and holds regular seminars entitled:  “Positive Psychology – practice-oriented concepts and interventions for school psychologists and school psychologists “and “Applied Positive Psychology – Positive Leadership.”

His current research includes a project of the Institute for Positive Psychology and Mental Coaching in cooperation with the Department of geriatric psychiatry at the Landesnervenklinik Sigmund Freud in Graz about wellbeing “A positive psychological intervention program for depressed people over 65 years.” He has also recently embarked on a project to develop the German version of Positive Psychotherapy Inventory (Rashid, 2013) and the PERMA profiler (Kern, 2012).

Dr. Craven specializes in using brain-gut behavior therapies to improve gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, well-being and resilience in patients. She approaches patient care with her patients’ individual strengths and culturally valued practices in mind. Dr. Craven’s research interests include the use of mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), hypnotherapy, and positive psychology to improve digestive health.

During her degree, she completed a few positive psychology related projects. She collaborated with local lead geriatric psychiatrists on the “Fountain of Health” initiative for seniors’ positive mental health. She conducted a study on the well-being of rural physicians and the findings were presented at the 4th World Congress on Positive Psychology. She carried out a project on workplace wellness for healthcare professionals, which was presented at the 5th World Congress. She’s passionate about promoting optimal health and currently works in natural health with essential oils (airanyuan.com). One of her biggest accomplishments in life is to have helped a close family member overcome Depression. She now volunteers in the Clinical Division as the communications lead.

She currently works as a Wellbeing Counselor at Minxin Hong Kong School (Guangzhou Nansha) in China. She aims to be a psychologist and educator to fulfill her life calling—to help people know themselves better, discover their life purpose, and actualize their potential. She supports people in overcoming inevitable challenges in life, to grow from hardships, and to live a fulfilling and meaningful life despite setbacks and suffering. She enjoys being close to nature, cycling, walking, writing, reading, and music.

In 2000, Helene moved to Germany where she began working with the research team at the University of Heidelberg – German Center for Aging.  Eventually Helene became a part of the clinical team at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University – Institute for Psychology – Verhaltenstherapie-Ambulanz in Frankfurt.  Shortly after returning to the US in 2005, Helene accepted a position at Northwestern Memorial Hospital – Osher Center for Integrative Health – where she maintains a clinical practice.  Helene is also on the medical staff at Northwestern’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and she is an assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.  After completing a Master’s Degree in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in 2011, positive psychology has been Helene’s primary focus.  Helene has been running positive psychotherapy groups, conducting positive psychotherapy workshops for psychology interns and medical students, and in 2016, she began teaching Northwestern University’s first graduate course in positive psychology.  Most recently, Helene was an Instructor for Dr. Seligman’s Science of Well-Being Course at the University of Pennsylvania.

She is a psychologist with over a decade of experience in Positive Education and Applied Positive Psychology. She received formal training in well-being science during her time in Australia, where she also earned a Master’s in Education focused on learning and human development. Inspired by this experience, she returned to Chile to promote Positive Psychology and support schools and the university in implementing evidence-based well-being practices. At Adolfo Ibáñez University, she leads a MAPP program and teaches undergraduate courses on well-being, the psychology of meaning, and well-being and human development. Through these courses, she ensures that future psychologists are trained in well-being science, socioemotional learning, and character development. She has trained professionals across the region, developed culturally responsive academic programs, and supported the integration of Positive Psychology into higher education and professional practice.

Beyond academia, Paulina designs and leads large-scale Positive Education initiatives in collaboration with schools, public institutions, and municipalities. She led a well-being program across a corporation of public schools in Chile focused on socioemotional development and teacher well-being. This work has resulted in the creation of practical handbooks and professional development resources for educators. Paulina actively contributes to international networks and has presented her work at global conferences on Positive Psychology and Education. Her mission is to make well-being science accessible, applicable, and meaningful across diverse Latin American contexts. Her work bridges research, teaching, and real-world application.

He is currently Deputy Dean and Professor of Wellbeing Science at the Faculty of Education, at The University of Melbourn, Australa). He was a coordinating lead author with a UNESCO assignment examining the relationship between education and human flourishing. In 2013 he was awarded an Australian Government citation for outstanding contribution to student learning. As a sought-after speaker, known to provoke thought, he has given keynote or invited presentations in 18 countries

With over 175 refereed journal articles and book chapters related to wellbeing, recovery and coaching and seven books with esteemed publishers including Cambridge University Press, Wiley-Blackwell, Routledge and SAGE, he is a scientific reviewer for the Australian Research Council. Lindsay has consulted to multiple organisations including the NSW Department of Education, NSW Mental Health Commission, Beyond Blue and the Australian Mental Health Commission. He was previously a non-Executive Director of the Positive Education Schools Association and a long-term managing Director of Life Sculpture Pty Ltd. Lindsay’s multidisciplinary background spanning clinical, coaching and positive psychology, philosophy of science and ethics, business and public policy provide insights into the multidisciplinary area of wellbeing. He was previously the Director of the Centre for Wellbeing Science/Centre for Positive Psychology, a co-editor for the International Journal of Wellbeing, a scientific panel member at the Institute of Coaching (Harvard University) and a was visiting researcher at Kings College London. He was previously a Director of the Positive Education Schools Association. Lindsay’s current work involves wellbeing literacy- (how we communicate about and for wellbeing) part of his new theory Thriveability Theory.

and Director of the Human Flourishing Program and Co-Director of the Initiative on Health, Spirituality, and Religion at Harvard University. He holds degrees from the University of Oxford, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University in mathematics, philosophy, theology, finance, and biostatistics. His methodological research is focused on theory and methods for distinguishing between association and causation in the biomedical and social sciences and, more recently, on psychosocial measurement theory. His empirical research spans psychiatric and social epidemiology; the science of happiness and flourishing; and the study of religion and health. He is the recipient of the 2017 Presidents’ Award from the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS). Dr. VanderWeele has published over 500 papers in peer-reviewed journals; is author of the books Explanation in Causal Inference (2015), Modern Epidemiology (2021), Measuring Well-Being (2021), Handbook of Religion and Health (2023), and A Theology of Health (2024); and writes a monthly blog posting on topics related to human flourishing for Psychology Today.

He has published ten books and numerous professional articles on trauma, bereavement, and on posttraumatic growth, a term he coined and introduced to the psychological literature while at UNC Charlotte.

Dr. Tedeschi has maintained a psychotherapy practice for over 40 years. He serves as a consultant to the American Psychological Association on trauma and resilience, and is a Fellow of the Division of Trauma Psychology and the Division of Psychotherapy. He is also a member of the Division of Military Psychology and the Division of Independent Practice.  He is a Past President of the North Carolina Psychological Association.

She works in the field of education research and evaluation, focusing primarily on issues related to the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and students. Her growing publication record explores topics such as wellbeing literacy, wellbeing and positive education in initial teacher education, and the interplay between teacher dispositions, wellbeing, and readiness to support student mental health and wellbeing. Laura’s teaching experience in tertiary education spans the fields of evaluation, health and learning, and research methods.

As founding Chair of the Graduate Researcher Community (GRC) Executive Committee at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Education, Laura contributed to fostering a thriving community and wellbeing among graduate research students. Her leadership in this role has resulted in the implementation of numerous initiatives, including regular social events, collaborative panel sessions, and the faculty’s inaugural Graduate Research Showcase. Laura holds a Master of Science in Behavioural and Social Sciences from Brown University, graduate qualifications in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from the University of Melbourne. In her PhD research, she is investigating the influence of dispositional factors on teachers’ readiness to support student mental health and wellbeing.

She holds a PhD and an MA in Personality and Social Psychology from the University of California, Davis, and a BA in Psychology from Grove City College. Schnitker studies virtue and character development in adolescents and emerging adults, with a focus on the role of spirituality and religion in virtue formation. She specializes in the study of patience, self-control, gratitude, generosity, and thrift. Schnitker has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and edited chapters, and she has procured more than $16 million in funding as a principal investigator on multiple research grants. Schnitker is an Associate Editor for Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, an Editorial Board member for Journal of Research in Personality, and a co-editor of the Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality. She is an American Psychological Association Fellow and winner of the International Positive Psychology Association Spirituality and Meaning Division Researcher Award. She is a dedicated mentor, having served as dissertation advisor for more than 20 doctoral students, whom she helps to cultivate intellectual virtues alongside scientific competencies. She is the recipient of the Virginia Sexton American Psychological Association’s Division 36 Mentoring Award and Student International Positive Psychology Association Mentor Award. More information can be found at

https://sites.baylor.edu/science-of-virtues/

She teaches, researches, and conducts outreach on cognitive fitness, resilience, mindfulness, executive wellness, and leader development. To provide education and resources for utilizing mindfulness as a tool for cognitive fitness, resilience, and performance optimization within the Department of the Navy, she founded and directs the Cognitive Fitness and Mindful Resilience Initiative at the NWC. Outside the classroom, she is the play-by-play announcer for the annual Cardine’s Classic (NWC Army-Navy Baseball Game) and NWC Army-Navy Flag Football Game.

Leigh Ann serves as the RI State Director for the Veterans Yoga Project and is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) and International Coaching Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach (ACC). She also volunteers as a mentor for both the American Psychological Association’s Society for Military Psychology and Fordham University’s Mentoring Program.

Prior to joining the NWC and focusing her work on positive psychology and leader development, she worked for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and Facebook’s Global Security team focusing on the analysis of violent criminals, terrorists, and dangerous organizations. She continues her work in the field of criminal psychology as an Adjunct Professor at Salve Regina University in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department.

Leigh Ann holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in clinical and community psychology and a B.S. in psychology and sociology from Fordham University. She also studied psychology and sociology at Oxford University.

Dr. Darren Coppin, FIEP, MBA, is a Behavioural Scientist grounded in positive psychology, who delivers government policy outcomes through innovative, human-centric interventions.

He has grown and sold two human services businesses that have done well by doing good. Today, he only works on not-for-profit, private equity and government projects.

Darren’s specialism is pragmatically driving hard, sustainable outcomes from what some Ministers might perceive as soft or ‘fluffy’. He builds citizens’ psychological capital through positive psychology and behavioural science. His obsession is finding simplicity in complex issues and ‘pivot points’ to leverage big gains from small changes.

Darren has delivered well over 50 speeches and keynotes on human behaviour, resilience, positive psychology at scale, engagement and government outcomes across four continents.

Her work reimagines financial decision making and climate transition through the lens of optimism, agency, and flourishing.

Dr. Kent’s research has been published in leading journals including Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio) and Management Science and has shaped institutional practice among major financial institutions. Her studies demonstrate how positive framing, optimism, and personal agency can drive responsible investment, productivity, and national innovation.

An expert in behavioural finance and economics, Dr Kent brings a deep understanding of the psychological drivers behind financial and economic behaviour. She has served as a behavioural economics advisor to The World Bank and the NSW Government, designing interventions that foster resilience and enhance decision-making under uncertainty. Her academic background spans finance, neuroscience, and molecular biology, equipping her with a uniquely interdisciplinary approach to complex challenges.

Dr. Kent is passionate about embedding evidence-based positive psychology practices into business and finance education. Through her university teaching on financial wellbeing and her Sydney Executive Plus Masterclass, The Return of Investment of Happiness, she empowers leaders to build organisations where wellbeing, sustainability, and innovation thrive.

Her work bridges research and practice, focusing on AI-powered Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) that enhance workplace well-being through responsiveness, self-efficacy, and autonomy. She is the co-author of two applied Positive Psychology playbooks and serves as Lab Manager at the Leader and Organization Vitality Lab.

Originally from Russia, Tatiana pioneered the country’s first “Positive Classroom” initiative and led large-scale educational and organizational well-being programs across Europe and the U.S. She continues to consult, teach, and design scalable, evidence-based interventions that advance human flourishing in diverse contexts.

Holding dual master’s degrees in Applied Positive Psychology and Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania, Lixian focuses on interdisciplinary research at the nexus of coaching, positive psychology, and large language models (LLMs), aiming to enhance individual flourishing and workplace well-being.

Lixian’s pioneering research on AI-driven coaching has been published in leading journals such as The Journal of Positive Psychology and The International Coaching Psychology Review, and presented at prominent conferences including the IPPA Congress 2025 and Penn Grad Talk 2024. She also serves as a peer reviewer for the 2025 Columbia Coaching Conference. Beyond academia, Lixian leads scalable interventions that bridge science and practice. As the founder of a mindfulness app serving over 60,000 users and a social media educator reaching more than 100,000 followers, she brings psychological science to everyday life. She currently serves as Co-Leader of IPPA’s Asia-Pacific Community of Practice and an Executive Coach at BetterUp, supporting diverse leaders, researchers, and organizations. Through her work, Lixian embodies IPPA’s mission to promote human flourishing and equitable access to evidence-based well-being practices around the world.