The National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA) awarded its 2018 Distinguished Professional Early Career Award to Alison Cerezo of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School. Cerezo will be given the honor at the Noche de Gala: Awards, Dinner, and Dance on Saturday, October 20 at the NLPA Conference in San Diego, California.
The Distinguished Professional Early Career Award, which is presented every two years, is conferred upon a psychologist whose contributions have advanced an agenda congruent with NLPA’s mission. Early career is defined as 10 years or less since earning a doctoral degree. The NLPA mission is to create a supportive professional community that advances psychological education and training, science, practice, and organizational change to enhance the health, mental health, and well-being of Hispanic/Latina/o populations.
Alison Cerezo is an Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Women & Gender Studies (double majors) from UC Los Angeles; M.A. degree in Psychology, Research Emphasis from CSU Los Angeles; and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oregon. Prior to joining the faculty at UCSB, Dr. Cerezo was an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling, College of Health and Social Sciences, San Francisco State University where she coordinated the College Student Personnel Counseling Specialization (2013-2018) and served as Affiliate Faculty with the Health Equity Institute.
Dr. Cerezo’s primary line of research centers on eliminating health disparities among communities of color and LGBT communities. Her work aims to uncover the nuanced relations between minority stress and health outcomes among LGBT persons of color. Dr. Cerezo also carries out research in higher education to improve educational access and success among low income and students of color. Dr. Cerezo’s scholarly work is rooted in an intersectional and critical race theory perspective - always cognizant of the ways systems of power impact health and educational outcomes and can thus be changed to better serve underserved communities.
Dr. Cerezo currently serves on the Leadership Colectivo of Orgullo (LGBTQ+ SIG of the National Latinx Psychological Association) and Member-at-Large LGBT Slate for Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race) of the American Psychological Association.