Cindy A. Crusto, PhD, professor of psychiatry (psychology) and associate dean for gender equity at Yale School of Medicine, has been chosen to receive the 2022 Outstanding Contributions for Mentorship in Racial Justice Award from the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA), Division 27 of the American Psychological Association.
The award recognizes an SCRA member who has made exemplary contributions to mentorship of students and others to support and inspire them toward conducting racial justice and transformative work. The award is intended to acknowledge the importance of encouraging racial justice and equity in research, practice, activism, policy, and other multidisciplinary areas within community psychology.
The award will be presented at a ceremony at SCRA’s biennial conference in Atlanta in June.
Crusto is deputy chair for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Yale Department of Psychiatry and associate dean for gender equity and director of the Office for Women in Medicine and Science at Yale School of Medicine.
She is also co-chair of the Yale Department of Psychiatry’s Anti-Racism Task Force which formed in 2020 to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the department.
“I am honored to have been nominated for and to receive this award,” she said. “I am deeply committed to the goals of this award, one of which is to support and promote mentorship of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in ways that is equitable and transformative for individuals, organizations, and institutions. Throughout my career, I have had outstanding mentors and sponsors from all cultural backgrounds, and each has deeply influenced me. I hope I can give back in the ways that so much was given to me.”