Professor Tania Israel receives distinguished career award

Honored for her career accomplishments and contributions to her field over 25 years, Professor Tania Israel at the UC Santa Barbara Gevirtz Graduate School of Education has received the 2025 Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest from the American Psychological Association (APA). Israel, part of the Gevirtz School’s Counseling, Clinical, & School Psychology Department, is also associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion. 

A nomination letter submitted to the APA highlights Israel’s application of psychological knowledge and skills “to support sexual and gender minorities through research, community engagement, policy advocacy and mentoring. More recently, her thought leadership and resources have helped countless Americans navigate political conflict.”

Israel’s newest book, “Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation” (Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2024) teaches the art of civil conversations in divisive times. Her previous book, “Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide” (American Psychological Association, 2020), also promotes understanding and strengthen relationships across political differences.”

“I'm so honored to be receiving this award from the APA,” Israel said. “Throughout my career, it's been my mission to reduce psychological and structural barriers that limit people from realizing their individual and collective potential.

“I have sought to equip people with tools to participate fully in their lives, their interpersonal relationships, and the world,” she added. “This aim has driven my research on interventions to support LGBTQ people and scholarship on navigating political division, as well as my mentoring, advocacy, teaching and leadership.”

The APA award recognizes an individual whose single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of outstanding contributions meet one or more of the following criteria: a) courageous and distinctive contribution in the science or practice of psychology that significantly supports efforts toward a solution to one of the world’s intransigent social problems; b) distinctive and innovative contribution that makes the science and/or practice of psychology more accessible to a broad and diverse population, and c) an integration of the science and practice of psychology that serves the public interest and advances social justice and human welfare.