Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) psychologist Dr. Regina “Gina” Hechanova-Alampay has been named this year’s recipient of the Global Citizen Psychologist Citation of the American Psychological Association (APA), the first Filipino to receive the award.
Dr. Hechanova-Alampay was recognized by the APA’s Division of International Psychology (Division 52) for her outstanding contributions in the field of psychology to benefit the local and international community.
The Filipina psychologist was cited for her “development of community mental health interventions” and leading drug rehabilitation programs including “Katatagan, Kalusugan ang Damayan ng Komunidad” (Resilience, Health and Care in the community) which is currently being used by local government units and was adopted by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in the Philippines.
As the former president of the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP), Dr. Hechanova-Alampay spearheaded the creation of “Katatagan,” a resilience-based, non-specialized intervention program that can be delivered by paraprofessionals. Last year, she led an effort to bring the program to a digital platform and is now available in both synchronous and asynchronous versions manned by trained volunteers.
“I am grateful to Ateneo because it has provided a lot of support for what we do. The university funded the research and training when we created the Katatagan resilience program for survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013,” Dr. Regina Hechanova-Alampay said in an ADMU press release.
“It also funded the research and development of Katatagan Online in 2020. My colleagues in the Psych department have been developing evidence-based psychological interventions as our contribution to nation-building and being professionals for others. For me, this is a recognition of our work,” Dr. Hechanova-Alampay added.
Dr. Hechanova-Alampay is an active member of the Division of Social Sciences of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP), a full professor in the Department of Psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University, and is currently Chief of Party of the USAID RenewHealth project.
In 2005, Dr. Hechanova-Alampay was named one of the National Academy of Science and Technology’s (NAST) Outstanding Young Scientists and one of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) in 2010. She has a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Central Michigan University and obtained her M.A. in Psychology and B.S. degrees from the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.
The APA Citizen Psychologist initiative recognizes psychologists who are ambassadors for psychological science in their communities, bringing their professional knowledge, experience, and expertise to benefit those around them by volunteering in their community at the local, national or international level.
Another Filipina, Joan Danielle Ongchoco of Yale University, is the first Filipino to be awarded the William James Prize by the Society for Philosophy and Psychology (SPP) in the United States.
Ateneo opened a drive-through and walk-through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing facility on campus to help Filipinos get easier access to coronavirus testing.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to Filipino psychologist Dr. Regina “Gina” Hechanova-Alampay of the Ateneo de Manila University for receiving the 2021 Global Citizen Psychologist Citation of the American Psychological Association (APA).
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