2026 APS Teaching Fund Supports Multicultural Education and Career Pathways
Pankhuri Aggarwal • Zahra Fazli Khalaf • Shu Jiang • Janelle Kohler
Four psychology professors will receive funds to support new projects in early 2026. Projects will connect students with global research, help carve out career pathways, and provide networking opportunities.
The APS Fund for Teaching and Public Understanding of Psychological Science was established with the support of the David and Carol Myers Foundation to enhance the teaching and public understanding of psychological science for students and the public in the United States, Canada, and worldwide.
The fund enables APS to offer grants that advance the teaching and public understanding of psychological science and supports the APS David Myers Distinguished Lecture on the Science and Craft of Teaching Psychological Science presented at each APS Annual Convention.
The fund is currently accepting applications for new projects. Applications are due March 1 and October 1 each year. For more information, visit the webpage.
The latest funded projects are described below.
Pankhuri Aggarwal
University of Cincinnati
Project Title: Navigating Multicultural Education in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programs: Insights from the Global North
Grant Amount: $5,000
Project Description: Although exploratory qualitative studies have examined the teaching of multicultural psychology in counseling courses (e.g., Ahluwalia et al., 2019), none have focused specifically on the experiences of faculty of color in clinical psychology. Existing research has also relied on limited methodologies, often excluding mixed-method or multi-method approaches that integrate analyses of surveys, interviews, and syllabi. This gap is particularly noteworthy given that multicultural psychology is frequently taught by faculty of color (Ahluwalia et al., 2019), and that teaching experiences differ significantly between white faculty and faculty of color (Knight, 2010; Sue et al., 2011). Moreover, despite recent advancements, clinical psychology continues to demonstrate slower progress in advancing diversity-related initiatives compared with other disciplines (Stewart et al., 2017; Turpin & Coleman, 2010). Importantly, scholars emphasize the need to represent marginalized psychologists and integrate diversity science into coursework so that multicultural psychology is viewed as central to the discipline rather than as a peripheral add-on (Fish, 2023).
The proposed study addresses these gaps through three interrelated objectives:
1. Describe the core components of graduate courses on multicultural theories and clinical practice in clinical psychology across selected Global North contexts (the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Europe).
2. Identify the challenges associated with teaching these courses, with particular attention to the perspectives and experiences of faculty of color.
3. Develop practical resources, including best practice guidelines, podcasts, webinars, and a syllabus repository for instructors of multicultural graduate courses in clinical psychology.
Data collection will involve online surveys (N = 300), virtual interviews with faculty (N = 30), and a systematic review of multicultural psychology syllabi. Collectively, these findings will advance teaching practices in multicultural clinical training and contribute to broader efforts to diversify the field of clinical psychology.
Zahra Fazli Khalaf
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Project Title: Bridging Worlds: Advancing Culturally Sensitive Graduate Training in Psychological Science in Central Asia–Tajikistan
Grant Amount: $5,000
Project Description: This project addresses critical gaps in mental health education and training in Tajikistan, a low-income Central Asian country that continues to face significant healthcare challenges following its separation from the Soviet Union. Mental health systems in the region remain underresourced and heavily biomedical, with limited integration of psychological science into education and practice. As a result, future psychologists and frontline health professionals—including those training in medical and health sciences—often encounter depression, trauma, postpartum mental health concerns, domestic violence, and suicide risk without adequate preparation grounded in culturally sensitive and evidence-based psychological approaches.
In collaboration with Avicenna Tajik State Medical University (ATSMU), this project develops and implements a 12-week bilingual (English and Tajik/Persian) certificate program in psychological science. The program combines in-person instruction, remote mentorship, and supervised practice to equip graduate students and faculty with trauma-informed, culturally responsive skills that can be applied in academic, clinical, and community contexts. Curriculum content emphasizes culturally grounded communication, resilience, and psychological assessment and is presented via evidence-based teaching strategies such as case-based learning, role plays, and reflective practice.
Beyond professional development for participating students, the initiative prioritizes long-term sustainability by training local faculty and integrating materials into ATSMU’s existing curriculum. The project also generates evaluation data to inform future curriculum development, including the potential establishment of a master’s-level psychology program in Tajikistan. By embedding psychological science into graduate education, this work advances global teaching innovation while supporting more humane, culturally responsive approaches to mental health in underresourced post-Soviet contexts.
Shu Jiang
St. Lawrence University
Project Title: Psychology Unbound
Grant Amount: $5,000
Project Description: “Psychology Unbound” is an innovative educational project designed to address critical gaps in undergraduate psychology education, where many students feel disconnected from course material and lack exposure to diverse role models and career pathways. Traditional curricula often present a limited view of the field, missing the rich diversity of modern practitioners and overlooking the vast array of nonacademic careers available to psychology graduates worldwide. To remedy this, the project will create a permanent, open-access digital library of professionally produced video interviews with contemporary psychologists from diverse cultural backgrounds, subfields, and career sectors (academic and applied).
By centering on the personal and professional narratives of these individuals, the series moves beyond static job descriptions to offer relatable, inspiring, and practical insights into the realities of careers in psychology. Every video will be accompanied by educational resources, including discussion guides, transcripts, and subtitles, to facilitate integration into curricula globally. The project’s innovation lies in its unique fusion of global perspectives and storytelling pedagogy, offering a scalable solution to present a more inclusive and accurate representation of modern psychological science.
“Psychology Unbound” will demystify career pathways, bridge mentorship gaps, foster a sense of belonging among underrepresented students, and equip educators with a high-impact tool to connect theoretical learning with real-world application. By delivering accessible, international teaching resources in a modular format, it directly meets the growing need for globalized, equity-oriented psychology education.
Janelle Kohler
University of Texas at San Antonio
Project Title: San Antonio Area Psychology Symposium Support
Grant Amount: $5,000
Project Description: This project establishes an annual, collaborative, multi-institutional symposium focused on psychological research in the San Antonio region. The primary aim is to promote high-quality psychological science and increase student engagement as both participants and consumers of research. The symposium will serve as a training and networking opportunity for students at all levels and will connect prospective students with psychology programs. It will include a structured submission process for presentations, with formats such as posters, data blitz sessions, and, depending on interest, symposia. A dedicated website has been developed to manage submissions and event information, ensuring effective organization and communication, and the organizers are developing a handbook for future organizing committees.
All organizing universities are Hispanic-Serving Institutions, which serve diverse and underrepresented student populations. Each of these programs hosts their own internal research showcases, but those events do not provide opportunities to network across institutions. This symposium will fill that gap by fostering collaboration among universities. The symposium will also include participants from local community colleges and smaller programs that do not have the resources to host psychology research events; thus, this symposium will broaden access for all psychology students in the region.
The event will showcase regional universities and local industries, offering outreach about academic programs and career opportunities for research psychologists. Student psychology clubs and organizations will have the opportunity to network, building stronger connections among students and institutions. The program will also invite high school student clubs (e.g., Psi Alpha), Advanced Placement psychology students, and dual credit students.
By connecting students, faculty, and local industry partners, this symposium will foster a vibrant regional community of psychological science, enhance research opportunities, and support the professional development of the next generation of psychological researchers.
Ahluwalia, M. K., Ayala, S. I., Locke, A. F., & Nadrich, T. (2019). Mitigating the “powder keg”: The experiences of faculty of color teaching multicultural competence. Teaching of Psychology, 46(3), 187–196.
Fish, J. (2023). Interview with a psychologist: Representing marginalized psychologists and diversity science in psychology coursework. Teaching of Psychology, 50(2), 148–155.
Knight, W. B. (2010). Sink or swim: Navigating the perilous waters of promotion and tenure: What’s diversity got to do with it? Studies in Art Education, 52(1), 84–87.
Stewart, C. E., Lee, S. Y., Hogstrom, A., & Williams, M. (2017). Diversify and conquer: A call to promote minority representation in clinical psychology. The Behavior Therapist, 40(3), 74–79.
Sue, D. W., Rivera, D. P., Watkins, N. L., Kim, R. H., Kim, S., & Williams, C. D. (2011). Racial dialogues: Challenges faculty of color face in the classroom. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(3), 331–340.
Turpin, G., & Coleman, G. (2010). Clinical psychology and diversity: Progress and continuing challenges. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 9(2), 17–27.
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