Excellence in Advocacy Award
Awarded to an individual who has exhibited dedication and excellence in advocacy for neuropsychology as a science and practice. The recipient of this award has engaged with decision-makers and other stakeholders outside of neuropsychology to promote brain science and inspire change, beneficially raising the public awareness of the practice of neuropsychology.
2023 Recipients | Bill Pascrell, Jr. & Antonio E. Puente, Ph.D.
Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. has built a life of public service around the principles he learned while growing up on the south side of Paterson, New Jersey. The first member of his family to graduate high school, Congressman Pascrell went on to receive dual degrees from Fordham University, serve in the United States Army, and become a teacher and adjunct professor. He served as a State Assemblyman and Mayor of Paterson before his election to the United States Congress in 1996. In the Congress, Congressman Pascrell has prioritized funding public safety, supporting educators, protecting our environment, and making our tax system fairer. He now serves as the Ranking Member on the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee, where he works tirelessly to improve our tax system for working families. A proud son and lifetime resident of Paterson, Congressman Pascrell continues to fight every day for his North Jersey neighbors.
Antonio E. Puente, PhD, was born in La Habana, Cuba and emigrated to the US in 1960. Puente received his PhD from the University of Georgia. He has taught at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) since 1981 and prior to that at St. George’s University School of Medicine. His primary teaching activities include Brain and Behavior, Clinical Neuropsychology, and History of Psychology. Puente is founding director of UNCW’s Centro Hispano, and his research focuses on the interface between culture and neuropsychology. Puente founded and edited the journals Neuropsychology Review and Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice as well as a neuropsychology book series. He has published 10 books, 93 chapters, and 123 scientific articles in several languages. Puente is a Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, maintains a private practice in clinical neuropsychology, and is the founder (2002) and co-director of mental health services at the Cape Fear Clinic, a bilingual multi-disciplinary health center serving the indigent. He served as APA’s advisor for 15 years to the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) prior to serving for an additional 8 years as one of 17 members of the AMA CPT Panel. Puente served as president of the NC Psychological Association, NC Psychological Foundation, the Hispanic Neuropsychological Association, National Academy of Neuropsychology, Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (Division 40 of APA), and Society for Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology (Division 6 of APA), as well as President of the American Psychological Association.