Application
Morgan T. Sammons Doctoral Student Award
$5,000 Stipend—Two Awards Presented Annually

This award, named in honor of the National Register’s CEO from 2014 through 2022, is presented annually to two currently enrolled students in good standing in an APA- or CPA-accredited doctoral program in psychology and members of the National Register Associate Program. The award is designed to advance clinically oriented research projects that optimize the contributions of health service psychologists in the broader healthcare environment and that further the National Register’s goals of increasing psychology’s role in interprofessional health service. The Register will prioritize original research projects that advance our understanding of the effectiveness of psychological interventions and their contribution toward improved patient outcomes.

Applications are due August 1, 2025.

Eligibility:

• Candidates must submit a CV, project proposal, budget and timeline, doctoral program enrollment form, and if the project represents a thesis or dissertation then please submit documentation of IRB approval or endorsement of major professor or dissertation committee chair.
• Candidates must be a member of the National Register Associate Program. To meet this eligibility requirement, you must create an account by requesting an application here (if you have not already done so).
• Candidates must be currently enrolled in good standing at an APA- or CPA-accredited doctoral program in psychology.
• Candidates must be the principal investigator/first author on the project. While collaborators or co-authors are permitted, the project must primarily reflect the applicant’s work and original thinking.

Project Scope:

• The project must be applied clinical research with a focus on improving health service psychology delivery or clinical outcomes. Review or theoretical papers are not eligible.
• The project may be a component of the candidate’s curricular requirements (i.e., a thesis, dissertation, or major research paper). 
• Projects that are currently in process may be submitted for consideration. 
• Submission of a budget and timeline is necessary, but once the award is disbursed there is no ongoing monitoring of the project.

Please upload the following items all in one PDF document in the order listed below. Your application will not be considered complete without each item:

• Your current CV including expected date of graduation.
  
  
• Enrollment confirmation form can be found here. It needs to be completed and signed by your doctoral program supervisor.
  
  
• Research proposal that includes a brief introduction, design and method, proposed outcomes, and description of the project’s pertinence to the delivery of psychological services. No more than six (6) double-spaced pages, please.
  
  
• Budget and timeline, including detailed information about the use of the finances and demonstrating how the budget relates to the proposed project. If applicable, include any other sources of funding (requested or approved) for the project.
  
  
• Endorsement letter(s) from dissertation committee, major professor/advisor, and/or university’s Institutional Review Board indicating that your project proposal has their approval to proceed. Each application should include at least one, but some projects require multiple endorsements.