Professor Joan Duda wins prestigious NASPSPA Distinguished Scholar Award

Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology Joan Duda is one of two recipients of the Distinguished Scholar Award in 2019.

The Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes long-term contributions in the research areas represented within NASPSPA (The North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity).

A successful candidate must exhibit a level of scholarship that places him/her at or near the top of scholars actively working in his/her research area. There should be evidence that the individual has consistently contributed high quality scholarship to his/her area and that this scholarship has had an impact on the knowledge of the field.

Professor Duda commented:

“I am truly honoured to be named a Distinguished Scholar of NASPSPA and look forward to receiving the award at the 2019 conference in Baltimore with family, friends, previous post-graduate students, and other long-term good colleagues present at the ceremony. Anything we achieve in this life…it does take a ‘village’ of support and collaboration! My first research presentation, as a 1st year PhD student, was at the annual NASPSPA conference many moons ago. So there is a lovely synergy here although this recognition is not marking the end of my career… only a more experienced phase. I still enjoy and look forward to forging on with the research on motivation and motivational environments to promote sustained, optimised and health conducive engagement.

My pasion for this line of enquiry and related impact work I do (e.g., the delivery and dissemination of the evidence-based Empowering Coaching™ training programmes in sport, physical activity promotion, education, the performing arts and other sectors) has never been fuelled by the possibility of receiving awards. But to be recognised this way by your academic peers and find yourself named amongst such a prestigious list of previous recipients… it means a lot. Am truly humbled and have even more energy to keep up the cause.”

NASPSPA is a multi-disciplinary association consisting of scholars from around the world in the psychology of sport and exercise, motor development, and motor learning and control. NASPSPA celebrated its 50^th anniversary in 2017. The prestigious Distinguished Scholar Award is not given every year and the recipients named across the 50+ years are the who’s who of researchers in the three fields.