Dr. Antonio Puente, graduate of the University of Florida (Bachelor’s in Psychology) has been elected the new president of the American Psychological Association. During his time as an undergraduate he worked in the lab of Dr. Donald Dewsbury.
From the APA website: Born in Cuba, I received degrees from the University of Florida (bachelor’s) and the University of Georgia (PhD) with postdoctoral training at Northeast Florida State Hospital. I was a clinical psychologist at a teaching psychiatric hospital and a professor of neuroanatomy at a medical school before becoming professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). I am a visiting professor at the Universidad de Granada (Spain) and UCLA. Since 1982, I’ve maintained a private practice in clinical neuropsychology. In 2002, I founded and now co-direct (with a PharmD) a bilingual mental health clinic for the poor and uninsured in our region.
I have authored or edited eight books, 85 book chapters and 110 journal articles (in English, Spanish and Russian — website). My research focuses on the interface between culture and neuropsychology. I founded and edited Neuropsychology Review, the Journal of Interprofessional Healthcare, and the Journal of Inteprofessional Education & Practice and a book series on clinical neuropsychology. I have lectured in over a dozen countries and supervised fellows or visiting scientists from Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Spain and the United States. I have taught 7,750 undergraduate students, supervised 33 theses and nine postdoctoral fellows.
In terms of leadership, I am a past-president of the North Carolina Psychological Association, the North Carolina Psychological Foundation, the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Div. 40 (Society for Clinical Neuropsychology) and the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society. I served two terms as a Div. 40 Council Representative. Other leadership positions include chair of the Psychology Academy of the National Academies of Practice and several APA boards and committees, ranging from the Board of Convention Affairs to the Committee for Psychological Tests and Assessments. I recently served on the Joint Committee for Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Between 1993 and 2008, I was APA’s representative to the American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology panel and was then elected to the editorial panel of the CPT as a voting member. I also was on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid’s Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee.
I have received several awards, including: Fulbright Scholar Award, 1983 (Argentina); UNCW’s Distinguished Faculty Scholarship Award, 2009; and the North Carolina Psychological Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, 2008. APA awards include: Karl Heiser Award, 1996; Presidential Award, 2006; State Leadership Award, 2009; and Distinguished Professional Contributions to Independent Practice, 2011.