Tinker phychologist wins award

Dr. Gilbert Sanders, a contract psychologist with the 72nd Medical Group, was recently awarded the Gold Medal Life Achievement in the Practice of Psychology from the American Psychological Association. Although his award isn’t a military award, his 50-plus years of service with the military and United States Public Health Service has garnered success in the form of improved fitness for government workers, improved health care for military families, substance abuse and chemical dependency programs and PTSD counseling. (Air Force photo by Kelly White)

Tinker psychologist wins prestigious award

Published Sept. 26, 2014
By Kimberly Woodruff
Staff Writer

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE - Okla. -- Dr. Gilbert O. Sanders, a psychologist with the 72nd Medical Group, was awarded the American Psychological Foundation's Gold Medal Award, 2014, for Life Achievement in the Practice of Psychology.

Dr. Sanders said he is very humbled by having his life's work recognized by the American Psychological Foundation.

"It was totally unexpected and, of course, the greatest honor of the American Psychological Foundation and the American Psychological Association can give to a practitioner," he said. "It was truly shocking to be called to Washington, D.C., to receive this most prestigious award."

After a uniformed service career spanning 37 years, serving in Vietnam, Alaska, California and Germany and wearing three different service uniforms, Air Force, Army and US Public Health Service, he retired from active duty in 2002 and became a DoD civilian until his second retirement from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations as the behavioral sciences program manager.

Dr. Sanders returned to his native Oklahoma in October 2012 as a contractor serving as the primary mental health consultant with the Family Medicine Department at Tinker. During his career Dr. Sanders has been an outspoken advocate for psychology and for prescriptive authority for psychologists, as well as a pioneer in the integration of psychological services in family medicine clinics since the early 1990s.

"So finally this native Okie managed to find his way home," said Dr. Sanders. "I am honored to be assigned to the 72nd Medical Group and to be working with so many wonderful professional health care providers and support staff."

The American Psychological Foundation presents a single Gold Medal Award annually in each of four areas (the practice of psychology, the application of psychology, psychology in the public interest and the science of psychology) to a psychologist with a distinguished and enduring record of accomplishment.

Dorothy W. Cantor, president of the APF, and former president of the APA, presented the APF Gold Medal Awards at the 122nd Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association on Aug. 8.