Professor Honored by the American Psychological Association

William Robiner, PhD, ABPP, LP, a professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, has been honored with the Toy Caldwell-Colbert Award for Distinguished Educator in Clinical Psychology by the Society of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association (APA) for his commitment to education and mentorship of junior psychologists.

The award was established to honor the legacy of the late Toy Caldwell-Colbert, PhD, a clinical psychologist dedicated to enriching lives through education and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion research in her field. The award recognizes psychologists who contribute to clinical psychology education, provide research guidance and have a long-term commitment to mentoring clinical psychology graduate students, interns, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty.

“Having a positive impact on someone’s career is very powerful.” Dr. Robiner said. “Mentors have an opportunity to have an impact by catalyzing mentees’ careers. It’s always rewarding to see them go on to do great things.”

Dr. Robiner’s career has revolved around helping others maximize their strengths through formal educational programs backed by research and quality improvement. He currently serves as a mentor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, in the Medical School’s Health Equity and Leadership Mentoring (HELM) Program and the Department of Medicine’s Career Development Committee for Clinical - and Education-focused faculty (CDC-ACE). He has been directing the Medical School’s Pediatric Psychology Internship for 28 years, guiding the training of over 120 psychology interns. He has served as a thesis advisor, leads a professional development conference and has supervised postdoctoral psychology fellows. Dr. Robiner was instrumental in establishing and co-chairing a mentoring program within his division, which served as a model for others in the Department of Medicine. 

He was nominated for the award by long-time colleague, Barry Hong, PhD, ABPP, a professor and vice-chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo.

“Being recognized by colleagues and the University is very gratifying, but receiving this particular award in honor of Dr. Caldwell-Colbert was more meaningful than I had anticipated,” Dr. Robiner said. “I find my work joyful because I believe in the University’s mission.”