Professor emeritus John Berry earns lifetime achievement award

 The CPA Gold Medal Award is presented for distinguished lifetime contributions to Canadian psychology to Members or Fellows who have given exceptional and enduring lifetime contributions to Canadian Psychology during their career. 

“I am extremely pleased and honoured to be awarded the Gold Medal from The Canadian Psychological Association,” says Dr. Berry. “Until recently, my work in Canada has been less acknowledged than my international work, so it is extremely gratifying to be honoured at home.” 

During his exceptional career, Dr. Berry has examined the relationship between cultural contexts and individual behaviour for over five decades and is recognized as one of the founders of the related fields of cross-cultural and intercultural psychology. He has developed an ecocultural framework that conceptualizes the links among ecological contexts, intercultural contacts, cultural adaptations, and the development and expression of individual behaviours. 

In 1999, Dr. Berry took early retirement from Queen’s University to pursue international research and teaching, taking up visiting positions in China, Estonia, France, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. 

The significance of Dr. Berry’s research has been recognized with numerous fellowships, awards and honours that he has received from national and international organizations over his distinguished career, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Academy for Intercultural Research. 

He received two honorary doctorates: one, from the University of Athens, for his work in developing concepts and empirical research on the ecocultural framework, and the second, from the Université de Genève in recognition of his conceptual and empirical work on the acculturation of immigrants and refugees, and its applicability to public policy. 

Dr. Berry was nominated for the award by Professor Emeritus Janel Gauthier (Laval University), a pioneer of health psychology in Quebec and architect of the Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles in Psychology. 

“Dr. Berry has been among a handful of visionaries who have shaped what is now known as intercultural and cross-cultural psychology,” says Dr. Gauthier. “His empirical work, spanning time and cultures, as well as his theorizing are compulsory stepping stones for whoever has an interest in understanding the evolution and outcome of intergroup relations in Canada and internationally. His constant presence and involvement in Canadian psychology over the past 50 years have made him the central hub of a community of Canadian researchers.” 

In 2021, Dr. Berry was elected to the Royal Society of Canada as Fellow, one of the highest academic honours for Canadian scholars in arts, humanities, and science. 

“Dr. Berry’s work on the psychology of intercultural relations is internationally recognized and this CPA Gold Medal Award is well deserved,” says Stéfanie von Hlatky, Associate Dean (Research). “Our research community at Queen’s is certainly celebrating this impressive achievement.”