When Stan Sue announced in high school he wanted to be a clinical psychologist, little did he realize that understanding his father's objections would become the crux of his career. In fact, Sue became a national pioneer in helping ethnic minority groups and service providers both overcome ignorance about adequate mental health services. For this accomplishment, the UC Davis psychology and Asian American studies professor has been awarded the 2001 Academic Senate Distinguished Public Service Award. The award was announced at today's Representative Assembly meeting of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate. Sue was nominated by his colleague, Nolan Zane, an associate professor of psychology and Asian American studies. "Stan has emerged as one of the most influential voices in the nation on issues related to ethnic minority groups and mental health services," Zane said in his nomination. "He has spent 30 years studying ethnicity and mental health and means of alleviating emotional distress among members of minority group populations." As Sue has been increasingly identified as the top authority on the topic, he has been tapped for national leadership roles. He is currently the section editor for a report on the mental health of Asian Americans that will supplement the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health to be published this fall. Sue attributes much of his success to chance. His first career ambition was to repair televisions, but he soon got bored with shop classes. Then, he developed great fascination with psychotherapy and the idea of helping emotionally disturbed individuals. "I told my parents that I wanted to become a clinical psychologist, not fully knowing what a clinical psychologist did," writes Sue in a 1994 autobiography. "My father, who was born in China, said, 'What is that?' He couldn't believe that people would pay me to listen to their problems -- indeed, he wondered if I could make a decent living." After graduating from University of Oregon, Stan Sue attended UCLA to earn his doctorate in psychology. He began his career at University of Washington, where he taught and did research for 10 years before moving to UCLA for another 15 years. Sue came to UC Davis in 1996 to chair the Asian American studies program. He brought with him the National Research Center on Asian American Health, established in 1988 with a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. Devoted to Asian Pacific American mental health concerns, the center conducts both theoretical and applied research with the aim of impacting mental health policy and service delivery. Sue has received a number of national accolades in his career. These include the 2000 Mentoring Award from the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association; the 1999 Dalmas A. Taylor Award for Pioneering Leadership, Scholarship and Aggressive Advocacy for Ethnic Minorities from the 1999 National Multicultural Summit; the 1998 Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Psychology from the California Psychological Association and the 1996 Distinguished Contribution Award for Research in Public Policy from the American Psychological Association. Since he arrived at UC Davis, Sue has been researching factors influencing treatment outcomes among Asian American and ethnic clients, personality and achievements among Asian Americans and well-being and mental health of Asian Americans.