03/27/2026
Join us in celebrating an incredible achievement! 🎉
Congratulations to Dr. Mark Salzer on being honored with the 2026 Wolf Wolfensberger Award, sponsored by the AAIDD Psychology Interest Network. This prestigious recognition highlights Dr. Salzer’s outstanding contributions to advancing inclusion, community participation, and quality of life for individuals with disabilities.
Dr. Salzer is a licensed psychologist and Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Temple University’s Barnett College of Public Health. He also serves as Principal Investigator and Director of the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities, a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center funded since 2003.
He earned his bachelor’s degree with distinction in sociology and psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, followed by his M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical/community psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and completed his predoctoral clinical fellowship at the Yale University School of Medicine.
Inspired by the work of Wolf Wolfensberger, Dr. Salzer’s research has emphasized the vital importance of valued social roles—such as employment, education, relationships, leisure, faith, and volunteerism—for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other disabilities. His work has deepened our understanding of community participation as a key driver of health and well-being, even framing it as a medical necessity.
Through developing and evaluating innovative interventions, and more recently collaborating on autistic-delivered peer support models, Dr. Salzer continues to expand opportunities for meaningful inclusion and mobility.
Please join us in recognizing Dr. Salzer’s impactful career and this well-deserved honor! 👏
