Michael J. Lawler, Ph.D., former director of the Center for Human Services at UC Davis Extension and former co-director of the Center for Public Policy Research, was recently recognized as a finalist for the 2010 Pro Humanitate Literary Award. This national award recognizes exceptional work by child welfare researchers and is given by the Center for Child Welfare Policy of the North American Resource Center for Child Welfare. It is presented to authors who “exemplify the intellectual integrity and moral courage required to transcend political and social barriers to champion best practice in the field of child welfare.” Lawler’s research titled “Maltreated children’s emotional availability with kin and non-kin foster mothers: A sociobiological perspective” was published in Children and Youth Services Review in 2008.