2003 Annual Reports for Boards and Committees

Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest 2003 Annual Report

Mission Statement

The Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) shall consist of not fewer than ten members elected for three year terms. Nine of the members must be members of the American Psychological Association. The tenth member shall be a public member appointed by BAPPI for up to a three year term. The mission of BAPPI shall be to encourage the generation and application of psychological knowledge on issues important to human well-being. It shall have general concern for those aspects of psychology that involve solutions to the fundamental problems of human justice and that promote equitable and just treatment of all segments of society. BAPPI shall encourage the utilization and dissemination of psychological knowledge to advance equal opportunity and to foster empowerment of those who do not share equitably in society's resources. The Board shall be concerned with increasing scientific understanding and training in regard to those aspects that pertain to, but are not limited to culture, class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age and disability. The Board shall support improving educational and training opportunities for all persons in psychology and continue the promotion of culturally sensitive models for the delivery of psychological services. The Board shall be sensitive to the entire range of APA activities as they pertain to the mission of this Board and make recommendations regarding ethically and socially responsible actions by APA when appropriate. The composition of the Board shall reflect diversity in terms of ethnic minorities, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities and religion, as well as the range of interests characteristic of psychology in all its aspects.

Membership and Meetings

The members of BAPPI for 2003 were: Melvin Wilson, PhD (chair), Patricia Arredondo, EdD, Diana Slaughter-Defoe, PhD, Michael Duffy, PhD, Robin LaDue, PhD (chair-elect), Allan S. Noonan, MD (Public Member), Ruperto Perez, PhD, Virginia Theo-Steelman, EdD, Bonnie Strickland, PhD, and Carolyn Vash, PhD. Drs. Wilson, Strickland and Vash completed their terms of service on BAPPI on December 31, 2003.

BAPPI met in the Spring (March 28-30, 2003) and via conference call in Summer (June 20, 2003) and the Fall (October 23 and 24, 2003).

On January 1, 2004, Armand Cerbone, PhD, Irene Leigh, PhD and Brian Smedley, PhD, will join BAPPI, appointed for three-year terms by the Council of Representatives.

Ongoing Activities

BAPPI agreed to focus on two specific areas of concern during 2003 and future years. The board agreed that the issues related to poverty and its impact on public interest constituencies and interest groups should be a focus of the board. The board also agreed that the issue of diversity within APA governance and staffing was also an issue of concern that it would like to address. BAPPI agreed that it would like to address both of these issues during 2003 and future years.

Diversity within APA Governance and Staffing

In August 2003, the board submitted a memorandum to the APA Board of Directors (B/D). The memorandum outlined several recommendations for enhancement of diversity within APA Governance and Staffing and requested that the B/D discuss the recommendations and determine a course of action that would address the issues raised. In response to the memorandum from BAPPI, the B/D indicated that it would consider any specific recommendations forwarded by BAPPI. BAPPI will formulate more specific recommendations for submission to the B/D at its Spring 2004 meeting.

Poverty and Socioeconomic Status Issues

BAPPI agreed to sponsor convention programming at the 2003 APA convention on issues related to poverty. BAPPI also requested that its public interest committees develop initiatives related to implementing the resolution on poverty and socioeconomic status and; report back to BAPPI on issue of poverty and socioeconomic status and its impact upon their particular constituencies.

BAPPI also sent a memorandum to the Public Interest Policy Office (PPO) asking it to take steps to advocate for legislation that will address the direct impact of poverty on public interest constituency groups and report back to BAPPI.

BAPPI will sponsor a convention program at the 2004 APA convention on the impact of socioeconomic status on the mental health of public interest constituencies and interest groups.

2003 APA Convention

BAPPI sponsored two symposia at the 2003 APA Convention. Both symposia were very well attended.

The Over-medicalization of Professional Psychology: Issues and Concerns , was a dialogue on how the over-medicalization of psychology has impacted various public interest constituencies (aging populations, persons living with HIV/AIDS, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, children, youth and families and women). Participants were: Ruperto Perez, PhD (Chair), Ronald T. Brown, PhD, Forest Scogin, PhD, and Carolyn Vash, PhD.

The Impact of Poverty on Mental Health was an overarching discussion on the impact of poverty on mental health as it applies to various public interest constituencies (aging populations, persons living with HIV/AIDS, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, children, youth and families and women). Participants were: Melvin Wilson, PhD, Chair, Beth Hudnall Stamm, PhD, Maria Cecilia Zea, PhD and David C. Dove, Jose Toro-Alfonso, PhD and Karen Wyche, PhD.

Task Forces and Working Group Reports

*APA Task Force on Urban Psychology

In February 2003, Council approved the sunsetting of the Committee on Urban Initiatives (CUI) and the establishment of the Task Force on Urban Psychology for one year. Council charged the Task Force as follows:

To highlight the critical role that psychological theory, research, and clinical experience can play in promoting a greater understanding and amelioration of problems associated with urban life. The Task Force will work to raise professional consciousness of an “urban psychology” and highlight the unique and collaborative role that the discipline of psychology can play in this endeavor. The Task Force is committed to generating “strengths-based” perspectives that promote and sustain aspects of urban life that enhance individual and societal development and well-being. Through these efforts, the Task Force will chart directions and make recommendations for enhancing training, research, and practice approaches to improving the quality of life for urban residents, as well as advocacy. The work of the Task Force on Urban Psychology will culminate with the publication of a report/monograph that will address these issues.

Council approved $7,500 in discretionary funds for one meeting of the Task Force in 2003; in addition, the Board of Directors approved $4,000 from discretionary funds to print and mail the report of the Task Force on Urban Psychology. BAPPI agreed at that time to incorporate the mission of CUI into ongoing activities and priorities.

Before it was sunset, CUI developed a Call for Nominations for the Task Force, circulated the Call as widely as possible given the time constraints, and polled the CUI Network for suggestions. Based on recommendations from CUI and BAPPI, the following were appointed: Dorothy Cantor, PsyD, Deborah Gorman-Smith, PhD, Kenneth I. Maton, PhD, Fernando I. Soriano, PhD, Veronica G. Thomas, PhD, Dozier W. Thornton, PhD, and Susan Saegert, PhD.

The Task Force met May 16-18 and developed a draft table of contents and draft report production schedule. From its first meeting, the Task Force has struggled with extremely limited time constraints. Despite CUI's efforts to accelerate the nomination and selection process, the Task Force could not convene its first meeting before May, nearly half way through its one year of appointment. Late in the year, it became clear that though the report was nearly completely written, it would not be possible to seek and incorporate reviewer input and finalize the report by mid-December, that is, in time to print the report using 2003 funds. Therefore, the Task Force requested to use the $4,000 in discretionary funds to convene a brief meeting late in December, to review the complete draft of the report. By mid-March, the Task Force expects to have a revised draft ready for review and comment by outside reviewers. Once this input is incorporated, the Task Force will submit to BAPPI, with the goal of submitting the report to the June Board of Directors and July Council of Representatives. After that point, the Task Force expects to disseminate via the web and other economical means.

*APA Task Force on Workplace Violence

The Task Force on Workplace Violence is staffed and supported by the Public Interest Directorate (Gwendolyn Puryear Keita, PhD and Tanya L. Burrwell). Task Force members include Julian Barling, Chair, PhD, Joseph J. Hurrell, Jr., PhD, Judith Collins, PhD, Mark Braverman, PhD, Michael Gelles, PsyD and Ellen Scrivner, PhD. In 2003, the work of the Task Force on Workplace Violence was hampered by the prolonged illness of its chair, who served as lead author on several task force projects; however, after a thorough review of its activities and priorities the task force has reorganized the structure of the group and resumed work on its current projects.

-The Task Force is continuing with the development of a final report based on a conceptual model which incorporates psychosocial and behavioral factors related to workplace violence, in addition to the range and prevalence of various kinds of workplace violence, the costs and impact of workplace violence on both society and organizations, and recommendations to APA for further action.

After a critical review of the literature and current events, the Task Force is revisiting the original focus of the report, including expanding the current definition of workplace violence to include terrorism and a more in-depth focus on the fear associated with workplace violence.

-The Task Force is continuing the development of a short booklet for the public based on the conceptual model developed for the final report. This piece will specifically target employers/managers, human resources organizations, unions, etc.

-The Task Force symposium “Rethinking Workplace Violence,” planned for the 2003 APA Annual Convention in Toronto, was cancelled due to several presenters having to withdraw travel and later in response to concerns regarding SARS.

-The Task Force is responding to reviewer comments and revising the manuscript, "Terrorized Workers: Employee Well-being Following 9/11" for resubmission to the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. The article builds upon the ideas presented in the 2002 fact sheet (Responses to Workplace Violence Post 9/11), while taking a more in-depth look at the current research.

*Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues

In August of 2000, the Council of Representatives (COR) voted to establish the Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues and charged it with providing oversight and leadership in implementing the recommendations of the Report to the Board of Directors from the APA Working Group on Assisted Suicide and End-of-Life Decisions (Report to the Board) ( see - http://www.apa.org/pi/aseolf.html ). The Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues was also directed to explore and apply for external funding to support the implementation of recommendations contained in the Report to the Board.

Activities & Accomplishments

Five face-to-face meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues have been held thus far: (1) a three-day meeting on April 20-22, 2001 at APA; (2) a two-hour meeting in August 2001 at the APA Convention in San Francisco; (3) a two-day meeting on October 13-14, 2001 at APA; (4) a two-hour meeting in February 2002 at the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) End-of-Life Issues Conference in Cleveland, Ohio; and. (5) a three-day meeting on September 6-8, 2002 at APA. Additionally, members of the committee have participated in three, one-hour conference calls.

The foregoing meetings and conference calls have resulted in numerous accomplishments including:

• Development of organizational linkages with major organizations involved in end-of-life care such as the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), Last Acts: A Partnership for Caring, Inc., and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO);
• Development, implementation, and promotion of a Congressional briefing on psychological and psychosocial aspects of end-of-life care;
• Creation of an APA web site that contains extensive information related to psychology and end-of-life issues ( see http://www.apa.org/pi/eol/ );
• Development and publication of an APA Monitor article on the role of psychologists in end-of-life care;
• Publication of a review article in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice on the role of psychologists in end-of-life care;
• Development, production, and dissemination of fact sheets on end-of-life care based on behavioral and social science research findings;
• Appointment of a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues to a governing committee of Last Acts®;
• Completion of a report that analyzes barriers to reimbursement for psychological services for individuals covered under the hospice benefit of Medicare;
• Development and implementation of an advocacy strategy to address barriers to reimbursement for psychological services under the hospice benefit of Medicare;
• Establishment of collaborative initiative with PsycINFO to publish a book of abstracts on end-of-life issues which will include a comprehensive and integrative overview article on the state of the science;
• Development and implementation of the first international conference dealing exclusively with psychological and psychosocial issues associated with end-of-life care;
• Development and dissemination of eight, web-based surveys designed to assess the extent and types of end-of-life activities conducted in conjunction with psychology departments, state associations, and APA divisions;
• Development and submission of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Proposal to fund an internet-based program for training psychologists to work with people near the end of life;
• Development of a plan to submit a proposal to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to fund a national conference on the behavioral and psychosocial aspects of end-of-life care;

In 2004, members of the Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues will complete data analysis of eight, web-based surveys designed to assess the extent and types of end-of-life activities conducted in conjunction with psychology departments, state associations, and APA divisions. A final report that includes a summary of data obtained from the surveys along with descriptions of all accomplishments listed above will be submitted to the Council of Representatives at its meeting of August 2004.

*Children & Adolescents Task Force of the Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues

In February 2003, the Council of Representatives allocated $15,000 from its 2003 contingency funds to support the formation of the Children and Adolescents Task Force of the Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues. The task force was charged with producing a report on practice, research, training, and policy issues for psychologists involved with children and families dealing with the end of life.

A call for nominations for the task force was disseminated during the spring of 2003. A subcommittee of the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest

(BAPPI) selected task force members in July of 2003. Members selected for the task force are:

David J. Bearison, Ph.D

Ira Todd Cohen, M.D.

Anne E. Kazak, Ph.D., ABPP

Elaine C. Meyer, Ph.D.

Barbara M. Sourkes, Ph.D.

Gary W. Walco, Ph.D.

The first and only face-to-face meeting of the task force was held in November 21-23, 2003. A draft report on practice, research, training, and policy issues for psychologists involved with children and families dealing with the end of life will be placed on the cross-cutting agenda for the spring 2004 consolidated board and committee meetings.

*The CEMRRAT2 Task Force

The APA CEMRRAT2 Task Force met twice in 2003, once via conference call on April 2 nd, and again on June 30 th in Washington, DC, for its only face-to-face meeting. During this year, the Task Force experienced changes to its membership, budget, and OEMA staffing. Due to the conflict situation in Iraq, Task Force member Victor De La Cancela, PhD, was called to active military service. As a result, Dr. De La Cancela notified OEMA that he would be unable to serve as the 2004 Task Force chairperson or be actively involved with the work of the Task Force until further notice. At the request of the Task Force, James E. Freeman, PhD, agreed to extend the term of his current leadership role. The Task Force further agreed that the membership vacancy should be filled, temporarily, and therefore requested that it’s parent board, the APA Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI), make an appointment with the understanding that the possible candidates should be advised that the appointment is temporary (until such time that Dr. De La Cancela’s military service status changes and he is able to return). BAPPI appointed former CEMRRAT member Ena Vasquez-Nuttal, EdD to the Task Force. In addition, the Task Force was advised that as a result of recent APA budget shortfalls, its 2004 budget has been reduced by 30 percent. Furthermore, OEMA staff member Adisa Ajamu resigned from his position, and Chanta Goode assumed his duties and responsibilities associated with the work of the Task Force. Current Task Force members are: A. Toy Caldwell-Colbert, PhD, Ena Vasquez-Nuttal, EdD, Victor De La Cancela, PhD (military service status), James E. Freeman, PhD (2004 chairperson), and Frederick Leong, PhD. The APA Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs (OEMA) continues to provide administrative staffing support to the Task Force.

During its 2003 meetings, the Task Force accomplished the following: (a) Established its 2004 CEMRRAT implementation grant funds priority categories and allocations; (b) identified winners of the 2003 Suinn Minority Achievement Awards (the Suinn Award is presented to those graduate programs exhibiting excellence in ethnic minority recruitment, retention, and training in psychology); (c) reviewed and endorsed the draft version of the introductory psychology textbook resource booklet developed by its Textbook Initiative Work Groups (TIWG), funded by the APA Council of Representatives (C/Rs); (d) received a report about the production and distribution of its CEMRRAT2 Martha E. Bernal, PhD memorial bookmark; (e) defined the parameters and content areas to be included in its progress report to the C/Rs; (f) agreed to prepare a proposal to solicit convention program hours that would outline elements of a symposium to be presented during the 112 th APA annual convention in Hawaii that will focus on “best practices” models/showcase innovative and dynamic projects that have been supported by its Implementation Grant Funds; (g) prepared comments/feedback to the APA Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) related to the establishment of an Accreditation Advisory Council and proposed accreditation issues to be discussed at the 2003 APA Education Leadership Conference (i.e., dissemination of information regarding the history of CEMRRAT, outline those concerns that have been raised in the past, emphasize the “added value factor” of diversity to high quality education, and request that the APA Committee on Accreditation and the newly created Advisory Council membership composition always include experts in multicultural competency, so as to ensure that ethnic minority issues are among highest priorities); (h) agreed to continue efforts to solicit support from the American Psychological Foundation for the possible development and submission of a grant application that will be used to support student travel to the APA annual convention in order for students to be present when their program is awarded the Suinn award (only student nominations of Suinn award winning programs will be eligible); (i) discussed projects and activities for future directions; (j) discussed strategies promoting the visibility of CEMRRAT-related activities through various APA communication venues; and (k) defined future challenges such as building linkages with ethnic minority serving institutions (i.e., HBCUs, Tribal Colleges, and Hispanic Serving Institutions), and promoting a greater emphasis on the infusion of ethnic minority issues into scientific training areas of psychology.

The Task Force expresses sincere appreciation to the APA C/Rs for its continuing support, whose funding contributes to the continued APA-wide implementation of the CEMRRAT Plan for ethnic minority recruitment, retention, and training in psychology.

Acknowledgements

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Robin LaDue, PhD resigned from the board in December 2003. The board extends its heartfelt appreciation to Dr. LaDue for her service to BAPPI during her tenure with the board.

The board also wishes to thank Katherine Nordal, PhD, Board of Directors Liaison, for her input and support during the entire year.