Candidates for APA President
Q3. What would you do to lead the profession to address the needs of an increasingly diverse and global society?
Although APA has taken globalization seriously by establishing CIRP and adding Div. 52 (International), it must do more. I would recommend APA:
• Schedule its convention once a decade in a suitable international venue.
• Encourage development of graduate programs and curricula in international psychology.
As for diversity, I would:
• Support the infusion of published public interest guidelines related to diversity in psychology to ensure they have an impact on practice, research and teaching.
• Enhance APA's research and practice efforts with older adults as the proportion of this population becomes greater and more diverse.
Q4. Given the current economic situation and budget deficits in APA, what would be your top priorities and why?
I would pursue two major goals. First, enhance APA's external reputation as a trusted provider of empirically supported information to governmental policymakers. I want public policy promulgated by the executive, legislative and judicial branches informed by what our researchers have learned. But APA will continue to lose members if we do not pay attention to our internal needs. Our practitioners are suffering at the hands of competitors and the insurance industry. We must ensure that APA is integrally involved in health-care reform so that practitioners are treated equitably with other providers and recognized for their special expertise.
