APF campaign closes in on $7 million

The American Psychological Foundation (APF) Campaign for a New Era is close to reaching its goal of $7 million in contributions by the end of 2004. As of Sept. 15, the campaign had exceeded $6.8 million.

APF launched the campaign in 2000 to advance psychology in three areas:

• Research and program innovation on issues such as violence prevention and the relationship between mental and physical health.
• Education and scholarships for psychology's best and brightest.
• Ongoing APF programs to increase grants for serious mental illness research, the prevention of homophobia, congressional fellowships and a greater understanding of a variety of issues, including family dynamics, the human mind and the injury and premature death of young children.

Since the campaign began in 2000, APF has increased its grant-making capacity by more than 120 percent. The foundation now annually awards more than $500,000.

"This campaign is about maximizing psychology's role to make the world a better place," says APF President Dorothy W. Cantor, PsyD. "Thanks to APA members and others, we are close to meeting our goal. I hope that all of our colleagues will participate in APF's first fund-raising campaign. Every contribution, no matter how big or how small, will make a difference."

For information on foundation programs or making a contribution, visit the APF Web site at http://www.apa.org/apf or contact Elizabeth Merck at (202) 336-5622.

Submit proposals for research on gifted children

APF seeks proposals for the Esther Katz Rosen award, which honors up to three psychologists with annual grants up to $25,000 each for as many as three years for research on and programs for gifted children.

Grant recipients must submit interim progress reports each year. APF grants renewals to recipients for successfully meeting interim goals.

Established in 1974, the award aims to attract new scholars to study the psychology of giftedness and to support scholarly work that contributes to understanding and advancing gifted children and adolescents. APF offers grants to:

• Established researchers outside the field of giftedness for research proposals involving field-related scientific study or program implementation.
• Established researchers in the field of giftedness who request support for graduate students to work with them on projects as part of dissertation research.

APF will give special consideration to projects that are innovative and can become self-supporting or lead to external funding. APF will give some preference to APA members.

Applications are due Jan. 15. To apply, submit a four- to six-page proposal via e-mail. For complete requirements, visit the APF Web site at http://www.apa.org/apf. Direct questions to APF at the APA address; (202) 336-5814; e-mail.

Tovian named 2004 outstanding clinical health psychologist

Div. 38 (Health) and the APF Board of Trustees have selected Steven M. Tovian, PhD, as the recipient of APF's fourth annual Timothy Jeffrey Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Health Psychology.

He received the $1,000 award, which honors a full-time clinical service-provider's outstanding commitment to clinical health psychology, during APA's 2004 Annual Convention in Honolulu.

Tovian is chief psychologist and health psychology director in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in Evanston, Ill. Also an associate professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Tovian co-edited the "Handbook of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings" (Plenum, 1991), co-authored "Psychological Assessment in Medical Settings" (Kluwer, 1997), serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings and has written numerous book chapters and articles on clinical health psychology.

Louise K. Jeffrey, PhD, founded the award in 2000 to memorialize the career and contributions of her late husband, Timothy Jeffrey, PhD. Jeffrey was a former president of Div. 19 (Society for Military Psychology) and director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's clinical psychology department.

Apply for LGB research grants

APF seeks proposals for the 2005 Wayne F. Placek Large Research Grants and Small Research Grants. Both types of grants, which offer up to $40,000, support research to increase the public's understanding of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals and aim to alleviate the stress that gay men and lesbians experience.

APF encourages research proposals that address:

• Prejudice, discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation.
• Family and workplace issues relevant to lesbians and gay men.
• Subgroups of the lesbian and gay population that have historically been underrepresented in research, including racial and ethnic minorities.

Two Wayne F. Placek Large Research Grants are available for empirical research on LGB issues from all behavioral and social science fields. Researchers may request up to $40,000 for associated expenses. Applications are due March 11.

The Wayne F. Placek Small Research Grants award up to $5,000 for original empirical research projects on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues. Applications are due Jan. 26.

Applicants for both grant types must have a doctoral-level degree and be affiliated with a college, university or research institution that meets federal requirements for administering research awards. Funds are not available for dissertation research or other predoctoral studies. See the November Monitor for more information and visit http://www.hookerprograms.org for application forms and grant guidelines.

Barton wins grant to research child injuries

Benjamin K. Barton, a psychology student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, received the 2004 APF Lizette Peterson-Homer Memorial Injury Research Grant. The $1,000 award honors psychosocial research on injuries through accidents, violence, abuse or suicide to children and young adults.

Barton's proposal, "Children's self-selection into risky pedestrian settings," aims to examine the roles that four risk factors--age, gender, injury risk and temperament--play in children's risky pedestrian behaviors. The results should help explain how child behaviors help cause pedestrian injuries. The research might also help prevention programs target children with a tendency toward risky pedestrian behaviors--such as walking alongside unsafe roads or crossing streets in short intervals between passing cars--and shed light on the most effective prevention efforts.

Div. 54 (Society of Pediatric Psychology) selects, and the APF Board of Trustees approves, the annual winner of the award, which was established by Donald Routh, PhD, and Marion Routh through a gift to APF.

Students: Apply for Gerson Memorial Grant

APF seeks nominees for the $5,000 Randy Gerson Memorial Grant, which aims to advance graduate student research on family and couple dynamics and multigenerational processes.

Projects using or contributing to the development of Bowen family systems or Gerson's work will receive priority.

Applications should include a statement about the project and how it meets grant goals, a project budget, explanation of how the recipient will disseminate results (such as through a report or monograph), a curriculum vitae, two letters of recommendation and an official transcript.

Applications are due Feb. 1. E-mail the application to APF. APF will announce the winner on or after April 15.

For more information, visit http://www.apa.org/apf/gerson.html or write to APF Awards Coordinator/Gerson at the APA address; (202) 336-5843; e-mail. APF encourages applications from individuals who represent diversity in race, ethnicity, gender, age and sexual orientation.

Hunter-Williams is first Educational Assessment Congressional Fellow

Clinical and community psychologist Jill Hunter-Williams, PhD, became the first-ever Educational Assessment Congressional Fellow in September.

Hunter-Williams is spending the one-year fellowship as a special legislative assistant to Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.). In that role, she may assist in congressional hearings and debates, prepare briefs and write speeches.

The Psychological Corp. provided financial support and partnered with APF to create the fellowship, which recognizes individuals with a strong background in educational assessment, testing and related issues. The program aims to contribute to the government's more effective use of psychological knowledge and to broaden awareness among both psychologists and the federal government about the value of their interaction.

Hunter-Williams researches how environments affect people, such as how organizational climates are related to sexual harassment. She also consults with the Association for the Study and Development of Community, which is related to the Safe Start Initiative, part of the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Her research and policy interests include educational assessment, child development and prevention.

--COMPILED BY APF STAFF