The Committee on Accreditation (CoA) seeks comments on a proposed change to Section 6 of the Accreditation Operating Procedures. The change would extend the time students, interns and residents have to file a complaint against an accredited program. The proposal is available for comments until Feb. 14.

CoA is also proposing a new implementing regulation for residency requirements that would define the phrase “the equivalent thereof” in Domain A.4 of the Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation of Programs in Professional Psychology for doctoral graduate programs. This proposal is available for comments until May 14.

The full texts of both the potential changes are available on the accreditation Web site, www.apa.org/ed/accreditation. All interested individuals and organizations should use the CoA electronic comment form at http://apaoutside.apa.org/accredsurvey/public.

Apply to be a Public Policy Office intern

The Public Policy Office seeks applications for its 2007–2008 Public Interest Policy Internship Program. The internships provide two graduate students with firsthand knowledge of how psychological research can inform public policy and the roles psychologists can play in its formulation and implementation.

Interns spend 12 months working with the office on public interest issues including: children, youth and families; women; lesbian, gay and bisexual concerns; aging; ethnic minorities; HIV/AIDS; disabilities; media; crime and violence; and socioeconomic status. They participate in legislative and advocacy work, such as assisting in the preparation of briefing papers, testimony and other documents, and attend congressional hearings and coalition meetings.

Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program in psychology or a related discipline, in at least the second year of graduate training, and be able to work 20 hours per week in APA's Central Office in Washington, D.C., from September 2007 through August 2008. The internship provides a stipend of $15 per hour.

To apply, submit a current curriculum vitae providing information about educational background and any relevant professional, public policy or legislative experience; a statement of fewer than 500 words expressing the applicant's interest in the internship and what the applicant hopes to learn from the experience; and two letters of reference, including one from the applicant's department indicating the applicant is enrolled and in good standing with the institution. The deadline is March 2. Send applications to APA's Public Policy Office, Public Interest Policy Internship Program, at the APA address. For inquiries, contact the APA Public Policy Office at (202) 336-6062; e-mail.

BEA seeks national conference site proposals

APA's Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) seeks applications from universities and colleges to host a four- to five-day National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology in 2008. The BEA steering committee is considering the week of June 21–28 as the tentative date.

The conference host would supply room and board for 75 to 80 participants; administrative assistance with the production of materials developed on site (computers and photocopying facilities); large rooms for plenary sessions and smaller discussion rooms; accessibility to major airports or shuttle transportation; and a conference site manager at the institution responsible for coordinating the meeting rooms and meals. The committee considers institutions with prior experience in hosting such an event particularly desirable.

The committee has drafted preliminary recommendations for conference topics, presenters, participants and funding sources.

All proposals and inquiries are due April 30. Send them to: BEA Steering Committee for the National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology, c/o Martha Boenau, Education Directorate, at the APA address; e-mail.

Koocher bestows presidential accolades

In the fall of 2006, then-APA President Gerald P. Koocher, PhD, presented four presidential citations:

• Joanna Freda Hare Breyer, PhD, who Koocher recognized for focusing on the acute, palliative and survivorship needs of children and families affected by pediatric cancer and for directing the training of scores of mental health professionals at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. In addition, for more than 25 years, she has “exercised a persistent, if subtle, role in enhancing the psychological sophistication of the federal judiciary,” the citation noted. Koocher presented the citation to Breyer in November at a Board of Directors dinner during APA's Consolidated Meetings.

• Kitty Dukakis, for championing community mental health services and demystifying depression treatments. Dukakis surrendered her privacy to benefit others, first with the 1991 book “Now You Know,” (Simon & Schuster, 1991) which disclosed her battle with substance abuse and depression, and later with her recent book, “Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy” (Avery, 2006). Koocher presented the citation to Dukakis in October at a public reading of her book in Brookline, Mass.

• Susan Linn, EdD, an award-winning puppeteer, public advocate and educational psychologist. For more than 30 years, Linn's career has focused on the well-being of children. She pioneered the use of puppets to help children heal emotionally from physical illness and abuse, and she helped found the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a national coalition of health-care professionals, educators, advocacy groups and concerned parents who counter the harmful effects of marketing to children through advocacy, education and research. In October, Koocher presented the citation to Linn in Boston.

• Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, for his commitment to the health and well-being of Tennesseans. Bredesen established a Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse. Its research ultimately led to the Meth Free Tennessee Act passed in 2005, the main provision of which required pharmacies to move behind their counters certain cold and sinus products used to manufacture methamphetamine. Bredesen also supported numerous public education campaigns as well as the Methamphetamine Offender Registry. With Bredesen's endorsement, the task force launched a pilot program for select nonviolent offenders to receive treatment in a highly structured therapeutic community. Residential drug courts across the country have adopted this aggressive treatment module because of its effectiveness and affordability. Tennessee Psychological Association President Bethany Lohr, PhD, presented Bredesen with the citation on Koocher's behalf at the state association's annual meeting in November.

—E. Packard

Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns seeks nominations

The Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns (CLGBC) seeks nominations for two positions beginning Jan. 1, 2008. Nominees should have experience or expertise in one or more of the following areas: policy and advocacy; practice with lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender clients; youth; couples and families; aging; and transgender issues.

The committee welcomes nominations of psychologists who are members of underrepresented groups, including those who have a disability or are ethnic minorities, bisexual or transgendered. In considering nominees, the committee will also consider the range of major fields and specializations in psychology and the geographic diversity represented in its membership.

The committee consists of three women and three men appointed for staggered three-year terms. It reports to APA's Council of Representatives through the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest. Committee members attend two committee meetings a year in Washington, D.C., with expenses reimbursed by APA. Service on the committee also involves a substantial time commitment beyond the meetings.

A statement of the nominee's interests in, and qualifications for, the committee should accompany nominations, along with a curriculum vitae. Self-nominations are accepted. The deadline for nomination materials is Aug. 31. Mail nominations to CLGBC Nominations, Public Interest Directorate, at the APA address; e-mail.

Comment on programs up for accreditation review

APA's Committee on Accreditation is accepting testimony from students, faculty and consumers on all psychology training programs scheduled for 2007 site visits and periodic reviews.

A list of the programs scheduled for review and those applying for initial accreditation, as well as instructions for providing comments and deadlines, are at www.apa.org/ed/accreditation. For details on providing testimony, refer to section seven of the Accreditation Operating Procedures at www.apa.org/ed/oprtgprcd.pdf. This information is also available by contacting APA's Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation at the APA address; (202) 336-5979.

Nominate colleagues for Tanaka Memorial Dissertation Award

APA's Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA) seeks nominations for the Jeffrey S. Tanaka Memorial Dissertation Award in Psychology, which recognizes work that contributes to a better understanding of psychological issues and concerns facing ethnic minorities.

Tanaka was an Asian-American psychologist whose work emphasized the importance of culture and ethnicity in the scientific understanding of behavior.

To be eligible for the award, applicants must have filed their dissertations in 2004 or 2005 on research involving one or more of the following areas:

• Enhancing the psychological understanding of ethnic-minority issues.

• Improving psychological service-delivery systems to ethnic minorities.

• Developing new concepts or theories relevant to ethnic-minority populations.

• Creating methodological paradigms that promote effective research and understanding of the values, beliefs and needs of ethnic-minority communities.

A CEMA-appointed selection subcommittee will choose the winner through an anonymous review process. Criteria include the dissertation's impact on ethnic-minority populations, completeness, clarity, creativity and the effectiveness of the research design. The subcommittee will choose semifinalists from submitted abstracts. Semifinalists must submit copies of their entire dissertations for the final selection process.

The winner receives a nominal cash award, a travel award sponsored by APA's Science Directorate to the association's 2007 Annual Convention, Aug. 17–20, in San Francisco, registration fees and an invitation to share the dissertation's highlights at convention.

The application deadline is April 1. Applications should include four copies of an abstract that is less than 1,000 words. The dissertation title should appear on all four copies, although only one should identify the author and provide both regular ground and electronic mailing addresses and daytime telephone number. Send submissions to the Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs at the APA address. For additional information, call (202) 336-6029 or visit www.apa.org/pi/oema/programs.

BEA seeks national conference site proposals

The American Psychological Association Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) seeks applications from universities or colleges to host a four- to five-day National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology in June 2008. The BEA steering committee is considering the week of June 21–28, 2008, as the tentative date.

Support as the host for the conference would include such items as room and board for approximately 75 to 80 participants; administrative assistance with the production of materials developed on site (computers and photocopying facilities); availability of large rooms for plenary sessions and smaller discussion rooms; accessibility to major airports and/or shuttle transportation; and the identification of a conference site manager at the institution to be responsible for coordination of the meeting rooms and meals, etc. Prior institutional experience in hosting such an event is desirable.

The committee has drafted preliminary recommendations for conference issues and topics, presenters, participants and funding sources.

All proposals and inquiries are due April 30. Send them to: BEA Steering Committee for the National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology, c/o Martha Boenau, Education Directorate, at the APA address, or e-mail.

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