Volunteers sought for National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day

Psychologists are needed to host screening sites for the May 5 National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day (NADSD), which is co-sponsored by APA. Freedom From Fear, a nonprofit mental illness advocacy group that runs NADSD, provides volunteers with educational, planning and promotional materials needed to host screening sites, including APA's anxiety disorders fact sheet and an educational film on social anxiety disorder hosted by Donny Osmond.

Since NADSD began in 1994, more than 500,000 individuals have been screened for anxiety and depressive disorders. The one-time registration fee for participating health professionals is $100. The registration deadline is Feb. 25. For more information or to register, contact Jeanine Christiana at (718) 351-1717, ext. 21, or visit www.freedomfromfear.org and click on "Screening Program for 2004." Psychologists who host screening sites are listed on Freedom From Fear's year-round referral network.

Support available for international meetings

APA's Office of International Affairs is seeking applications for its annual $3,500 fund to support two or more international psychology meetings. Financial need will be considered in selecting recipients and in determining the amount of support.

Applications should include:

* A brief description of the applicant's organization, including the mission statement and other relevant documents.

* A description of the organization's relationship with APA.

* An overview of the event's objectives and activities, including a preliminary program.

* A description of the organizational structure that will host the event.

* A budget that includes a portion requested from APA and other funding sources.

* A description of the event's proposed products, such as monographs or CD-ROMs.

The application deadline is March 15. For more information and complete application guidelines, contact APA's Office of International Affairs, at the APA address; e-mail.

Nominate candidates for APA's treasurer

APA's Board of Directors is seeking nominations for APA treasurer. The term of the current treasurer ends this year on Dec. 31. According to the association's bylaws:

"The Treasurer of the Association shall be a Member of the Association, elected by the immediately previous Council following nominations by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall take office for a term of three years, beginning at the end of the fiscal year during which his/her election is announced, and shall not succeed himself/herself in this office more than once. During the term of office, the Treasurer shall serve as senior financial officer of the Association and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed in these Bylaws. The Treasurer shall have authority to sign checks and drafts on behalf of the Association for disbursement of funds for duly authorized purposes of the Association as provided by Bylaws or by vote of Council or the Board of Directors. He/she shall deliver an audited report for each fiscal year to the Finance Committee and the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall chair the Finance Committee and serve ex-officio, without vote, on the Publications and Communications Board. In the case of the death or incapacity of the Recording Secretary, the Treasurer is authorized to perform the duties normally assigned to the Recording Secretary."

The nomination deadline is March 15. Any member of the association is eligible. A slate of final nominees will be selected by the Board of Directors. The election ballot will be mailed on July 1 to all voting members of the 2003 Council of Representatives, and the balloting period will last 30 days. Send nominations to Ruth Ullmann Paige, PhD, APA Recording Secretary, 13436 N.E. 47th St., Bellevue, WA 98005-1112; e-mail.

APA welcomes new legislative advocate

Annie Toro, JD, has joined APA's Public Policy Office as its new senior legislative and federal affairs officer for children, youth and family issues.

Toro comes to APA from the office of Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), where she was a senior legislative assistant for health-care issues. There, Toro worked on ethnic-minority issues, Head Start and other children's issues, health appropriations, welfare reform, and women's health issues.

Toro earned her law degree from Syracuse University and is pursuing a master's degree in public health with a concentration in children's mental health at George Washington University. Toro will represent APA on policy issues such as children's mental health, Head Start, child abuse and neglect, and special education.

MFP application deadline is fast approaching

APA's Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) is accepting applications for its fellowship programs in psychology and neuroscience. The programs are designed to stimulate research interest in ethnic-minority mental health, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS, and to provide financial support and mentoring to doctoral students.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, enrolled full time in a psychology doctoral program at the time fellowships are awarded and demonstrate a commitment to research on ethnic-minority mental health, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS or neuroscience. MFP Fellowship applications are accepted through Jan. 15.

Applicants may download an application from the MFP Web site at www.apa.org/mfp, request an application via e-mail or write to APA/MFP Fellowship at the APA address.

Volunteer to spread the word about APA benefits

APA seeks university and college faculty members who are interested in disseminating information about APA and its resource offerings on their campuses. APA's Membership Department will send interested faculty tool kits, publications catalogs, applications and other materials and occasionally will ask faculty for their opinions about APA products. To join this nationwide network, contact Membership at the APA address; (800) 374-2721, ext. 5584; e-mail.

Comment on programs up for accreditation review

APA's Committee on Accreditation (CoA) invites comments and feedback from students, faculty and the general public on all psychology training programs that are scheduled for a 2004 CoA site visit and periodic review.

For a list of programs that are scheduled for review, instructions for submitting comments and feedback deadlines, visit www.apa.org/ed/accreditation. For instructions on how to provide comments, read the "Procedure for Provision of Third-Party Testimony" at www.apa.org/ed/implementingregs.html. For further information, contact APA's Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation at the APA address; (202) 336-5979.

Place your order for online journal article access

Dues-paid members and affiliates of APA who have ordered online access to PsycINFO's full text and abstract databases will receive confirmation from APA within four to six weeks of their order. Members who have ordered an electronic database within the past year will have until February to place another order to ensure continued access to the databases. To submit orders, visit http://members.apa.org/access. For more information on online access to journals and electronic subscriptions, go to http://members.apa.org. For immediate access to electronic databases, contact APA's Order Department at (800) 374-2721.

Early-career faculty: Apply for a grant to study health disparities

APA is requesting proposals for a small grants program aimed at promoting research and training on health-disparities issues at ethnic minority-serving institutions.

The program, called Promoting Psychological Research and Training on Health-Disparities Issues at Ethnic Minority-Serving Institutions Grants (ProDIGs), awards grants to early-career faculty--those who have completed their highest academic degree within the past 10 years--for the preparation of a funding application to a federal agency or foundation such as the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation. Five to seven grants of $5,000 to $6,500 each will be awarded per year.

About half of the grants will be given for preparation of research applications; the rest will be given for preparation of program- or curriculum-development applications. Awardees are expected to submit funding applications to federal agencies or private foundations within 24 months of receiving their grants.

All awardees are expected to attend a mandatory five- to seven-day professional development institute in Washington, D.C., next summer. Additional funds will be provided for travel costs.

The deadline for applications is Feb. 16. Grant applicants must have doctorates in psychology or a related discipline; applicants for program- or curriculum-development grants must have at minimum master's degrees in psychology or a related field. A faculty or research affiliation of greater than 0.50 FTE (full-time employee) at an accredited minority-serving institution is also required. Applicants must be APA members, U.S. citizens or permanent residents and have completed their highest academic degree within the past 10 years at the time of the grant award.

ProDIGs is funded by the APA Science Directorate's Academic Enhancement Initiative and administered by the APA Public Interest Directorate's Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs (OEMA) in collaboration with the APA Minority Fellowship Program.

For further information or an application, contact Sonja Preston of OEMA at (202) 336-6029; e-mail.

Look for your subscriptions renewal notice

Renewal notices for APA 2004 journal subscriptions will be sent out to members and affiliates in February. Direct subscriptions questions to Subscriptions; (800) 374-2721; (202) 336-5600; TDD: (202) 336-6123; fax: (202) 336-5568.

Check out APAGS leadership opportunities

Interested in a position on the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students Executive Committee? The application deadline for elected and appointed committee positions is Feb. 13. For more information and full position descriptions, visit www.apa.org/apags/getinv/posdesc.html.

Win a prize through APAGS member drive

The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) and the APA Membership Office are offering prizes to graduate student affiliates of APA who recruit new members in February. The student who recruits the most new members that month wins a $250 American Express gift check. A second place winner will be awarded a PDA, the third place winner will receive a $100 stipend, and three fourth-place winners will have their registration fee waived for APA's annual 2004 Convention in Honolulu. The first 400 students who submit three new student applications will receive a free APA publication manual. For more information and APAGS membership applications, contact Betsy Horrocks at (202) 216-7619; e-mail.

--J. CHAMBERLIN