Candidates for APA President
As the largest psychological organization in the world, APA should take the lead in making psychology an influential presence. How would you go about realizing this goal?
Work with and expand our presence in international organizations, such as the International Congress of Psychology and International Union of Psychology-U.S. psychologist, Dr. Bruce Overmier, is president. Invite leaders from other nations to liaison with APA governance, as we are doing with minority psychological associations. Create stronger connections with psychological associations in other countries and initiate collaborative projects to develop international standards for psychological education, training and practice. These collaborations will support our multicultural/diversity efforts within APA. Expand NIH funding for international collaborative research in psychology. Join with other countries to make psychology a household word through the world.
Our declining membership in the association (pronounced in some divisions) has been attributed to the aging of our members, declining birthrates, inability to attract members of color and so forth. What implications does this have for the association and how would you address its potential impact?
Psychologists across the nation say they don't see APA representing their interests (scientifically, practice or in policies) and incomes are dropping so they believe they can't afford to be members. We need to make APA attractive to our young scientists and practitioners, broaden our inclusion of diverse viewpoints in social policies and improve the declining economic outlook for psychologists. Many members do not realize how APA serves our professional needs-an internal public relations issue. To continue to be a strong organization, we must improve communication between APA and you, the member. For more, see my Web site: www.bcm.tmc.edu/familymed/jbray.
