Public interest sessions at convention, though diverse, have a unified goal of better mental health for all populations.
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APA's Public Interest Directorate and Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) are sponsoring convention programming on topics ranging from socioeconomic status's impact on mental health to child maltreatment to fighting racism. In addition, three psychologists will receive Public Interest Awards. This year's recipients and their awards and presentations are:

* Thomas Coates, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, 2004 Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy Award, "Preventing transmission of HIV: accomplishments, future directions and implications for other diseases," Friday, July 30, 11 a.m.

* Susan Limber, PhD, Clemson University, Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest (Early Career) Award, "Reflections on bullying prevention in a post-Columbine era," Saturday, July 31, 10 a.m.

* Dante Cicchetti, PhD, Yale University, Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest (Senior Career) Award, "An odyssey of discovery: lessons learned from three decades of research on child maltreatment," Saturday, July 31, 11 a.m.

Other public interest programming highlights are:

* "The impact of socioeconomic status on mental health," Saturday, July 31, 11 a.m. This session, chaired by Diana Slaughter-Defoe, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, will feature discussion of poverty and socioeconomic status as they affect various public interest constituencies, including aging populations, people living with HIV/AIDS, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, children, youth and families, and women. Featured speakers include Bernice Lott, PhD, University of Rhode Island; Allan Noonan, MD, Office of the Surgeon General; Vickie Mays, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles; and Forrest Scogin, PhD, University of Alabama.

* "The implementation of the multicultural guidelines," Friday, July 30, 10 a.m. This presentation, sponsored by BAPPI and APA Div. 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues), will promote and explore applications of the APA Multicultural Guidelines. The session's chair is Patricia Arredondo, EdD, of Arizona State University. Participants will discuss how they've implemented the guidelines in research, education and training, organizational development and policy development.

Presenters include Louise Silverstein, PhD, Ferkauf Graduate School, Yeshiva University, Bronx, N.Y.; Gregory Hinrichsen, PhD, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, N.Y.; Nadya Fouad, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Jacquie Resnick, PhD, University of Florida, Gainesville; and Michael D'Andrea, EdD, University of Hawaii, Manoa.

* "The crisis in children's mental health: a well-kept secret," Friday, July 30, 10 a.m. This symposium from APA's Task Force on Psychology's Agenda for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, chaired by Barry Anton, PhD, of the University of Puget Sound, will examine gaps in mental health services to children. Speakers include Kimberly Hoagwood, PhD, Columbia University; Patrick Tolan, PhD, Institute for Juvenile Research; Karen Saywitz, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles; and Nadine Kaslow, PhD, Emory School of Medicine.

* "Carrying APA's commitment against racism forward into national and international contexts: perspectives of indigenous peoples," Friday, July 30, 11 a.m. This session is a collaboration between APA's Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA) and the Committee on International Relations in Psychology (CIRP) to highlight the success of APA's delegation to the U.N. World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, which took place in South Africa in 2002. The session will be sponsored by CIRP and co-hosted by CEMA and Divs. 9 (Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues), 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues) and 48 (Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence). It will be chaired by CEMA Chair Tawa M. Witko, PsyD, of Kyle, S.D., and will include a talk by Corann Okorodudu, EdD, of Rowen University in New Jersey and APA's main nongovernmental organization representative to the United Nations, and an invited keynote speech by Mililani Trask, JD, of the U.N. Human Rights Commission Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples.

A related conversation hour, sponsored by APA's Div. 9 and supported by CEMA, CIRP and Divs. 45 and 48, will be held on Saturday, July 31, at 3 p.m., and will be chaired by APA's James Jones, PhD, and led by Trask, Okorodudu, A.J. Franklin, PhD, of the City University of New York, APA's Bertha G. Holliday, PhD, and Carlota Ocampo, PhD, of Trinity College in Washington, D.C.

* Giving away psychology: APA's national and local contributions to prevention, Friday, July 30, 8 a.m. The session will feature two Public Interest Directorate programs--the ACT (Adults and Children Together) Against Violence program and the Behavioral Social Science Volunteer program--as well as the APA Practice Directorate's resilience campaign. The session will be chaired by Jacquelyn Gentry, PhD, former director of APA public interest initiatives. Speakers include John Anderson, PhD, director of APA's Office on AIDS, Julia Silva, project development coordinator for APA's Public Interest Directorate, and Helen Mitternight, associate executive director for public relations in APA's Practice Directorate.

--COMPILED BY APA'S PUBLIC INTEREST DIRECTORATE