Give APA your feedback on programs up for 2008 accreditation review

APA's Committee on Accreditation is accepting third-party testimony from students, faculty and consumers on all programs scheduled for site visits and periodic reviews during 2008.

Listings of the programs scheduled for review, programs applying for initial accreditation, instructions for provision of third-party comment and deadlines for filing comment can be found at www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/.

For details on how to provide testimony, refer to section 7 of the Accreditation Operating Procedures, located 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, or by calling (202) 336-5979.

Know of an innovative practice in graduate psychology?

APA's Board of Educational Affairs is accepting nominations for its Innovative Practices in Graduate Education in Psychology award, given to graduate departments of psychology. Departments may self-nominate or be nominated by others. For more information, go to www.apa.org/ed/graduate/innovative03.html. Submit nomination proposals by Nov. 15 to Joan Freund. To read about last year's winners, see the July/August Monitor.

APA welcomes student presentations at next year's convention

APA's 116th Annual Convention is set for Aug. 14–17, 2008, in Boston. Now is the time to think about presenting your work at psychology's most prestigious event. Visit www.apa.org/apags/convention/cfp05generalinfo.html for additional information.

Help recruit and retain ethnic-minority students

The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs awards two $1,000 grants each spring and three $1,000 grants each fall for projects that recruit, retain and enhance the training of ethnic-minority graduate psychology students.

Such projects include workshops, conferences, speaker series, mentorship programs and the development of student organizations that focus on multiculturalism or ethnic-minority concerns. Visit the APAGS's Web site at: www.apa.org/apags for more information.

Psychology departments are eligible for low-price subscriptions, publications

Psychology departments can access APA's many teaching and advising publications as well as subscriptions to APA magazines and newsletters for just $300 a year through APA's Psychology Department Program.

The 2007–08 program includes the new editions of "Career Paths in Psychology: Where Your Degree Can Take You" (APA, 2006); "Getting In: A Step-by-Step Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology"(APA, 2007); "Graduate Study in Psychology: 2008," (APA, 2007) the "Careers in Psychology" video, three complimentary student affiliate memberships, as well as subscriptions to the Monitor, gradPSYCH, the Psychology Teacher Network and The Educator. Departments can also receive PDP-NEWS, an online news source for psychology faculty and students. APA provides a link to participating psychology departments on the APA Web site. For more information, visit www.apa.org/ed/pcue/psydeptprog.html.

Participate in national conference on undergraduate psychology education

Examine the critical issues and concerns in undergraduate education at the National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology that will be held at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash., June 22–27, 2008.

APA's Board of Educational Affairs Steering Committee for the National Conference welcomes applications for participants. Most expenses for the conference, such as room costs, most food expenses, and transportation to and from the airport, will be covered by the University of Puget Sound, APA and other sources. Limited funding is available to assist participants who cannot cover their own travel costs. Applications are welcome from faculty at all institutions that offer undergraduate education or provide linkages to undergraduate education, such as high schools, graduate and professional schools, and employers.

To apply online, visit www.apa.org/ed.

The conference will have nine working groups, each primarily focused on one key question regarding undergraduate education in psychology and its linkages to high school, graduate and professional studies, and the world of work. Participants will work on a book chapter during and following the conference for the Handbook on Undergraduate Education in Psychology. APA will send reading materials to participants before the conference, so that groups can begin their task with a common body of knowledge about the group's topic. Applications must be received by Nov. 15. If you have any questions about the National Conference on Undergraduate Psychology or the application process, please contact Martha Boenau, Education Directorate, at the APA address.

Teaming up to tackle eating disorders

During the May annual meeting of the Academy for Eating Disorders, APA's Public Interest Government Relations Office (PI-GRO) staff gathered psychologists with expertise in the area to discuss this growing public health problem. The psychologists included Wayne Bowers, PhD, Cynthia Bulik, PhD, Doug Bunnell, PhD, Richard Gordon, PhD, Craig Johnson, PhD, Kelly Klump, PhD, Ruth Striegel-Moore, PhD, and Stephen Wonderlich, PhD.

Among the issues discussed were the need for increased support for research, work force challenges in the eating-disorders field, stigma related to these disorders, and concerns regarding accessibility, affordability and quality of clinical treatment. In addition, PI-GRO staff Joslyn Smith and Diane Elmore, PhD, shared recent federal policy initiatives related to eating disorders and circulated copies of the recent Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls.

The meeting was a first step toward enhancing collaboration between PI-GRO and psychology experts to address the growing needs of those affected by eating disorders. PI-GRO will continue to work with expert psychologists and members of Congress in support of legislation that focuses on positive body image, healthy eating habits, appropriate levels of physical activity, and improved self-esteem to address eating disorders, obesity, and co-occurring mental and behavioral health problems.

—D. SCHWARTZ