Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI): 2014 Annual Report

The Board of the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) shall be to encourage the generation and application of psychological knowledge on issues important to human well-being. It shall have general concern for those aspects of psychology that involve solutions to the fundamental problems of human justice and that promote equitable and just treatment of all segments of society. BAPPI shall encourage the utilization and dissemination of psychological knowledge to advance equal opportunity and to foster empowerment of those who do not share equitably in society's resources.

The board shall be concerned with increasing scientific understanding and training in regard to those aspects that pertain to but are not limited to culture, class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age and disability. The board shall support improving educational and training opportunities for all persons in psychology and continue the promotion of culturally sensitive models for the delivery of psychological services. The board shall be sensitive to the entire range of APA activities as they pertain to the mission of this Board and make recommendations regarding ethically and socially responsible actions by APA when appropriate. The composition of the board shall reflect diversity in terms of ethnic minorities, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities and religion, as well as the range of interests characteristic of psychology in all its aspects.

BAPPI met during the Spring Consolidated Meetings on March 21-23, 2014, and during the Fall Consolidated Meetings on Oct. 31 – Nov. 2, 2014. BAPPI members also met individually with their respective committees during the first round of Consolidated Meetings, Sept. 19-21, 2014.

The members of BAPPI in 2014 were: Toni Antonucci, PhD (chair); M. Dolores Cimini, PhD (chair-elect); Meg A. Bond, PhD; Priscilla Dass-Brailsford, EdD; Linda M. Forrest, PhD; Claire G. Gastañaga, JD (public member); Gary W. Harper, PhD, MPH; Gayle S. Morse, PhD; William D. Parham, PhD; and Elizabeth M. Vera, PhD.

Antonucci, Bond and Dass-Brailsford completed their terms on the board at the conclusion of 2014. Michele Harway, PhD, Jack Tsai, PhD, and Erlanger “Earl” Turner, PhD joined BAPPI beginning in January 2015.

During the Public Interest Plenary held during Round I Consolidated Meetings, Public Interest Committee chairs-elect reported on the activities and accomplishments of their respective groups over the past year, and received commendation for the quality, amount and relevance of their work. Each committee provided BAPPI with a summary sheet that highlighted activities, initiatives and projects (current and upcoming).

During the spring 2014 consolidated meetings, BAPPI developed the following convention theme for 2015: "The Many Faces of Violence:  Perpetrators, Victims, Survivors, Bystanders and Colluders."

Interpersonal and inter-group violence are critical societal issues that can dramatically affect health and well-being, both locally and globally. Issues associated with violence are often the subject of discussion and considerable debate. This conference theme will examine and deconstruct the complex issue of violence in our society by examining its theoretical underpinnings; analyzing contributing factors at multiple levels of analysis (individual, interpersonal, community and societal); highlighting applications for research, clinical practice and policy; and identifying future directions and challenges to psychology and society.

BAPPI will sponsor the following session during the 2015 APA Annual Convention in Toronto:

• "Intimate Partner Violence and HIV: Intersectionality and the Accumulation of Risk"
  Commmittee on Psychology and AIDS; Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology; Committee on Children, Youth and Families; Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs; Committee on Aging; Committee on Women in Psychology; Committee on Socioeconomic Status; Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns; and Committee on Rural Health.

During its December 2014 meeting, the board of directors approved funding for a Public Interest (PI) Leadership Conference to address issues of information dissemination, implementation science and increasing psychology’s visibility as a critical player in solving societal problems, such as chronic health conditions. The PI directorate and its committees generate numerous reports and other products that are of importance to the field and have direct relevance to the public. However, shaping and delivering information to sources that could best use it in ways they are most likely to understand and accept has been much less effective. As APA positions psychology as a health profession and works to expand psychology’s role in advancing health (strategic goal 2), it is imperative that we more effectively move psychological research to wider and more focused audiences than is presently the case. Likewise, as APA works to increase recognition of psychology as a science (strategic goal 3), we must increase awareness of the scientific underpinnings of our health and social practice and policy. It is also important to provide our divisions and affiliates with the tools to accomplish these goals. The opportunities to improve dissemination and increase APA member engagement afforded by a leadership conference relates clearly to strategic goal 1 in APA Strategic Plan.

The Public Interest Leadership Conference will be designed to improve psychology’s effectiveness in disseminating and increasing uptake of our messages to policy makers, other professions, agency officials and consumers. Although the conference will target communicating directly with policy makers, agency officials and professionals in health and other areas, the information and skills acquired through conference participation should increase the effectiveness of messaging to broader topics than those specifically addressed. Better understanding of effective methods for dissemination and implementation of research will improve psychologists’ reach and image as professionals in a variety of health and policy arenas.

The conference is planned for two and a half days. Potential features of the conference include plenary presentations, breakout sessions and networking sessions. Conference participants will receive skills-based training on advocacy and communication. For some attendees who sign up in advance, APA will arrange visits to congressional offices as a practical experience to build on the advocacy and communication training.

Audiences

Psychologists are the primary audience for the conference, including members of BAPPI, representatives of its committees, division representatives and representatives from other associated psychological groups. As the development of the design of the conference advances, opportunities may emerge to include professionals with relevant expertise from federal agencies, foundations and organizations critical to advancing psychology’s agenda.

Expected Outcomes

Expected outcomes will be evaluated through such mechanisms as number of Hill visits, post-conference survey including information about collaborations and new knowledge gained, and other methods.

The Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest was asked to develop a response to the main motion proposed in Council NBI 25D: The National Violence Project by Frank Farley, PhD, representing the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32). 

Council New Business Item #25: The National Violence Project (Main Motion)

Create a task force to examine the state of knowledge concerning the causes and needed research of all categories of human violence, and propose evidence-based solutions as well as more provisional solutions if appropriate. Join with other cognate organizations including government, in a task force of approximately 20 individuals, to work for no more than one year, resulting in a report with a press conference and wide dissemination via old and new media.

BAPPI spent a great deal of time over several meetings discussing possible ways to respond to this motion. In light of APA’s longstanding commitment to understanding and addressing violence and violence prevention, BAPPI first saw a need to catalog prior and current efforts. Most recently, during the Round I meetings, Sept. 19-21, 2014, BAPPI again discussed NBI25D. 

The board noted the following:

The goals outlined in NBI25D are critical, and psychology has substantial expertise to offer these issues. However, BAPPI determined that with the wealth of information currently available and with the current efforts underway to address violence and violence prevention, both inside APA and from other sources, APA resources would be better used in furthering the implementation of existing efforts. BAPPI, in consultation with the mover, recommended withdrawal of this item. During the February 2015 meeting, included on the consent agenda, The Council of Representatives approved the main motion, BAPPI’s recommendation to withdraw the item.

BAPPI members identified several areas of concern regarding the draft 2002 Multicultural Guidelines submitted for review and approval.  Member’s listed several recommendations for enhancing the document and making it more useful, based on their own assessments and in consideration of feedback from groups that had also reviewed updated drafts, including BPA, BEA and COPPS. BAPPI concluded that a new, expanded charge and framework be established and implemented. Of particular importance, BAPPI determined that the draft document as submitted focused primarily on ethnic minority issues, rather than broader multicultural issues, and that the substantial changes necessary to bring the guidelines up to date with the focus clearly re-defined would require an established task force. 

As such, BAPPI recommended that a task force be convened twice in 2015 to craft a set of guidelines based on recent literature relative to racial and ethnic  diversity, followed by a second task force focused on a more global, intersectional, multicultural focus. Funding was approved by the Board of Directors (December 2014) for purposes of updating guidelines, and staffing support will be provided by the Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs. 

BAPPI noted the importance of ensuring that the work of the new task force and ultimate final set of guidelines honor the significant efforts and many contributions of those who developed the current draft from its inception, particularly Fouad and Arredondo and many others who have and are expected to be integral to this new initiative. It is BAPPI’s intent that these guidelines continue to serve as the state-of-the-science in multicultural competency education and training, service delivery and research. To that end, BAPPI has recommended that the 2002 Multicultural Guidelines be separated into two distinct sets of guidelines, 1) a set of “umbrella” guidelines that addresses broad issues across all underserved and marginalized populations, and 2) a separate set of guidelines focused specifically on race/ethnicity and the particular psychological issues and needs of people of color in the United States. Furthermore, BAPPI determined that the race and ethnicity guidelines would be developed first.

The Committee on Psychology in the Public Interest Awards chose the following recipients to receive the Public Interest Awards at APA's 2014 Annual Convention, Aug. 7-10, 2014, in Washington, D.C.: 

Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest — Senior Career

Gary B. Melton, PhD, was appointed to the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect under the presidency of George H. W. Bush. He became a major architect in conceptualizing a system that, if accepted and instituted, would remake state and county child welfare programs nationwide. Melton developed a plan for the production of the report, including an ambitious background research effort to support changes in our child welfare so that children would be safer. His record (in the area of publications focused on law, psychology and public policy as applied to child and family issues) qualifies as the most distinguished among living psychologists. Melton has published nearly 350 chapters, articles or books on diverse topics of child and family policy and psychology. He has compiled a remarkable record of accomplishment in advocacy for children and families of great depth and substantial international scope.

Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy

Lonnie R. Snowden, Jr. , PhD, perhaps more than any other clinical/community psychologist, addressed disparities in access and quality of mental health care from a mental health policies, systems and program perspective. Snowden is professor at the University of California, Berkeley in the School of Public Health’s Health Policy and Management Program. Snowden’s 135 publications include two articles published in the American Psychologist, one cited over 300 times, as well as two chapters in the Annual Review of Psychology and one in the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. Snowden’s research of the financing and organization of mental health services has important implications for current health care reform policy. Snowden represents the best among psychologist doing research with critical public policy implications.

The Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest Senior Career Award

Recognizes an individual whose single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of outstanding contributions meet one or more of the following criteria: (a) courageous and distinctive contribution(s) in the science or practice of psychology that significantly supports efforts toward a solution to one of the world’s intransigent social problems; (b) distinctive and innovative contribution(s) that makes the science and/or practice of psychology more accessible to a broad and diverse population; and (c) an integration of the science and practice of psychology that serves the public interest and advances social justice and human welfare.

The Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest Early Career Award 

Recognizes an individual whose single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of outstanding contributions meet one or more of the following criteria: (a) courageous and distinctive contribution(s) in the science or practice of psychology that significantly supports efforts toward a solution to one of the world’s intransigent social problems; (b) distinctive and innovative contribution(s) that makes the science and/or practice of psychology more accessible to a broad and diverse population; and (c) an integration of the science and practice of psychology that serves the public interest and advances social justice and human welfare. To be eligible for this award, the nominee’s terminal degree (generally a doctorate in psychology) must have been conferred no more than 10 years prior to the award year. For the 2016 award, nominees must have received this degree during or since 2006.

The APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy 

Will honor an individual who has made a distinguished empirical and/or theoretical contribution to psychological research in public policy, either through a single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of work dedicated to informing public policy through psychological understanding. Examples of relevant achievements include research leading others to view specific public policies differently; research demonstrating the importance of the application of psychological methods and theory to public policy; or research clarifying the ways scientific knowledge of human behavior informs public policy.

Each award recipient will receive $1,000 honorarium, an opportunity to present an invited address at the 2016 APA Convention in Denver, Colorado and an invitation to submit a paper to the American Psychologist^® on the topic of the address. Honorees will also be granted a waiver of 2016 convention registration fees and reimbursement of up to $1,500 in expenses related to attendance at the 2016 convention.

The BAPPI Committee on Public Interest Awards will evaluate each nomination based on the extent to which the nominee has exhibited knowledge and/or experience with the criteria identified in the above description of each award.