APA Division 20: Adult Development and Aging strives to collaborate with other divisions to enact the principles of age inclusivity and anti-agism at any stage in human development with a focus on infusing aging and adult development throughout psychological science, practice, and policy. As an APA “hub” division, we shaped our call for program, focusing on the intersection of topics that address issues of community engagement, implementation science, intergenerational relationships, and career development. Specifically, Division 20 presidential priorities that shaped our call for proposals include:
- implementation science and community-engaged translation of aging research;
- novel perspectives and approaches to person-centered and culturally responsive intergenerational engagement; and
- the science of mentorship, career development, and advocacy in the psychology of aging.
Based on submissions to Division 20 for the APA 2026 Convention, these cross-cutting topics faced by clinicians and researchers have supported inter-divisional collaboration.
A major accomplishment over the past year was our involvement in a CODAPAR-funded project, “Leveraging Psychological Science to Advance Economic Justice,” that brought together an interdisciplinary coalition of APA divisions to address poverty and economic inequality through a psychological science lens. Participating divisions included:
- Division 9 (Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues), Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology),
- Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging),
- Division 27 (Society for Community Research and Action),
- Division 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women),
- Division 37 (Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice),
- Division 38 (Society for Health Psychology), and
- Division 41 (American Psychology–Law Society).
The purpose of the grant was to leverage psychological science to advance economic justice by synthesizing evidence on the causes and consequences of poverty and economic inequality, assessing promising practices and interventions, and translating this knowledge into concrete, actionable policy recommendations. The project produced a comprehensive, multifaceted analysis demonstrating how psychological science can inform effective public policy by producing a coordinated set of policy briefs highlighting state-of-the-field psychological research related to poverty and economic inequality. Division 20 contributed a completed policy brief authored by Walter R. Boot, PhD, Marguerite DeLiema, PhD, and Shinae L. Choi, PhD. The Division 20 brief focused on financial exploitation of older adults as a critical economic justice issue, synthesizing psychological research on the scope of exploitation, age-related vulnerabilities, and the emotional, physical, and economic consequences of victimization. It highlighted how emerging technologies, including AI-enabled scams, are increasing risks for older adults and advanced policy recommendations emphasizing the preservation and strengthening of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, increased federal investment in research, and shared responsibility for fraud prevention across financial institutions, technology companies, and regulators.
A second major accomplishment involved our close collaboration with the APA Committee on Aging (CONA). We supported the development and review of APA policy statements and resolutions, including the upcoming (revised) resolution on Palliative and End-of-Life Care coauthored by Rebecca S. Allen, PhD, ABPP, and Cecilia Poon, PhD, ABPP, along with other CONA members, many of whom also are members of Division 20. We plan to continue these activities through supporting the hard work of our Division 20 Council Representatives.
Finally, Division 20 successfully hosted mentoring events, including the well-received "Museum with the Mentors" program at the 2025 APA meeting. This event connected trainees, early-career psychologists, and seasoned professionals in the fields of adult development and aging. We plan to replicate this successful event at this year’s convention.