Ronald T. Brown, PhD

Candidates’ statements reflect their own views and do not represent the positions of APA or APA Services, Inc.

Issues facing APA include management of finances associated with recent headwinds (i.e., lower membership revenues and a declining rate of growth in publications coupled with inflation). Simultaneously, APA must negotiate the Model Licensure Act (MLA) with states so that we lead rather than simply respond to the shifting mental health landscape. Federal science is under threat. Allowing political appointees to override peer review will have consequences for psychological science that has woven an important thread in evidence-based practice. This will adversely impact general psychological science across specialties and will have a devastating effect on early-career psychologists. APA will need to negotiate the needs of practicing psychologists, educators, and researchers who may have different priorities. Financial priorities for APA will need to emanate from careful strategic planning by membership. In revisions to the MLA, APA will need to meet evolving workforce needs without compromising our ongoing commitment to educational quality and competencies. Regarding threats to funding NIH, these issues must be dealt with swiftly and through strong ongoing advocacy of policymakers so as to advance APA’s policy priorities in solidarity with our colleagues in closely aligned fields (e.g., ApA, AAP, APHA, ACE). This must be done without equivocation or compromising our core values and should not be done with insularity. Finally, for our early career colleagues who often are saddled with significant educational debt and increasing administrative demands, we must search for alternative employment models and advocate vigorously for appropriate and fair reimbursement as well as promote the unique value of doctoral-level psychological training.

Ron Brown, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical health psychologist with several decades of experience in pediatric psychology. His APA governance experience includes nearly a decade of service on the Council of Representatives, two terms as chair of the Board of Scientific Affairs, and service on the Board of Educational Affairs, where he chaired the APA Psychopharmacology Clinical Training Guidelines Task Force. Brown has chaired the Fellows’ Committee of APA and currently serves on the Publications and Communications Board. He has also chaired several APA task forces, including the evidence-based treatments for childhood disorders that addressed the use of psychotropic medication in combination with psychotherapy and was adopted by Council. A Fellow of Divisions 12, 16, 22, 28, 33, 37, 38, 40, 53, 54, and 55, Brown also brings 25 years of university leadership experience, including roles as president, dean, provost, and executive vice president for academic affairs at R1 institutions across the nation, where he managed budgets exceeding that of APA’s current recurring budget. As a clinical scientist, he has edited 3 major journals, including an APA journal, and has published more than 300 articles and book chapters as well as 12 books in psychopathology and psychopharmacology. He has also served on the NIH Behavioral Medicine and Outcomes Study Section and as a regular reviewer for the Office of Education. Brown has served on the Psychosocial Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics and was a member of the official Treatment Guidelines for the assessment and management of ADHD.