In recognition of their commitment, dedication, and leadership in advancing strategies to achieve health equity, the 2021 Presidential Task Force on Psychology and Health Equity was awarded an APA Presidential Citation.
With vision, determination, and intentionality that ensured an inclusive and collaborative process, the 2021 Presidential Task Force on Psychology and Health Equity (PTFPHE), co-chaired by Kisha Holden, PhD; and Geoffrey Reed, PhD; with members Margarita Alegría, PhD; Art Blume, PhD; Jo Linder Crow, PhD; Terry S. Gock, PhD; Kristina Hood, PhD; Elizabeth McQuaid, PhD; Greg Miller, PhD, W. Jahmal Miller, MHA, DHL; John Ruiz, PhD; Idia Thurston, PhD; and Leo Wilton, PhD, worked selflessly and tirelessly throughout this year and through a pandemic with tremendous commitment in a process that culminated in a ground-breaking Resolution on Advancing Health Equity in Psychology for APA, adopted by the 2021 APA Council of Representatives with an unprecedented approval rate of 100%.
The PTFPHE was charged with exposing longstanding inequities within the association and the field. More so, based on a review of relevant research, community-based initiatives, and policy work, the Task Force was responsible for producing comprehensive recommendations articulating a vision for the role of psychology in advancing health equity. Specific recommendations were provided to promote innovative approaches for psychological science, education and training, psychological practice, public policy, and legislative advocacy. The work was complex—as many inequities are driven by social determinants of health and the well-established systems that perpetuate the inequities. The PTFPHE’s visionary leadership and active collaborative consultations were seminal in delivering comprehensive recommendations designed to affirm the association’s commitment. The PTFPHE has provided a foundation for the long-term infrastructure necessary to sustain efforts over time along with a roadmap for how all parts of the association and the field can work in concert to advance health equity. The resolution strengthens APA’s standing as an authoritative voice for psychology and places psychology and psychological science—across all areas of psychology at the forefront of solving critical and complex social issues to achieve health equity. The PTFPHE’s work serves as a reference for psychologists, providing critical guidance in support of a bold active approach to enacting measurable change with sustained impact.
Therefore, in recognition of the PTFPHE’s vision of a more equitable association and field that honors unwavering commitment to employing psychology to improve population health, increase access to services, and reduce disparities in pursuit of advancing heath equity, human rights, fairness, diversity, and inclusion through the application of psychological science and practice, I, Jennifer F. Kelly, PhD, 2021 APA president, honor the 2021 Presidential Task Force on Psychology and Health Equity with this Presidential Citation.