APA adopts racial equity action plan
APA’s new Racial Equity Action Plan outlines the next steps to prioritize and operationalize the commitments in the October 2021 apology for psychology’s role in contributing to racism. The plan will ensure racial equity is embedded and sustained throughout all aspects of the association’s work. It is divided into five sections: Knowledge Production, Health, APA/Workforce, Training of Psychologists, and Education. Among the recommendations is a commitment to improving the psychology workforce by advocating for inclusive practices for recruitment, hiring, and promotion and pay equity and to redesigning traditional methodologies used in psychological research to insure equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The association has already begun laying the foundation needed to implement the plan by creating a new Leadership Development Institute that will be committed to cultivating leaders who can advance EDI work and by launching the Racial Equity Fund, which will support research and other work related to the priorities and principles articulated in the plan.
Advanced methods and data analysis
APA is offering a series of free science training sessions throughout the fall for early career and senior investigators and grad students on the collection and analysis of intensive longitudinal data in psychological science. All five sessions are led by experts in the field. Recordings of the sessions will be made available to APA members and to all registrants approximately two weeks after each live seminar.
Subscribe to Editor’s Choice
APA’s new Editor’s Choice newsletter is a biweekly compilation of the most noteworthy and impactful APA journal articles, selected by APA journal editors. Each article is free for Editor’s Choice subscribers for 30 days. Register online.
Speaking of Psychology
Stanford University’s Geoffrey L. Cohen, PhD, joins APA’s Speaking of Psychology podcast to talk about why humans feel a fundamental need to belong; how threats to belonging drive racial and gender achievement gaps and political polarization; and how “wise interventions” that increase people’s sense of belonging can help solve social problems. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Weigh in on bylaw changes
APA’s Council of Representatives has voted to submit three proposed bylaws amendments for members to vote on in November. The first amendment would align the mission of the Membership Board with its current practice of providing guidance on membership engagement. The second amendment calls for associate members to have voting privileges after 1 year instead of 5 years. The third amendment would add a graduate student member to the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest, the Board of Convention Affairs, the Board of Educational Affairs, the Board of Professional Affairs, the Board of Scientific Affairs, the Membership Board, and the Policy and Planning Board.
The proposed bylaws amendments can be reviewed online. The ballot will be emailed to the voting membership on Nov. 1. Members without email addresses on file will receive a postcard with voting instructions. To update your contact information, email Membership or call (800) 374-2721.
Cast your ballot for APA president
APA members are voting for APA’s 2024 president through Oct. 29. The four candidates are Kirk J. Schneider, PhD, Cynthia de las Fuentes, PhD, Diana L. Prescott, PhD, and Beth N. Rom-Rymer, PhD. Video interviews with each candidate as well as details on their expertise and priorities for APA are posted online, where you can also find videos and statements from the candidates for APA’s Board of Directors. Access your ballot on your APA member profile page until Oct. 31. Send questions about the election to Elections.
Apply for APA funding
Applications open in October for the Minority Fellowship Program’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowshipsopens in new window. The doctoral fellowship is for those pursuing PhDs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology; the postdoctoral fellowship is aimed at early career doctoral recipients interested in developing a career in behavioral health services or policy. APA is also accepting applications for the Interdisciplinary Minority Fellowship Program for ethnic minority graduate students who aim to improve care for racial and ethnic minorities with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, and for the Services for Transition Age Youth Fellowship for students in terminal master’s programs in psychology who are training to provide mental health services to transition age youth—ages 16 through 25—and their families.