Soon many of us will be in Seattle or on our computers attending APA 2024, our largest, most diverse event of the year. We’ll be meeting with cherished colleagues and friends and meeting new ones as well.
As always, there is so much to explore. A central part of my presidential programming, which I developed with input from many respected colleagues, focuses on one of my main passions: how psychologists can improve treatment and outcomes for our nation’s immigrants. Some of these vibrant and diverse people, who make up 14% of our country’s population, face grave threats to their health and futures. To bring this subject to life, members of my APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration and Health will share their experiences visiting asylum seekers in respite centers and migrant camps on the U.S.-Mexico border. They will also discuss findings from a new report that updates Crossroads (PDF, 409KB), the landmark APA document on the psychology of immigration developed in 2012 by then-APA President Melba Vasquez, PhD.
Other presidential programming will examine how the tools of compassion and healing can help bridge the many divides in our country, and how clinicians and researchers can improve child and school safety so we’ll never have a tragedy like what happened in Uvalde again. One research takeaway—and an important nugget for advocacy work—is that when schools adopt hardened measures like installing metal detectors and giving teachers guns, schools become less safe. We are also developing a Spanish language track for some of these programs.
APA is also proud to be hosting Main Stages focused on some of the most pressing issues we face as a society, including how to fight back against misinformation, how AI is going to shape our field, and the importance of building connection. We’ll also highlight some of the best new science on timely topics like what psychologists need to know in a post-Roe v. Wade world, how anti-EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) policies are affecting teens and young people of color, and how psychological science can improve human-technology interactions.
All of these topics can grip our professional imaginations, but let’s not forget our social selves. Psychologists work hard all year, and convention is a time for celebrating each other. I can’t wait to see you at APA 2024!
