Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI): 2011 Annual Report

The Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) shall consist of not fewer than ten members elected for three-year terms. Nine of the members must be members of the American Psychological Association. The tenth member shall be a public member appointed by BAPPI for up to a three-year term. This person can serve for a second consecutive term if warranted and appropriate. The mission of BAPPI shall be to encourage the generation and application of psychological knowledge on issues important to human well-being. It shall have general concern for those aspects of psychology that involve solutions to the fundamental problems of human justice and that promote equitable and just treatment of all segments of society. BAPPI shall encourage the utilization and dissemination of psychological knowledge to advance equal opportunity and to foster empowerment of those who do not share equitably in society's resources.

The Board shall be concerned with increasing scientific understanding and training in regard to those aspects that pertain to, but are not limited to culture, class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age and disability. The Board shall support improving educational and training opportunities for all persons in psychology and continue the promotion of culturally sensitive models for the delivery of psychological services. The Board shall be sensitive to the entire range of APA activities as they pertain to the mission of this Board and make recommendations regarding ethically and socially responsible actions by APA when appropriate. The composition of the Board shall reflect diversity in terms of ethnic minorities, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities and religion, as well as the range of interests’ characteristic of psychology in all its aspects.

The members of BAPPI in 2011 were: Douglas C. Haldeman, PhD (Chair); Asuncion Miteria Austria, PhD; Y. Barry Chung, PhD; J. Douglas McDonald, PhD; Joan S. Meier, JD (Public Member); Linda R. Mona, PhD; Allen Omoto, PhD; Luis A. Vargas, PhD; Karen F. Wyche, PhD (Chair-Elect); and Antonette M. Zeiss, PhD.

Drs. Haldeman, Austria, Zeiss and Public Member, Joan Meier completed their terms on the Board at the conclusion of 2011. Toni C. Antonucci, PhD; Meg A. Bond, PhD; Priscilla Dass-Brailsford, EdD; and Claire Guthrie Gastañaga (Public Member) will join BAPPI beginning in January 2012.

In keeping with its focus on the goals and objectives of the APA Strategic Plan, BAPPI has identified the theme of Health Disparities as it's topic for convention programming in 2012. Hours assigned to BAPPI will be used for addressing aspects of health disparities from a number of perspectives: social, political institutional, and educational. This year, the Board has invited Public Interest committees to come up with compelling ways to present the importance of implementing psychological knowledge and practice into action to rectify health disparities, to identify the ways in which certain institutions and systems create and support health disparities, and how health disparities impact everyone.

BAPPI will sponsor the following sessions during the 2012 APA Convention in Orlando, FL:

• Immigration, Race and Disparities: Health Care, Education, Employment
  Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA); Committee on Disabilities in Psychology (CDIP); Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns (CLGBTC); ad hoc Committee on Psychology and AIDS (COPA); Committee on Socioeconomic Status (CSES); Committee on Children, Youth, and Families (CYF); and Committee on Women in Psychology (CWP)

• Women Under Siege: Disparities and Despair
  Committee on Women in Psychology (CWP); Committee on Socioeconomic Status (CSES); Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA); Committee on Disabilities in Psychology (CDIP); and ad hoc Committee on Psychology and AIDS (COPA)

• Promoting the Health and Wellness of Women with Disabilities
  Committee on Women in Psychology (CWP); Committee on Socioeconomic Status (CSES); Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA); Committee on Disabilities in Psychology (CDIP); and Committee on Aging (CONA)

• The Geriatric Mental Health Workforce: Current Initiatives and Critical Issues
  Committee on Aging (CONA)

• Expanding the application of telehealth service models to underserved populations with chronic illnesses and disability
  Committee on Disabilities in Psychology (CDIP)

• Addressing Obesity and Health Disparities in the Nation’s Children
  Committee on Socioeconomic Status (CSES); Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA); Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology (CDIP); Committee on Rural Health (CRH); and Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP - Division 54)

• Assisting Members of Vulnerable/Underserved Populations Affected by Natural Disasters
  Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA); Committee on Disabilities in Psychology (CDIP); Committee on Aging (CONA); and Committee on Rural Health (CRH)

The Board convened for a one-day retreat the day before the fall consolidated meetings were held on November 4-6, 2011. The board examined its policies and procedures and brainstormed regarding ideas, projects, meetings, etc. for the future.

The Public Interest Communications staff shared a detailed presentation on how the Public Interest Directorate is mobilizing various forms of social media to educate and inform APA members and others about the many directorate programs and activities.

The APA Presidential Task Force on Preventing Discrimination and Promoting Diversity was established by 2011 APA President Melba Vasquez, PhD to identify and promote interventions that prevent and counteract the deleterious effects of bias, prejudice, and discrimination, and encourage and support inclusion, respect, and appreciation of diversity. The task force developed a report emphasizing the psychological science related to discrimination and diversity, with a focus on socially marginalized and discriminated groups, and the myriad benefits to all when the potential, capacity, and talent of all members of society are optimally developed and realized. The report will address how these issues impact groups for whom discrimination is an issue. The final report will go before the Council of Representatives in February 2012 to be received.

The APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration, a major initiative identified by 2011 President Melba Vasquez, PhD, was charged with developing an evidence-based report that addresses the psychological factors related to the experience of immigration, with particular attention to the mental and behavioral health needs of immigrants across the lifespan and the effects of acculturation, prejudice/discrimination, and immigration policy on individuals, families, and society. Specifically, the task force’s report addresses relevant subpopulations of immigrants (i.e., children/adolescents, refugees/asylum seekers, individuals from diverse countries of origin, documented and undocumented individuals, and other vulnerable subpopulations), the benefits and consequences of immigration, health disparities, and other relevant and timely issues. The final report, Crossroads: The Psychology of Immigration in the New Century will go before the Council of Representatives in February 2012 to be received.

An extensive review is underway to update of the Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists (2002). A working group is being convened, reporting through BAPPI. Drs. Nadya Fouad and Patricia Arredondo are providing leadership as co-chairs. Both Drs. Fouad and Arrendondo served on the working group that originally developed the Multicultural Guidelines, and are currently identifying and contacting experts to serve as reviewers. These Guidelines were developed in 2002 with the goals of providing psychologists with: (1) a rationale and needs for addressing multiculturalism and diversity in education, training, research, practice, and organizational change; (2) basic information, relevant terminology, current empirical research from psychology and related disciplines, and other data that support the proposed Guidelines and underscore their importance; (3) references to enhance on-going education, training, research, practice, and organizational change methodologies; and (4) paradigms that broaden the purview of psychology as a profession. According to APA policy, guidelines must be assessed for relevance and accuracy at least every 10 years. The review process for the Multicultural Guidelines is slated for completion by the end of 2013.