Jennifer Wisdom, PhD, MPH, is a Professor of Health Policy and Management and Director of the Center for Innovation in Mental Health at the Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy at the City University of New York in New York City.
Dr. Wisdom received her PhD in clinical psychology from The George Washington University and her MPH in biostatistics and epidemiology from Oregon Health and Science University.
Tell us a bit about your background: What is your area of research? What is your most recent journal-editing experience?
I am trained as a clinical psychologist and health services researcher. I work in the area of how to improve service delivery, focusing on the intersection of leadership, management, and process improvement.
I tend to work as a bridge, connecting clinical and research, management and staff, qualitative and quantitative methods, process improvement and service delivery.
I enjoy working in that nexus and am delighted to work with George Yancey on The Psychologist-Manager Journal (TPMJ) to continue that approach.
Briefly, what are your main priorities? For example, how will you grow readership, what type of scholarship would you like to see in the journal, and what kind of content are you hoping to attract?
I am passionate about management and leadership.
Most psychologists – even those whose primary focus is clinical services or research – use management skills in their day-to-day professional lives whether they realize it or not. Many of us could improve our efficiency, effectiveness, goal clarity, or staff relationships by implementing simple management techniques.
As a mixed methods and implementation science researcher, I am especially interested in seeing mixed methods studies and studies that look at how to implement strategies to improve efficiency through management and leadership.
Why is this journal important for the field? What is its relevance to society/public health? What are the hot issues in your area right now?
In my field of health services research, there's a strong interest in leadership and I think an underappreciation of management skills.
Many health leaders do not receive training in how to be leaders or managers, and sometimes the best clinician isn't equipped to be the strongest leader. And many of those who provide services undervalue the difference management skills can have in improving their organization's bottom line, effectiveness, and morale.
In both health services and in other fields, I would like TPMJ to be a major resource for psychologists who want to increase their skills and knowledge in management.
Editor Spotlight features interviews with the newly-appointed editors of APA Journals.
APA Journals produces an array of scholarly journals that cover the spectrum of modern psychology and feature the latest research in the field.
Conceptualized as a hybrid between a journal and a professional guide to good managerial practice, The Psychologist-Manager Journal is directed at the practicing psychologist-manager.