Board of Scientific Affairs (BSA): 2022 Annual Report

Board Members: Fred L. Oswald (Chair), Jermaine Jones (Chair-Elect); Carmela Alcantara, PhD; Tammy D. Allen, PhD; J. Gayle Beck, PhD; Aprile Benner, PhD; Amanda Carrico, PhD; Suparna Rajaram, PhD.

Staff Liaisons: Andre D. Mansion, PhD, JD and Suzanne Wandersman

BSA and Division 14 (Society for Industrial-Organization Psychology) held a joint symposium entitled: Population Health at Work – Improving the World and Ourselves. The session addressed APA’s high-priority focus on the unique health challenges faced by minoritized groups. BSA Members Fred Oswald (BSA Chair) and Tammy Allen co-chaired and facilitated discussions on effective ways to promote population health research, interventions, and outcomes. Included on the discussion panel were Drs. Kristen N Saboe, Jennifer Swanberg, Alyssa K. Mcgonagle, and L. Casey Chosewood.

BSA showed its continued commitment to increasing EDI in various aspects of psychological science. With the help of APA’s Science EDI team and other APA governance groups, BSA worked or continued work on the following initiatives in 2022:

• Research & Publishing: Since forming a joint task force in 2020, the Board of Scientific Affairs (BSA) and Publications and Communications (P&C) Board have worked together to address the underrepresentation of key ethnic and other marginalized groups in the publication enterprise in psychological science. The task force has also been working on ways of attracting, diversifying, developing, and supporting the next generation of psychology professionals.
• JARs: BSA member provided an initial review of a final draft of the Journal Article Reporting [JARs] Guidelines for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice in Psychological Science developed by APA’s Science EDI team. These JARs include current best practices for ensuring that research is grounded in the appropriate historical and cultural context and map onto research designs in an appropriate manner that ensures racial, ethnic, and cultural stereotypes are not reified.
• Promotion & Tenure: BSA reviewed the final report of APA’s Task Force on Promotion, Tenure, & Retention of Faculty of Color in Psychology. The task force was initially created by BSA to develop guidance and considerations to address systemic inequities that affect the processes and outcomes of academic promotion and tenure. The report details the challenges faced by faculty of color and provides actionable recommendations for institutions and will be submitted to APA’s Council of Representatives for adoption at either its August 2023 or February 2024 meeting.

BSA was chosen as the lead reviewer for an upcoming item before the APA Council of Representatives. The item, APA Resolution to Oppose Mental Health Screening Questions on Character and Fitness Examinations for Licensure to Practice Law, requests that the Council of Representatives adopt policy opposing the use of mental health screening questions on State Bar Exams’ Character and Fitness tests. BSA provided an initial review of the item in December 2022. The measure is set to be submitted to APA’s Council of Representatives for a vote at its August 2023 meeting.