[DIV28M] Information to help you decide how to vote in the APA Presidential Election

Dear Division 28 Fellows and Members.

 

On September 15^th, you will be receiving your ballot to cast your vote for the next President of APA. In an effort to help you make an informed decision about your vote, I reached out to each candidate on the slate and gave each person the opportunity to send us a statement and communicate a message to our membership. Since May, these statements have been coming in and I have passed them onto you. This e-mail provides you with all of the statements that we have received to date consolidated into one document.

 

During the APA Convention in August, the Executive Committee held its monthly meeting. During this meeting, all Executive Committee members present voted unanimously to recommend Suzanne Bennett Johnson, PhD for the next APA President. In our view she has the strongest scientific record and commitment to psychology as a science.

 

Slate of Candidates in the order provided to me by Garnett Code

 

Suzanne Bennett Johnson, PhD

Current Position           

Distinguished Research Professor

Department of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences

Florida State University College of Medicine

Tallahassee Florida

 

Donald N. Bersoff, PhD, JD

780 College Avenue

Haverford, PA 19041-1205

 

Paul L. Craig, PhD

Board-certified in Clinical Neuropsychology

Treasurer – American Psychological Association

Clinical Professor – Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

University of Washington School of Medicine (WWAMI Program)

4048 Laurel Street, Suite 201

Anchorage, AK  99508

 

Robert H. Woody, PhD, ScD, JD

Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Independent practitioner of psychology and law

Licensed Psychologist in Florida and Michigan, and a member of the Florida, Michigan, and Nebraska Bars.

 

Armand R. Cerbone, PhD

3625 North Paulina Street

Chicago, IL  60613-3623

 

Candidates Statements and Information Sent to Us

 

Suzanne Bennett Johnson, PhD

(Division 28 Executive Committee Recommendation)

For the first time in its 118-year history, APA has a strategic plan, with three goals. I am committed to these goals and will work to make them a reality.

1.) Maximize organizational effectiveness. Years of service to APA in many capacities provide me the multiple perspectives needed to address this goal. APA membership is aging; it is critical that we make APA a viable home for younger psychologists. Without the next generation, APA will no longer be the strong force it is today.

2.) Expand psychology’s role in advancing health. My work as a practitioner and educator in medical settings and my experiences in Senator Hillary Clinton’s office are particularly relevant to this goal. With the passage of mental health parity and health-care reform, APA has the opportunity to make psychology an integral part of health care. We need to both advocate for psychology and train psychologists to take their rightful place in health care.

3.) Increase recognition of psychology as a science. Advocating for psychology as a science on NIH interdisciplinary research teams has been the hallmark of my research career. I think psychology is an awesome science and as good as any of my biomedical colleagues’ sciences. Yet, psychology does not get the recognition it deserves. I want to use the APA presidency to address this issue on a larger scale than I have been able to do in my own scientific work.

Why now? Why I am seeking the APA presidency now? After 35 years in academia, I have given up my administrative duties to devote my time to research and service. I am grateful for my career as a psychologist and service to psychology is my way of giving back. I would be honored to serve as APA president and ask for your support.

On September 15 2010, APA will mail paper ballots to members who do not have an e-mail address on file and e-mail the ballot to those who do have an e-mail address on file. Members who receive paper ballots by mail will have the option to vote online or by mail. The election closes November 1.

For more information go to SBJforAPA.com

 

Donald N. Bersoff, Ph.D., J.D.

 

STATEMENT TO DIVISION 28

I have been asked by the Division to share my thoughts and ideas about psychological science that might be of interest to its members.  I am pleased to respond to that request.

 

I took General Psychology over 50 years ago at NYU.  The first thing we learned was the definition of psychology—the scientific study of the behavior of human beings and other animals.  The definition has not changed, only our forgetting of it.  Science and behavior are like conjoined twins connected by their brains—impossible to separate and deadly to both if they should be.  Whether psychologists are clinicians or involved in public interest policy, the scientific underpinnings of what they do is crucial to their credibility. 

 

Psychology is the only behavioral health profession that has as its based the requirement that its practitioners have solid grounds in research design and abiding appreciation for its scientific foundations.  If psychology is serious about being a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) discipline, it must be willing to subject its intervention and assessment practices to the rigors of empirical investigation.  Thus, psychologists who engage primarily in assessment must rely on psychometrically sound instruments developed by our colleagues who specialize in measurement and evaluation.  In fact, the US Supreme Court in 1993 ruled that forensic testimony must be based on facts, theory, and methodology that is scientifically valid, not merely generally accepted.  Similarly, psychologists who provide therapy are increasingly realizing that if they are to survive the transformational changes that health care reform will bring, they must rely on evidence-based interventions, not empirically-unsupportable theoretical orientations    .

 

One of the activities I cherished most when I served as APA’s first general counsel was the drafting of friend of the court (amicus) briefs in the Supreme Court.  Whatever the topic, APA’s arguments were always based on the scientific literature.  Should I be elected, as APA President and Chair of the Board of Directors, I will make sure APA stays true to its scientific roots.  APA’s public interest and professional advocacy in the courts and in the legislatures will only have credibility if it is grounded in science. 

 

Last, and certainly not least, APA must make sure that basic science in human behavior is supported by NIH, NIMH, NSF, and other funders.  Advocacy for science and science education should receive as much attention and support within APA as is advocacy for practice.

 

My presidential platform is based on the concept of data-based public policy.  To paraphrase the song from Oklahoma, the scientist and the practitioner should be friends.  I pledge to advocate and foster this relationship.

 

Paul L. Craig, Ph.D., ABPP

The APA’s recently adopted mission is, “…to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives.”  If we demonstrably fulfill this mission, psychology will flourish as a science and profession.

 

Science is the foundation of the “…creation…of psychological knowledge.”  The APA’s journal program is out primary vehicle for the “communication” of our science to psychologists, policy makers, and the public.  These aspects of psychology and the APA need to be vigorously promoted.

 

Psychology's prominence as a STEM discipline needs to be advanced. Increased funding for psychological research must be a point of emphasis for the APA in the context of its advocacy efforts. Furthermore, we need to support education and training models that are competency-based and that appropriately prepare the next generation of psychologists to do the research and provide the evidence-based services needed in our increasingly diverse society. 

 

Psychology is a discipline supported by three legs – science, education, and practice.  All three legs must be strong for psychology to serve the public interest.  If one leg of our discipline is weak, the entire profession suffers.  If elected, it would be an honor to serve all members of the APA as a uniting force with an emphasis on strengthening all facets of psychology so that we can collectively achieve our stated mission to benefit society.

 

As a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist, it is intuitively obvious that my specialty practice would not exist were it not for the neuropsychological research that my colleagues and I have published in peer-review journals.  Science must inform practice. 

 

APA’s Council of Representatives recently approved development of practice guidelines consistent with the recommendations that emerged from the 2009 Future of Psychology Practice Summit.  NIH has expressed increased interest in funding translational research – studies that bridge science and practice.  As stated above, science must inform practice, bringing psychological research from bench to bedside.  But practice can also inform science by identifying the clinical questions needing empirical answers.  By way of integrating existing and future translational research findings, science and practice should work synergistically within the APA to develop evidence-based practice guidelines to ensure that we, not others, define best practices for our profession.  

 

I have enjoyed serving as APA’s Treasurer since 2008 and would welcome the opportunity to serve as your President.  To learn more and to review my CV, please visit my practice and campaign websites:

 

www.drpaulcraig.net

 

www.paulcraigforAPApresident.net

 

Thank you for considering me for your #1 vote for President-elect.  Please vote and pursuant to the Hare voting system, please rank order all candidates so that your preferences will be heard even if your first place candidate is not elected.  Again, I appreciate your consideration.

 

Paul L. Craig, Ph.D., ABPP

Board-certified in Clinical Neuropsychology

Treasurer – American Psychological Association

Clinical Professor – Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

University of Washington School of Medicine (WWAMI Program)

4048 Laurel Street, Suite 201

Anchorage, AK  99508

907-274-8200 (phone)

907-274-8211 (fax)

pcraig@gci.net

 

 

Robert H. Woody, PhD, ScD, JD

 

APA President-Elect Candidate’s Statement to D28 - Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse

 

From Robert “Bob” Woody, PhD, ScD, JD, ABPP (Clinical & Forensic)

 

Given our shared commitment to science for psychology, I appreciate the opportunity to provide my views to the Division of Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse. As will be evident, I have embraced the scientist-practitioner model throughout my career.

 

Because of my allegiance to science providing the foundation for practice and my involvement with health care, I was pleased that the APA strategic plan promotes STEM status for psychology, with special emphasis on health care and organizational efficiency. In addition to my identity as a psychologist (PhD, Michigan State) and an attorney (JD, Creighton), I had the good fortune of earning a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health. As might be expected, the curriculum required courses in biostatistics, epidemiology, health services delivery systems, organizational theory, and medical sociology (with concentration on governmental influence on health care). Obviously this experience has proven to be a presage to contemporary health care issues.

 

Personal values lead me to support open-mindedness and authoritative advocacy. In other words, I welcome new information, and constantly search for new knowledge that is evidence-based—and I seek to bring about change that will benefit society and the profession.

 

My qualifications support making psychology a first-class citizen among the health care professions. By being in the forefront of research and practice, psychologists can lead the effort to provide quality services for ALL people, regardless of global, cultural, or individual characteristics.

As for the future, I believe that psychology should be linked to primary care, with respect and acceptance from all health-related professions. I promote new competencies and roles for psychologists, including (but not limited to) neuropsychology, prescription authority, and evidence-based assessment and interdisciplinary interventions. I believe that the scientist-practitioner model can persuade third-party payment sources to accept the value-added results of psychology in health care, such as the benefits from prescription authority.

 

Families and communities must be a primary focus for contemporary psychological services, addressing critical problems like discrimination, abuse, crime, and failures in governmental policy. Among other things, I am prepared to promote a resurgence of community mental health principles, as will address the unmet needs of the chronically mentally ill, homeless, disabled, offenders, and poor persons of all ages and cultures, including in disasters.

 

With persuasive communications and relying on tact and scholarship to gain desire outcomes, I shall constructively pursue the aforementioned professional objectives. I will bring high energy and interdisciplinary knowledge to the table, and work tirelessly for the creation of effective strategies and solutions—I do not waiver in the face of adversity. I will appreciate the support of Division of Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse for my candidacy for APA President-Elect.

 

Brief Bio: I am a Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and an independent practitioner of psychology and law. I have authored thirty-three books and about two hundred articles. I am a Licensed Psychologist in Florida and Michigan, and a member of the Florida, Michigan, and Nebraska Bars.

More information about my ideas and credentials may be found on my website: www.BobWoodyHelpsPsychology.com

 

Armand R. Cerbone, PhD

 

Dr. Cerbone wrote to say he would be sending a statement but I have not received it as of 9/1/10.