APA and VA Psychology: An
Enduring Partnership
Sharon Stephens Brehm, PhD
APA President
10th Anniversary VA Psychology
Leadership Conference
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Congratulations and Happy 10th Anniversary!!
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Thanks to the conference co-sponsors:
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APA Practice Directorate
Association of VA Psychologist Leaders
APA Division 18: Psychologists in Public
Service
APA and VA Psychology: An Enduring
Partnership
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What is APA?
Parallels between APA’s and VA
Psychology’s missions
Advocacy for Veterans and VA
Psychology
Presidential Initiatives
VA Psychology Leadership Conference
What is APA?
APA’s Mission Statement
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To advance psychology as a science and
profession, and
As a means of promoting health,
education, and human welfare
APA Facts and Figures
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Oldest and largest association of
psychologists worldwide
148,000 members and affiliates
42,000 graduate students (APAGS)
Total staffing = 684 FTE
Located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC
APA is Financially Sound
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$105M annual operating budget
37 journals (32,000 pages); books;
PsycINFO – totaling $23M annual revenue
Owns 2 buildings on Capitol Hill –
theoretical equity of $135M
Member dues among the lowest for an
association this size
Dues are only 14% of revenue (5th place)
2007 Budgeted Revenues
Dues & Fees
14%
Other
18%
Journals
16%
Sales
15%
Licensing
37%
750 First Street Building
Current Theoretical Equity: $75M
10 G Street Building
Current Theoretical Equity: $60M
VA Psychology Leadership Conference
APA and VA Psychology – Parallel
Missions
Sharon S. Brehm, Ph.D.,
in “Meet the APA President” (2007)
“(For APA) the bottom line is quite obvious:
We must educate the public so that it
understands
- the value of our science,
- the importance of our education,
- the effectiveness of our practice,
- and the commitment we have to the
public interest.”
VA: The Value of Science
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VA’s premier research (e.g., PTSD, pain,
SMI, telehealth, gerontology)
VA’s clinical research center models, e.g.:
- 21 Geriatric Research, Education and
Clinical Centers (GRECCs)
- 10 Mental Illness Research, Education
and Clinical Centers (MIRECCs)
- Polytrauma Centers (expanding)
VA: The Importance of Education
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VA is the birthplace of professional
psychology training (WWII)
15% of APA-accredited internship sites
VA leads development of APA-accredited
postdoctoral training sites (40% of 2007
programs are VA)
VA: The Effectiveness of Practice
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VA’s state-of-art electronic medical record
World leader in PTSD clinical models
Leading developer of evidence-based
Clinical Practice Guidelines (e.g., CPGs
on depression, PTSD, integrated care)
Psychosocial rehab – at the forefront of
recovery models for SMI
VA: Commitment to the Public Interest
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Homelessness Care
Traumatic Injury/Disability policy
Women’s Trauma Programs
Seriously Mentally Ill (SMI) Programs
Providing lifetime care for the nation’s
heroes
VA Psychology Leadership Conference
APA’s Advocacy for Veterans and
VA Psychology
APA Advocacy
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APA Council of Representatives Resolution
on “Psychological Needs of Our Troops,
Veterans, and Their Families” (2005)
Congressional Briefings (e.g., “Psychology
in Service to America’s Military Personnel,
Veterans and Their Families” – Drs. Toni
Zeiss, Terry Keane & Harold Wain)
Congressional Testimony (e.g., Drs. Steve
Breckler and Kathy McNamara)
APA Advocacy
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Lobbying Senate and House Appropriations
Committees for adequate VA funding
Frequent contact with staff of Senate and
House VA Committees
Ongoing contact with VA Central Office and
top VA officials
APA Advocacy
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Frequent contact with Veterans Service
Organizations (VSOs)
Serving on the Executive Committee of
Friends of VA (FOVA) – Dr. Heather Kelly
Representing APA on the Congressionallymandated VA Committee on Serious Mental
Illness (VA SMI) – Dr. Randy Phelps
APA Advocacy
Public Education Materials:
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Homecoming: Resilience After Wartime
Resilience in a Time of War: Adapting to
Wartime Stress
Mind-Body Health Campaign
Available at:
www.apahelpcenter.org
Advocacy - APA Staff Contacts
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Science: Heather O’Beirne Kelly, Ph.D.
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Education: Nina G. Levitt, Ed.D.
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hkelly@apa.org
nlevitt@apa.org
Public Interest: Diane Elmore, Ph.D.
- delmore@apa.org
Practice: Randy Phelps, Ph.D.
- rphelps@apa.org
VA Psychology Leadership Conference
APA Presidential Initiatives
2007 APA Presidential
Initiatives: Dr. Sharon Brehm
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Presidential Task Force on “Integrative
Healthcare for an Aging Population” (IHAP)
Joint APA and SRCD (Society for Research in
Child Development) Task Force on “Math and
Science Education”
Presidential Task Force on “Institutional
Review Boards and Psychological Science”
Charge of the IHAP Task Force
This Task Force is charged to examine and make
recommendations about how psychologists can work with
physicians and other medical care team members to develop a
better understanding of psychological factors that affect both
illness and treatment among older individuals. The Task Force
will be asked to develop ways in which to inform
psychologists, physicians, other medical care professionals,
and the public about how best to ensure appropriate and
effective healthcare for the dramatic increases in the number of
seniors in our population.
Integrative Healthcare for an Aging
Population (IHAP): Members
Task Force Co-Chairs
Toni C. Antonucci, PhD
Elizabeth M. Douvan Collegiate
Professor of Psychology
The University of Michigan
Gregory A. Hinrichsen, PhD
Psychological Services
The Zucker Hillside Hospital North Shore
Long Island Jewish Health System
Deborah A. King, PhD
Director of Geriatric Psychiatry Services
Director of Psychology Training
Department of Psychiatry
University of Rochester Medical Center
Antonette M. Zeiss, PhD
Deputy Chief Consultant
Office of Mental Health Services
VA Central Office
Peter Lichtenberg, PhD
Director, Institute of Gerontology
Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and
Behavioral Neurosciences, Physical
Medicine, and Rehabilitation
Wayne State University
Martita A. Lopez, PhD
Clinical Associate Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Texas at Austin
Jennifer Manly, PhD
Associate Professor
Columbia University Medical Center
Joint Task Force on Science
& Math Education - Charge
This Task Force is charged to focus on how various psychological
processes (including but not restricted to attitudinal, cognitive,
pedagogical, and social factors) affect children's learning of math
and science. Particular attention will be given to approaches that
would improve math and science education in the United States
and to ways in which psychology can strengthen its role in
meeting this urgent national priority. This Task Force will be asked
to provide a report (and/or other materials) to inform
psychologists, educators, and the public about specific actions
and more general strategies that can enhance the quality of U. S.
math and science education.
Math and Science Education:
APA Members
Nora Newcombe, PhD, Task Force Chair
Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology, Temple University
Nalini Ambady, PhD
John and Ruth Hazel Associate
Professor
of the Social Sciences
Department of Psychology
Tufts University
Louis Gomez, PhD
Aon Professor, Learning Sciences
School of Education and Social Policy
Northwestern University
David Klahr, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology, Carnegie
Mellon University
Rich Lehrer, PhD
Professor of Science Education
Peabody College
Vanderbilt University
Marcia Linn, PhD
Professor of Cognition and Education
School of Education
University of California, Berkeley
Math and Science Education:
SRCD Members
Jacquelynne Eccles, PhD
Wilbert McKeachie Collegiate
Professor of Psychology, Women’s
Studies and Education
Department of Psychology, University
of Michigan
Kevin Miller, PhD
Professor of Education; Professor of
Psychology
Combined Program in Education and
Psychology
University of Michigan
Kelly Mix, PhD
Associate Professor of Educational
Psychology
College of Education
Michigan State University
John Hagen, PhD
Professor of Psychology, Dept. of
Psychology
University of Michigan
Executive Officer
Society for Research in Child
Development
Institutional Review Boards and
Psychological Science – Charge
This Task Force is charged to conduct a comprehensive review
and analysis of IRB issues faced by psychological scientists. The
Task Force will identify "disconnects" between psychologists and
IRBs that lead to perceived and/or actual conflict. To help reduce
such difficulties, the Task Force will articulate ways in which to
improve the relationship between IRBs and investigators such that
both constituencies can work together effectively to protect
research participants and to promote psychological science. This
Task Force will provide a report (and/or other materials) to inform
scientists, IRBs, and university/institute administrators about
specific actions and more general strategies to reach these goals.
Institutional Review Boards and Psychological
Science - Members
Thomas Eissenberg, PhD
Task Force Chair
Associate Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology
Virginia Commonwealth University
Daniel Ilgen, PhD
John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor
of Psychology and Management
The Eli Broad College of Business
Michigan State University
Monica Biernat, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology
University of Kansas
Barbara Stanley, Ph.D
Research Scientist and Lecturer
Department of Neuroscience
NY State Psychiatric Institute Department
of Psychiatry, Columbia University
Peter Finn, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychological and Brain
Sciences,
Indiana University Bloomington
Scyatta Wallace
Assistant Professor
Department of Preventative Medicine and
Community Health
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Brooklyn, NY
Presidential TFs: Staff Contacts
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Integrative Healthcare for an Aging Population:
Deborah DiGilio, MPH
ddigilio@apa.org
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Math and Science Education:
Rena Subotnik, Ph.D.
rsubotnik@apa.org
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IRBs & Psychological Science:
Sangeeta Panicker, Ph.D.
spanicker@apa.org
APA Convention in San Francisco
August 17-20, 2007
Building Bridges, Expanding Horizons: Interdisciplinary
and International Perspectives
2007 Presidential Address
“Looking Ahead: The Future of APA and
Psychology”
Sharon Stephens Brehm, Ph.D
APA President
Saturday, August 18, 2007
2:00 P.M.
Moscone Center
Presidential Programming: TF Reports
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“Integrative Health Care for an Aging
Population: Report on a Presidential Task
Force”
“Improving Math and Science Education:
What Is Psychology’s Role?”
“Psychologists and Institutional Review
Boards: Working Collaboratively to
Protect Research Participants”
Presidential Programming (cont.)
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“Launching Diversity Science”
“Actual Innocence: Contributions of
Psychological Science to the Correction
and Prevention of Wrongful Convictions”
“A Challenge for Psychology in Our Time:
Understanding the Causes of Terrorism”
“Sexual Orientation and Military Service”
Working Together
Sharon S. Brehm, Ph.D.
president@apa.org