Highlights from the 2015 Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference


#SPPAC2015 featured workshops, symposia and poster sessions representing innovative research and clinical practice.

 
By Emily Fredericks and Anna Maria Patiño-Fernández
 
The 2015 Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference (SPPAC) was held in San Diego on April 16-18. This year, we had over 650 conference attendees, including nearly 300 trainees. The sustained growth of this conference is exciting and a testament to the incredible work being conducted by faculty and students. The conference schedule was packed with outstanding workshops, symposia and poster sessions representing innovative research and clinical practice. Our featured presentations and workshops linked our overarching focus on “new frontiers,” with thematic areas including health information/communication technology, intervention development and implementation, promotion of health behaviors, injury prevention, integrated behavioral health care, cultural competency and mentoring/career development.
 
Elissa Jelalian, PhD, SPP president, started the conference with an inspiring presidential address, challenging attendees to consider whether the “triple threat” model (researcher, clinician, teacher) is a viable model in pediatric psychology. Highlights included our keynote address by Ken Resnicow, PhD, which focused on novel approaches to using technology and tailored messaging to expand our reach with behavioral health interventions. Vicki Anderson, PhD, our distinguished international speaker from Melbourne, Australia, continued the focus on eHealth with her presentation on technology as a tool to enhance outcomes for children with brain injuries. On Saturday, Amy Tishelman, PhD, delivered an outstanding address as our diversity speaker, highlighting the challenges and controversies associated with providing care for transgendered youth.
 
In addition to honoring the SPP award winners, we also had the opportunity to honor Michael Roberts, PhD, for his service to SPP. We look forward to celebrating his dedication to SPP in the year ahead.
 
Thank you to all of you for making #SPPAC2015 a resounding success. We hope you enjoyed the science, sun and socializing in San Diego. See you in Atlanta for SPPAC 2016.