“New frontiers in pediatric psychology: From innovation to application”


Come join us for spring break in sunny San Diego.

 
By Emily Fredericks and Anna Maria Patiño-Fernández
 
The 2015 Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference (SPPAC) will be held April 16-18 at the Hilton San Diego Resort and Spa in San Diego, California. The conference will include a focus on the translation of research into clinical practice. The conference includes three days of programming consisting of one day of preconference workshops, two days of invited speakers, concurrent symposia, poster sessions, special interest group (SIG) meetings, a mentoring luncheon, and several networking opportunities through social hours, breaks and meals. As always, the conference will provide several opportunities to earn CE credits.
 
Location 
The Hilton San Diego Resort and Spa is set on the sands of Mission Bay and just six miles from San Diego International Airport. Not only is this an ideal location for the Society of Pediatric Psychology to convene, it is also a great family vacation destination. 
 
Featured Presenters 
Our keynote speaker is Ken Resnicow, PhD. Resnicow is the Irwin Rosenstock Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education at University of Michigan School of Public Health. Resnicow is an internationally recognized expert in design and evaluation of health promotion interventions and motivational interviewing (MI). Resnicow specializes in theory-based tailoring including ethnic identity and self-determination theory. His research interests include the design and evaluation of health promotion programs for special populations, particularly cardiovascular and cancer prevention interventions for African-Americans; understanding the relationship between ethnicity and health behaviors; and motivational interviewing for chronic disease prevention. He is also an expert in community-based interventions for nutrition, physical activity and smoking prevention in minorities. 
 
We are pleased to have Vicki Anderson, PhD, as our international speaker. Anderson is the director of the psychology department at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Australia. In 2002 she was appointed director of psychology at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and in 2005 she took up the position of theme director, critical care and neurosciences research at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Her interests are in disorders of childhood that impact on the central nervous system, including both developmental and acquired disorders. Anderson’s research is focused on understanding the impact of traumatic brain injury for the developing brain and in identifying ways of preventing and treating the resultant impairments.
 
Our Diversity speaker will be Amy C.Tishelman, PhD. Tishelman is a clinical psychologist and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. She is currently director of clinical research and a senior staff psychologist for the Disorders of Sexual Development-Gender Management Service (DSD-GeMS) at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she is working to develop a clinical research program related to transgender and gender non-conforming youth, and also serves as director of psychology in the urology program at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her lecture will focus on issues impacting transgendered and gender non-conforming youth.
 
Submit Your Work
Consistent with this theme, we are looking for submissions that reflect a focus on the application of research in clinical settings, highlighting “bench to bedside,” with the dissemination of evidence-based practice into “real world” settings.
 
All abstract submissions will be peer reviewed and may be submitted as an oral presentation (paper, symposium, SIG symposium, workshop) or a poster presentation.
 
Specific topic areas of interest include (but are not limited to):
 
  • Use of technology in clinical research and practice.
  • Dissemination/translation of evidence-based practice.
  • Community-based interventions.
  • Promotion of health behaviors, risk reduction, and injury prevention.
  • Cultural competency: issues and clinical applications.
  • Funding/reimbursement patterns, including cost-effectiveness of clinical services.
  • Program/intervention development.
  • Ethics.
  • Grant writing.
Important Dates
  • Oct. 1: Abstract submission site opens.
  • Nov. 3: Abstract submission deadline.
  • Dec. 1: Registration site opens.
  • Jan. 15: Notification of acceptance or rejection of submissions.
  • March 23: Deadline for reduced rate at hotel (pending availability).
  • April 16-18: SPPAC in San Diego.
For more information on SPPAC, including the Call for Submissions, visit the conference website. Updates will also be distributed via the Div. 54 Listserv.
 
2015 Conference Chair
 
2015 Conference Co-Chair