VOTE FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Please vote by submitting the ballot APA mailed to you for the following Division 54 2019 slate of candidates: President-Elect, Treasurer, and APA Council Representative. Ballots are generally sent around mid-April. Note that only non-student SPP members will receive a ballot from APA.
President Elect
Laura Simons, Ph.D.
Laura Simons received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia (UGA) and completed internship training at the University of Florida Health Sciences Center. Simons has been a member of SPP since 2001. During her graduate training, she served as a representative on the Student Advisory Board (2003-2005). Following internship, she went on to complete postdoctoral training at Boston Children’s Hospital where she stayed on as faculty until 2016. She is currently an associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. She directs the Stanford Biobehavioral Pediatric Pain (BPP) Lab, serving as a mentor to postdoctoral fellows and Stanford University undergraduate students. Additionally, she works clinically with children and adolescents who present with chronic pain to the Pediatric Pain Management Clinic at Stanford Children’s Health.
Throughout her career, Simons has continued to serve the SPP community. Other contributions include serving as editor of Progress Notes (2013-2018), chair of the International Committee (2013-2018), and research committee chair for the Pain SIG of SPP (2017-2019). She received the 2012 Donald K. Routh Early Career Award and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I am incredibly honored to be nominated for SPP President. SPP has been my professional home since I was a graduate student, and I value all opportunities to continue serving this community. The field of pediatric psychology is thriving, and its growth is global. I am energized and committed to leading this organization, and if elected, I intend to continue to advocate and support initiatives that foster connections with our international members and enhance the growth of pediatric psychology across the world. In addition to efforts focused toward bridging our international borders, I want to advocate shining a spotlight on our discipline within the broader scientific and medical communities.
Pediatric psychologists are highly trained specialists with expertise in evidence-based clinical care and research methodology. Our value added to medical teams and research groups is being increasingly recognized, and I intend to continue to be a strong voice for our discipline as we secure our seat(s) at the table. Thank you for considering me for this role.
President Elect
Wendy Ward, Ph.D.
Wendy Ward, Ph.D., ABPP, is a professor with tenure at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine. She is an APA Fellow with 25+ years as a pediatric psychologist providing evidence-based care and training the next generation, as well as overseeing the integration of a pediatric psychology service across a large health system. Ward serves in two institution-level positions across five colleges and the Graduate School at UAMS as director of Interprofessional Faculty Development and associate director of Professional Wellness. She has also served on numerous national committees (Children’s Hospital Association, CRSSP, APPIC, AAP, etc.) and in multiple positions on national Boards (SPP, APAHC, etc.).
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I am honored to be nominated for SPP President. Now is a pivotal time—healthcare reform offers many opportunities. First, value-based reimbursement models incentivize institutions to focus on arenas where psychologists excel—improved health-related behaviors that enhance health outcomes and reduce costs to the overall health care system. Second, the increasing emphasis on burnout rates in health care professionals draw attention to the expertise of psychologists in professional wellness initiatives. Third, the transition to inter-professional collaborative practice facilitates the integration of psychology services within team-based care.
Together, these forces provide opportunities to enhance the perceived value of psychologists, and lay the foundation for psychologists to rise as leaders. If we can capitalize on them. If elected, I will work hard to engage, support, and develop pediatric psychologists across the career lifespan to be prepared for the changing healthcare environment and seize these opportunities.
Treasurer
Mary Cradock, Ph.D.
Mary Michaeleen “Mary Mike” Cradock, Ph.D., is the director for Behavioral Health at St. Louis Children’s Hospital (SLCH). At SLCH and Arkansas Children’s Hospital before that, she has been active in leading service delivery in multidisciplinary care clinics and in mentoring of postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty. She has served as director for the Psychology Department since 2010.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I am excited to be nominated to serve as SPP treasurer. Active in SPP for 25 years, I value and have benefitted from the collaborative partnerships both formal and informal that have been forged through the society. My first professional home was in SPP, and I continue to feel grounded in the society’s priorities of focus on students, mentorship in the profession, and clinical research.
As director for our expanding behavioral health services at SLCH, I am well aware of the opportunities and challenges in pediatric healthcare. Outcomes – true functional outcomes – are at the forefront of discussion in the budgets and boardrooms across children’s hospitals; pediatric psychologists are among those best positioned to impact these outcomes. In my leadership roles, I have learned the business aspects of psychology: managing a large budget, developing business plans, and demonstrating the impact of our services.
Thanks to the capable hands of our board and prior treasurers, SPP runs smoothly and finances appear strong as evidenced by the expanding award and grant programs and ongoing development of SPPAC programming. Continued exceptional performance is essential to support our mission in this healthcare landscape. I would be honored to partner with the board leadership and finance committee in maintaining this strong financial performance and working together to forge new strategies to support our members. I am motivated to continue to support funding for scholarly activities including research and advanced clinical training. In addition, I recognize members’ interest in educational opportunities to develop business acumen and would work with the board to advance a program to do so. Thank you for considering me to serve in this role.
Treasurer
Robin S. Everhart, Ph.D.
Robin S. Everhart, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also the pediatric psychologist in the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond. Her program of research is focused in pediatric asthma and cystic fibrosis. Her professional service has included Division 43 Program Chair (2014) and Hospitality Suite Chair (2013), and serving as the secretary/treasurer for the International Society for the Advancement of Respiratory Psychophysiology (ISARP) from 2014 to 2015. She currently serves on the review committee for SPP’s Targeted Research Grants and is a member of JPP’s editorial board.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I am honored to be nominated for SPP Treasurer. I have been a part of SPP since graduate school and deeply value the membership and mission of SPP. As my professional career has developed, I have enjoyed getting to know more and more members of SPP as colleagues, mentors, and mentees. I’ve been able to witness the impact of our membership’s research, clinical, and training endeavors across many facets of pediatric psychology. We are at the forefront of creating a climate for child, youth, and family health that values equity, diversity, and inclusion. SPP is an exciting and invigorating place to call home.
I have worked collaboratively with members of organizational boards in the past, and look forward to contributing my skills and expertise to SPP’s board. Leading multiple research teams and serving in previous leadership positions in professional societies has provided me with the organizational skills needed to succeed as your Treasurer. As Treasurer, I would continue the excellent initiatives focused on diversity in training while also enhancing our efforts to support student attendees at SPPAC and APA, as well as ensuring the continued success of the Targeted Research Grants program. As the inaugural recipient of this award, I can testify to its importance in launching young investigators’ careers.
I am confident that I have the experience, skills, and enthusiasm necessary to perform effectively as the next SPP Treasurer. It would be a privilege to serve SPP and its members in this capacity.
Member-at-Large for Continuing Education
Chad Jensen, Ph.D.
Chad Jensen, Ph.D., is an associate professor and director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at Brigham Young University.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I am honored to be nominated to serve as SPP Member at Large for Continuing Education. I have been an active member of the society throughout my career and I value SPP as my professional home. I recently served SPP as 2015 APA Convention Program Chair and 2017 Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference Chair. These conference chair roles enhanced my familiarity with the needs of society members for professional development, continuing education, and mentorship across the career span. As SPPAC chair I initiated professional development workshops to serve psychologists at different career stages and these programs have become a popular component of the conference. Moreover, my conference leadership provides evidence of my active collaboration with the SPPAC board, conference organizing committees, and SIG chairs. My previous experience as conference chair has prepared me well to serve the society as MAL-CE because of the close collaboration between conference chair and MAL-CE required to organize a successful SPPAC conference. I am passionate about the important role SPP conferences in advancing our professional identity as pediatric psychologists and I am committed to the continued success of our annual conference.
My primary aim as Member at Large for Continuing Education would be to ensure that society-sponsored continuing education opportunities meet the needs of all society members. If elected, I would collaborate with the SPP board to ensure that programming meets the needs of members at all levels of development, from undergraduate trainees to senior psychologists. Building on the important work of past society leaders, I plan to work with SPP members to increase continuing education opportunities and to ensure that these offerings provide maximal benefit to society members.
Member-at-Large for Continuing Education
Emily Law, Ph.D.
Emily Law, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at University of Washington, a pediatric psychologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and a principal investigator at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She completed her internship in pediatric psychology at University of California Los Angeles Medical Center and her postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric pain research at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
Law is a clinician-scientist who is conducting NIH-funded research focusing on psychosocial risk factors associated with pediatric headache and the development and evaluation of psychological interventions for youth with chronic pain and their parents. She works clinically in the pediatric pain and headache clinics. She served as guest editor for the upcoming Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology special issue on e-health/m-health, is a member of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology Editorial Board and the SPP Pain SIG, and has participated in the planning of local and international conferences.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I am delighted to be nominated for the SPP member-at-large for continuing education position. With Dr. Hansen-Moore’s guidance, the division has moved to electronic documentation of CEs and online evaluations at our annual conference, which has been an advance and critical for meeting the needs of SPP members.
If I were to be elected, my goal would be to contribute to the division’s strategic objective to support education in pediatric psychology by expanding CE opportunities for our membership. At present, CE offerings provided by the division are only accessible to members who attend our annual conference. Developing CE offerings that can be accessed year-round would increase education and training opportunities for members and enhance national and international recognition of the division.
I attended my first SPP conference over a decade ago as a graduate student, and I still remember the feeling at that first conference when I knew I had found my professional home. I would be honored to support the mission of SPP by serving in the member-at-large for continuing education position.