VOTE FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Please vote by submitting the ballot APA mailed to you for the following Division 54 2020 slate of candidates: President-Elect and Member-at-Large for Membership. Ballots are generally sent around mid-April. Note that only non-student SPP members will receive a ballot from APA.
President Elect
David Janicke, Ph.D.
David Janicke is a professor and director of graduate training in clinical and health psychology at the University of Florida. He is an APA Fellow with 17 years of experience as a pediatric psychologist integrating evidenced-based research and practice and mentoring trainees at all levels. He has served on the SPP Executive Committee as both the editor of the SPP newsletter and Member-at-Large for Training. He is currently an associate editor for the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and has served in numerous leadership positions within his home department and university.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I hope you are well during this difficult time. First, I want to take a moment to thank our leadership for their efforts over the past few months. It has been a challenging time, and they clearly rose to the challenge.
SPP has been my home since 2000. Our Society has accomplished so much over the past two decades. Yet, these are unprecedented times, with many questions about what will be the opportunities and critical needs for our members and the families we serve in the coming years. No one has all the answers, but I believe a focus on some of our guiding principles will continue to provide an excellent roadmap.
First, do what is best for the children and families we serve. This is our core mission. We need to keep advocating and developing novel strategies to expand access to quality care for all children and families, and address health disparities for those most in need; hopefully, the quick expansion of telehealth services in response to the current crisis is a sustainable move in that direction.
Two, prepare and support our trainees. We need to keep expanding opportunities for our trainees to be imbedded in interdisciplinary teams, prepare them to serve as advocates for our services, and provide training in cutting edge treatment modalities, like telehealth These efforts will place them in a better position to effectively serve children and families.
And last, but not least, teamwork! I have been inspired by the support, teamwork and positive spirit of so many as you work to implement creative solutions to support patient groups, trainees, and each other. It is amazing what we can accomplish when we work together and build each other up. I look forward to channeling my enthusiasm and energy to work with you all in the coming years. Thank you for your consideration. Be safe and be well!
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. She 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, international master’s students and Stanford University undergraduates. 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 is scientific co-chair of the 2020 European Pediatric Psychology Congress to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, and a strong advocate for the international growth of our organization. Simons 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. In the wake of COVID-19 the innovation and scientific breakthroughs of our membership are shining. We are leading the charge with telehealth service delivery and providing digital interventions to youth and families with complex medical conditions.
I am energized and committed to leading this organization, and if elected, I intend to continue to advocate and support initiatives that highlight pediatric psychologists as highly training specialists with expertise in evidence-based clinical care and research methodology. I intend to continue to be a strong voice for our discipline as we strive to continue innovating and disseminating to make a difference in the lives of children and their families. Moreover, I am strong advocate for the international growth of our society. I will foster connections with our international members to enhance the growth of pediatric psychology across the world. SPP is a mature society (50 years young) and we can be beacon for international colleagues to ensure that youth and families across the globe benefit from the advances emerging from our membership. Thank you for considering me for this role.
Member-at-Large for Membership
Hannah Ford, Ph.D.
Hannah Ford is an assistant professor at the Center for Advancement of Youth in the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). She received her Ph.D. from the University of Maine where she participated in the dual Developmental Psychology and Clinical Psychology track. She completed her APA-Accredited internship at Indiana University School of Medicine. She completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh where she then served as an embedded psychologist in the departments of Neurology and Sleep Medicine prior to moving to UMMC.
At UMMC, Ford is actively engaged in clinical, research, and supervisory activities. She has been integral in increasing the collaboration between behavioral health and medical subspecialties since starting at UMMC and is currently working closely with pulmonology and pain medicine departments to incorporate behavioral health into existing medical clinics. She has also been active in implementing telehealth services to help Mississippi’s rural populations access specialized behavioral health care.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I am honored to be nominated for the SPP Member-at-Large for Membership position. My graduate training in psychology primarily focused on general child clinical experiences, and it was not until I completed my internship at an academic medical center that I learned of the subspecialty of pediatric psychology. I was introduced to SPP through my peers and faculty mentors during my internship training and have been so grateful to find a professional “home” in SPP. SPP has been integral in my growth as a pediatric psychologist and has allowed for excellent opportunities for training, mentorship, and networking. I feel strongly about the importance of growing pediatric psychology as a subspecialty, and I believe membership is crucial to that goal.
If elected, one of my primary goals will be to increase awareness of SPP and our subspecialty to a wider range of graduate programs and students, helping us to shape the pediatric psychologists of the future. I will seek to increase graduate student membership and improve conversion from graduate student membership to full membership. The key to this is communication with members on a regular basis in order to strengthen the ties between individuals and SPP. As an early career psychologist, I am acutely aware of the importance of professional mentorship, and I will seek to increase mentorship opportunities for members across all career stages.
Finally, during my clinical career, I have worked to foster relationships with our medical colleagues to help promote and expand the role of pediatric psychologists in specialty care settings. As Member at Large for Membership, I will seek to increase awareness of SPP within other professional organizations, including allied health organizations and medical subspecialty organizations, to further promote the profession of pediatric psychology and help ensure all children have access to our valuable services.
Member-at-Large for Membership
Meghan McAuliffe Lines, Ph.D.
Meghan McAuliffe Lines is a Pediatric Psychologist at Nemours/ AI duPont Hospital for Children and an assistant professor of Pediatrics at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Delaware and completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Nemours/ AI duPont Hospital for Children. Lines is currently the Clinical Director of Integrated Primary Care Psychology at Nemours, leading a team of psychologists integrated in primary care clinics throughout Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. Clinically, she provides care to patients and families in the integrated primary care and outpatient settings and supervises externs, residents and fellows in the primary care setting and in an early childhood outpatient clinic. Lines serves as an At-Large Member for the Medical Executive Committee at AI duPont Hospital for Children and is a professional member of the Board of Examiners of Psychologists for the state of Delaware.
Lines has been a member of the Society of Pediatric Psychology since 2007. She was the 2018 recipient of the Carolyn S. Schroeder Award for Outstanding Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology. She currently serves as an associate editor for the SPP journal Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I am delighted to be nominated for the Member-at-Large for Membership position on the SPP board. SPP has been my professional home since internship, and involvement in this organization has substantially influenced my professional identity. SPP members have provided me with superb mentorship, and I have expanded my professional network and connections through SPP. I would be honored to serve on the board represent our membership base.
I believe that one of the greatest strengths of SPP is its Special Interest Groups. I have been actively involved in the Integrated Primary Care SIG since its inception, and have been impressed with the output of that SIG in such a short time. I would welcome the opportunity to work with the SIG chairs to promote the growth of the SIGs as well as engagement and collaboration across SIGs. I am also enthusiastic about the opportunity to promote engagement of international colleagues.
I If elected to this position, I would and lead efforts to expand membership and increase member engagement. In particular, I would focus on collaborating with the diversity committee to encourage diversity of our membership and the field. I am confident that I have the enthusiasm and skillset to take on this position and appreciate your consideration.
Member-at-Large for Membership
Eleanor Mackey, Ph.D.
Eleanor Mackey is an associate professor of Psychology and associate training director for Psychology at Children’s National Hospital. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Miami and completed internship and fellowship at Children’s National.
Mackey is a clinician-researcher specializing in the treatment of youth undergoing bariatric surgery and conducting research with youth with type 1 diabetes. From 2016-2018, she served as the Member-at-Large for Student/Trainee Development for SPP. She also serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Pediatric Psychologyy.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I am honored to be nominated for the Member-at-Large for Membership, as there have been few privileges as meaningful in my career as serving on the Board of SPP. As my professional home for nearly two decades, I am committed to helping SPP thrive, grow, and adapt.
My goals, if elected, are twofold. The first is to ensure that we are meeting the needs of current members at all training and career levels, through the SIGs, international outreach/collaboration, and membership benefits. To do this, I will solicit feedback from existing and potential members in order to improve existing resources.
The second is to increase the diversity of our membership focusing on the training pipeline to ensure a representative future of SPP. To do this, I plan to work very closely with the Student Representative, MAL for Student/Trainee Development, and the MAL for Diversity to determine what initiatives may increase our membership and how we can best serve a diverse group of members.
Member-at-Large for Membership
Cathy Stough, Ph.D.
Cathy Stough is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cincinnati. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology at the University of Kansas in 2015 following completion of a predoctoral residency at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. She completed a T32 postdoctoral fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center with specialized training in Child Behavior and Nutrition. Stough is currently director of the Healthy Kids Lab, which promotes health among young children through examining correlates and predictors of healthy eating and healthy growth and development of interventions to promote healthy eathing and growth in early childhood.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
I have been an active member of SPP throughout my training and early career, including as a Student Advisory Board member and co-chair of the research subcommittee of the Obesity SIG. Through these roles, I have developed experience working with SIGs and building membership and awareness of SPP through outreach to prospective members and students. I would be honored to apply these skills to the role of Member-at-Large for Membership.
A goal for my term would be continuing the growth of membership in SPP by increasing outreach to institutions where involvement in SPP is currently low and institutions with colleagues and trainees from diverse backgrounds that are currently underrepresented in SPP. Expanding the representation of SPP members across university, academic medical center, private practice, and community health sites in the U.S. and internationally will bolster creativity and new directions. Additionally, I would continue to support the ongoing growth of our SIGs, which I believe provide a unique opportunity for networking, promoting knowledge in specialty areas, sparking cross-institution collaborations, and entryway for trainee involvement in SPP. I would seek to facilitate increased communication between SIGs so that each can learn from the productivity and creative efforts of their fellow SIGs; I hope that such efforts would result in greater cross-SIG collaborations and replication of successful SIG activities by other SIGs.
I am passionate, enthusiastic, and dedicated to the mission of SPP, and I would be privileged to serve as the Member at Large for Membership.