SPPAC 2025

Moving Forward with Hope: Advancing Health Equity in Pediatric Psychology through Science, Practice, and Advocacy

We are so excited to welcome you all to SPPAC 2025 from April 3rd- 5th in Phoenix, AZ! As you know, the theme of SPPAC 2025 is Moving Forward with Hope: Advancing Health Equity in Pediatric Psychology through Science, Practice, and Advocacy. Our hope is that this theme will lead all established and aspiring pediatric psychologists to question: What’s ahead for our field? Last year, the American Psychological Association (APA) identified 12 trends for psychologists to consider and asserted, “In 2024, psychology will play a major role in pointing the way toward a healthier, more just society”. The twelve 2024 trends are outlined below:

  1. This election year, fighting misinformation is messier and more important than ever.
  2. Psychologists need to know about the evolution of generative AI.
  3. Higher education is struggling. Psychologists are navigating its uncertain future.
  4. Policymakers are taking aim at women and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
  5. Psychologists persevere in EDI work despite growing backlash against racial equity efforts.
  6. Mental health care is in high demand. Psychologists are leveraging technology and their peers to meet the need.
  7. What do people really want in their work? Meaning and stability.
  8. Psychologists are innovating to tackle substance use by building new alliances in treatment efforts.
  9. There is a strong push for more school psychologists.
  10. Monetizing mental health is harder than it looks.
  11. What’s ahead for clinical practice? Telehealth settles into a new normal.
  12. Psychology is improving brain health and aging.

As we enter 2025, the Society of Pediatric Psychology has nuanced and important things to say about all of these issues and many more. We will need to band together to innovate, to disseminate, to advocate, and to move forward with hope. This year, we are thrilled to put forward a conference program that seeks to take on the challenges faced by our members, our communities, and the children and families we care for with intention. We received a record number of submissions this year, allowing us to put together three days of high-quality scientific programming.

We want to draw your attention to a few new iterations to scheduling and programming this year!

 

  • Thursday is no longer a Workshop Only Day! The conference will kick off Thursday morning with a session of morning workshops, with the Service Event taking place from 12:00pm – 2:00pm. The conference will officially open Thursday at 3:00pm, with the welcome address and plenary talk by Dr. Anna Hood. The welcome and plenary will be followed by the first block of symposia and professional development seminars. We will close out Day 1 with the welcome reception and Internships on Parade!

 

  • SIG Meetings are back in person! SIG Meetings are back in person! SIG Meetings will be held in person on Friday and Saturday mornings (subject to space availability). SIGs on Parade will also be on Friday. Get ready to see old friends and make some new!

 

  • Saturday Hot Topics Panel! In lieu of a third, traditional plenary speaker, the final day of SPPAC 2025 will start with a Hot Topics Panel comprised of six SPP members representing diverse career stages and areas of expertise in science, practice, and advocacy to speak in a panel discussion hour on the final day of SPPAC 2025. Following this, we will have our final block of symposia and professional development seminars. The conference will end with a session of afternoon workshops.

 

A bit more about the Hot Topics Panel… In order to be responsive and inclusive to the needs of our members, we are soliciting questions and topics from YOU to help shape this session! What do you think the trends in pediatric psychology are? What are the issues we should be discussing as a society? How can SPP members come together to have courageous conversations? Be on the lookout for notifications about this on the listserv in the coming weeks!

 

Lastly, we want to give a tremendous thank you to our amazing scientific program committee, abstract reviewers, and Executive Director Incorporated (EDI) for their help in planning SPPAC 2025 to date. It would not be possible without their dedication and hard work. More on SPPAC 2025 to come in the new year—wishing you all a safe and healthy end to 2024.

 

Register for SPPAC here:  https://secure.pedpsych.org/eventReg.jsp?event=140&

 

 

Lauren Harrison, PhD

2025 SPPAC Conference Chair

 

 Colleen Cullinan, PhD

2025 SPPAC Conference Co-Chair

 

 

 

 

Posted in 2024, Volume 48, Issue 7