SPP 2022 Fall Virtual Conference Recap

One avenue for sharing and exchanging information to promote the health and wellbeing of all children and families within Division 54 is through our SPP conferences and virtual programming. To this end, the SPP Science and Practice Committee envisioned a meeting where we could gather in a virtual space to learn together and from one another about how we can continue to do the fantastic work we do as pediatric psychologists.  

We were delighted to see many of you attend the Inaugural SPP Fall Virtual Conference in November! The theme for the 2022 programming was Making a Difference: High-Impact Research in Pediatric Psychology from Community to Tertiary Care. This exciting theme shined a spotlight on three leaders with longstanding pediatric psychology research programs and nine pediatric psychologists who are at earlier career stages. Thanks to the incredible work of our members, our one-day virtual program offered three outstanding plenary addresses each followed by stimulating scientific symposia.  

Dr. Monica Mitchell’s invited address talked about our power as pediatric psychologists, how to build trust and collaborate with local communities, and engaging pediatric communities in research through Education Days. Dr. Anne Kazak’s invited address discussed the impact of screening for psychosocial risk to help advance health equities in pediatric clinical care. Dr. David Schwebel’s invited address focused on how we as pediatric psychologists can reduce child injury risk through the application of pediatric psychology theory and principles.  

 We also heard exciting “how to” talks from pediatric psychologists covering a variety of related topics including the following: 

  • Community-engaged approaches to research in pediatric asthma
  • Collaborating with stakeholders to provide parenting support to caregivers of young children
  • Leveraging child welfare and healthcare systems to improve child health outcomes 
  • The development and implementation of psychosocial screening tools for different populations 
  • Applying injury prevention models and developmental methods in pediatric clinical work  
  • Advances in technology for injury rehabilitation and for promoting driver safety in youth 

 We thank all the speakers and attendees for their participation and thoughtful engagement and for making the first ever SPP Fall Virtual Conference a success! Special thanks to Dr. Monica Mitchell, Dr. Anne Kazak, and Dr. David Schwebel for your exemplary plenary addresses! We also send a sincere thanks to Dr. Robin Everhart, Dr. Robert (Bob) Ammerman, Dr. Sarah Beal, Dr. Leandra Desjardins, Dr. Krystal Robinson, Dr. Kristin Long, Dr. Jaibin Shen, Dr. Ben Barton, and Dr. Despina Stavrinos for their wonderful contributions to the symposia sessions. It was an impactful day filled with an outstanding set of talks and impressive contributions to pediatric psychology.  

We are proud of our society and hope that you feel inspired and will join us for another exciting virtual program in early Fall 2023. This promises to be an exceptional program. Look for the Save-the-Date announcement and the speaker schedule on the SPP list-serve and by visiting the SPP Meeting & Events Section at https://pedpsych.org/news-announcements.  

SPP Science & Practice Committee: 

Sukhpreet K. Tamana PhD (Chair)                                                                                                                                                                              Chad Jensen PhD (Outgoing MAL-CE)

Emily Law PhD                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Diane Chen PhD                                                                                                                                                                                                        Allison A. Stiles PhD                                                                                                                                                                                                  Alyssa Schlenz PhD                                                                                                                                                                                                 Naadira Upshaw PhD (SPPAC 2023 Co-Chair)                                                                                                                                                     Sunnye Mayes PhD (Incoming MAL-CE). 

Posted in Uncategorized