SPP and APA in Washington, D.C. 2014

Great program in store for APA in D.C. for 2014.

By Erica Sood, PhD

The 122nd APA Annual Convention will be held Aug. 7–10 in Washington, D.C. Div. 54 is offering a first-class program of symposia, panel discussions, skill-building sessions and poster presentations. In addition, cross-divisional, collaborative programming is scheduled for all four days of the convention and will take place in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C. Hotel.

This year’s highlights include several panel discussions with leaders in the field, including:

  • Child Obesity Interventions: Innovative Strategies for Underserved Communities, chaired by Annette La Greca.
  • Past, Present and Future of eHealth Interventions: A Panel Discussion of Critical Issues, chaired by Lee Ritterband.
  • Integrated Health Care in Pediatric Settings: Hot Topics and Future Directions, co-chaired by Susan McDaniel and Carolyn Schroeder.

Featured symposia and skill-building sessions include:

  • Promoting Healthy Development: Next Steps Following the Second National Summit, chaired by Mary Ann McCabe.
  • Forging Psychologist and Pediatric Primary Care Collaborations Through Virtual Integration, co-chaired by Barbara Ward-Zimmerman and Carolyn Greene.

Div. 54 has collaborated with other APA divisions on several cross-cutting symposia, including:

  • Innovative Strategies Assessing Patient Outcomes in Integrated Pediatric and Adult Primary Care
  • Code Prevention: Psychology’s Contribution to Youth Suicide Prevention in the Emergency Department.

Another outstanding development this year is the wealth of programming geared towards students, trainees and early career psychologists. On Aug. 8, Div. 54 will host an informal, speed-mentoring session, immediately followed by a discussion chaired by Ethan Benore titled, ‘Your First Job as a Child Clinical/Pediatric Psychologist: Transitions, Hurdles and Opportunities’. Students will also present their own work in a program and poster session titled, Exemplary Student Research in Pediatric Psychology. An APA convention would not be complete without the annual Internships and Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Programs on Parade event, hosted by Divs. 53 and 54 on Saturday, Aug. 9.

While attending the convention, please stop by the hospitality suite. Divisions 54, 53 and 37 will host a student social hour on Friday evening. Several special interest groups will also host informal meetings in the suite, which will be an opportunity for continued networking and collaboration. And don’t forget to catch up with friends and colleagues at the Div. 54 social hour in the hospitality suite on Saturday evening.

This convention will provide opportunities to take in stimulating presentations and panel discussions, network with colleagues from around the world, visit distinguished landmarks, and experience top-notch shopping and dining.

The Program Committee would like to thank the following pediatric psychologists who served as Div. 54 proposal reviewers:

Melissa Alderfer
Jodie Ambrosino
Gerard Banez
Lamia Barakat
Sharon Berry
Maureen Black
Ronald Blount
Stephen Boggs
Joseph Bush
Lauren Clary
Rachael Coakley
Laura Dewey
Christina Duncan
David Fedele
Marisa Hilliard
Cheyenne Hughes-Reid
Jodi Kamps
Bryan Karazsia
Amy Lewandowski
Sunnye Mayes
Elizabeth McQuaid
Victoria Miller
Tonya Palermo
Julia Price
Jacqueline Sanz
Amy Sato
Mariella Self
Laura Simons
Kathy Zebracki