“State of the Art in Pediatric Psychology: Promoting Best Practices”


See you in Atlanta!

 
By Anna Maria Patiño-Fernández and Chad D. Jensen, PhD
 
The 2016 Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference (SPPAC) will be held April 14-16 at the Marriott Marquis in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The conference will focus on evidence-based approaches to practice, education, and training . Thursday, April 14, will feature preconference workshops and special interest group (SIG) meetings followed by two days of invited speakers, concurrent symposia and poster sessions. The conference will feature numerous networking and training opportunities, including social hours, a mentoring lunch and career development programming. New to the conference this year — an interactive internships and postdocs on parade. As always, the conference will provide numerous opportunities to earn CE credits.
 
Location: Atlanta Marriott Marquis
The Atlanta Marriott Marquis is a full-service hotel, with spacious and stylish conference meeting space, as well as pool, spa and fitness room. It is perfectly situated in downtown Atlanta and offers a convenient location to area restaurants, tourist locations, and it is a short metro ride to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. This is an ideal location for the Society of Pediatric Psychology to convene.
 
Featured Presenters
Our keynote speaker is Lee Sanders, MD, MPH. Sanders is an associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is chief of the Division of General Pediatrics and the co-director for the Center for Policy, Outcomes, and Prevention. Sanders’ research focuses on the field of health literacy. He conducts interdisciplinary research to understand child and parent health literacy as potentially modifiable determinants of child health disparities. Sanders’ keynote address will focus on interdisciplinary collaborations in clinical care and research to enhance best practices.
 
We are pleased to have Deborah Christie, PhD, as our international speaker. Christie is the clinical lead for the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychological Services at the University College London Hospitals. Her work focuses on young people who are searching for ways to live with chronic illness including diabetes, obesity, arthritis, chronic fatigue and chronic pain syndromes and the development of effective multidisciplinary interventions for children and adolescents. Christie’s keynote address will focus on helping medical colleagues think outside the box when working with medically unexplained symptoms.
 
Our diversity speaker is Gayle Brooks, PhD. Brooks is vice president and chief clinical officer of the Renfrew Center. For the past 25 years, she has treated patients from diverse backgrounds who suffer from eating disorders. Brooks’ keynote address will focus on eating disorders and cultural diversity, particularly among minority youth.
 
Submit Your Work
Consistent with the conference theme, we invite program submissions that reflect a focus on the application of research in clinical settings, including the dissemination of evidence-based practice into real-world settings.
 
All abstract submissions will be peer reviewed and may be submitted as oral (paper, symposium, workshop) or as poster presentations.
 
Specific topic areas of interest include (but are not limited to):
 
  • Translation of Evidenced Based Practices into clinical settings.
  • Interdisciplinary Collaborations in clinical care and research to enhance best practices, including integrated primary care.
  • Diverse Populations Addressing the needs of diverse and underserved populations, including reducing health disparities and increasing access to care.
  • Neuropsychological Assessment and Intervention Applications of neuropsychology in addressing impact of disease and other risk factors on learning and school outcomes.
  • Direct Behavioral Observation/Measurement in the natural environment, in simulated settings, and/or electronic monitoring.
  • Ethics in Education and Training.
  • Technology in Research and Clinical Care to broaden reach and increase efficacy.
 
Important Dates
  • Sept. 18: Abstract submission site opened.
  • Oct. 1: Workshop Abstract submissions due.
  • Oct. 20: Symposium, Paper, and Poster abstract submission deadline.
  • Dec. 1: Registration site opens.
  • Dec. 20: Notification of acceptance or rejection of submissions.
  • March 23: Deadline for reduced rate at hotel (pending availability).
  • April 14-16: SPPAC in Atlanta.
 
For more information on SPPAC, including the call for submissions. Updates will also be distributed via the Div. 54 email list.
 
2016 Conference Chair
 
Chad Jensen, PhD 
2016 Conference co-Chair