Sandy and International Psychology
Question 1: What are your goals, as APA President, for APA’s international engagement and for infusing an international perspective into APA’s own vision, activities, and initiatives? In its 2009 vision statement, APA aspired to be “a principal leader and global partner promoting psychological knowledge and methods to facilitate resolution of personal, societal, and global challenges…” Yet, the 2009 implementation of the strategic plan reflected no international perspective
Sandy's Ongoing Commitment to People of Color and Indigenous Peoples Within and Beyond Psycholog
Question 1. In what ways have you promoted the wellbeing of People of Color and Indigenous peoples in psychology and/or within society more broadly? In my early years, I grew up in post-war transitional housing and a low income, urban housing project, both interracial environments. I interacted with people of many colors daily, where lines were often drawn by race, SES and religion. I directly witnessed social injustices towards People of Color, and these experiences never
Sandy's Commitment to Advancing LGBT Issues
Question 1: What is your evidence of a record of commitment to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in education and training, in research, in practice, and/or public interest? I have a longstanding record of commitment to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues: a. In the late 1980’s, when HIV/AIDS emerged in Columbus, Ohio, as a community health crisis, our behavioral health practice, a major EAP provider, made a commitment to help address the
Question 5: How will your presidential initiatives reflect APA’s commitment to addressing social ju
Sandy's Response: APA can best embrace social justice/human rights efforts where we envision unique and/or significant impact, bringing a strong moral compass and utilizing our best science. We need a one-APA response structure that integrates science, practice and policy expertise to provide quick, systematic responses to issues such as DACA, immigration, violence, racism, poverty, health disparities, insidious bias and addictions. Social justice/human rights-focused initi
Question 4: According to its 2009 vision statement, APA aspires to be “a principal leader and global
Sandy’s Response: Addressing global challenges such as health, poverty and geopolitical violence requires globally aware partners working side-by-side. US psychology must broaden its global perspective. We could Define global partnership as central in APA’s strategic plan Integrate multicultural and cross-cultural methodology, training and practice throughout APA Encourage international psychologists to join APA Take action steps to develop paths for practica/internships ou
Question 3: How do you think APA should address the scientific process of developing, updating and
Sandy’s Response: We should, as a discipline and profession, take a significant role in developing and updating clinical guidelines, based on our best science, and establishing psychology as a meaningful part of interprofessional, evidence-based healthcare. We must also be diverse and inclusive scientifically if we want guidelines to be maximally helpful and effective for the public. For example, we can encourage use of mathematical optimization models with multiple variable
Why now? Why APA President?
APA is at an inflection point—a critical moment of transformation. We need to listen and learn from each other so we can build a real community of psychologists, supported by the strength of our diversity, far beyond our current fragmentation. Our society needs the resources and solutions that psychology can provide. As a unified, dedicated organization, we can lead and contribute to resolution of key national and global issues such as healthcare, poverty, violence, and immig
