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Richard Lee

How to Advance Minority Health? Our Educational Systems Can Help

By Member Spotlight, News

Kudos to AAPA Member Janet Chang, PhD who is featured on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Human Capital Blog in honor of National Minority Health Month. Read more below and at the link provided.

To mark National Minority Health Month, the Human Capital Blog asked several Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) scholars to respond to questions about improving health care for all. In this post, Janet Chang, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., responds to the question, “Minority health is advanced by combating disparities and promoting diversity. How do these two goals overlap?” Chang is an alumna of the RWJF New Connections Program; she studies sociocultural influences on social support, help-seeking, and psychological functioning among diverse ethnic/racial groups.

To read her blog, visit:

http://www.rwjf.org/en/blogs/human-capital-blog/2014/04/how_to_advance_minor.html

AAPA Fellows Nominations DUE JUNE 2nd

By Announcements

Please consider becoming an AAPA Fellow!

Fellows shall be Members (Professional, Lifetime, or Honorary Lifetime) of the Asian American Psychological Association who have made unusual and outstanding contributions to the Association. The minimum requirements for Fellow status shall be (a) a doctoral degree, (b) prior status as a Member for at least one year, (c) five years of acceptable professional experience subsequent to the granting of the doctoral degree, and (e) evidence of unusual and outstanding contribution or performance in the field of Asian American psychology.

Candidate contributions are examined in terms of scholarship and impact on the field of psychology and its advancement. Impact is evaluated in terms of: (1) Unusual, positive, long-term effects; and (2) Significant impact in a single area OR broad impact over a number of areas. AAPA Fellow candidates are usually members of AAPA for at least two years and preferably have completed their doctoral degree more than 10 years prior to nomination.

Nomination Process:

Nominations are made once a year. Nominators should be members of AAPA and should e-mail the following by June 2, 2014 5pm CST to the AAPA Awards and Fellows Chair, Richard Lee at richlee@umn.edu.

Please put the name of the nominee and “AAPA Fellow nomination” in the subject headline of the email.

1) A letter of nomination.
2) A self-statement by the nominee that describes the accomplishments that demonstrate why Fellow status is warranted.
3) The candidate’s vita.
4) Two or more letters of endorsement (in addition to nomination letter), at least one of which is from an AAPA Fellow.

Information on award criteria is available at the below link:

AAPA Fellows

Sincerely,
Rich Lee, AAPA Awards Committee Chair

AAPA Award Nominations Due JUNE 2nd

By Announcements

Please consider nominating a colleague or yourself for one of the AAPA Awards. We are particularly excited to announce a new award category for early career psychologists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the areas of practice, advocacy or leadership in applied (non-academic) settings.

June 2nd is the deadline for nominations for the following awards:
1) Early career for distinguished contributions to service (NEW CATEGORY)
2) Early career for distinguished contributions to research
3) Distinguished contributions award
4) Lifetime achievement award
5) Okura community leadership award
Information on nominations and award criteria is available at the below link:
Sincerely,
Rich Lee, AAPA Awards Committee Chair

Call for Nominations for Leadership Positions within AAPA

By Announcements

Dear AAPA Friends and Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the call for nominations for leadership positions within AAPA, the Division of South Asian Americans (DoSAA), and the Division of Women (DoW). We have some exciting positions available, which are detailed below. The call for nominations is due by May 31, 2013.

Please see below for the correct contact person at each Division.

The vibrancy of an organization is often reflected in its voting process, and so I strongly encourage you to you to nominate yourself and colleagues for a unique opportunity to serve as a leader within AAPA. In the past, nominations have been based on many factors, including expertise, passion for a particular cause, a desire to help, interest in working with an inspiring group of colleagues, or even simple curiosity (e.g., what exactly does a “board member” do?). Whatever your motivation(s) might be, please consider nominating someone (or multiple people!) for these positions. Details about the positions and nominating procedures are provided below.

  • AAPA is seeking nominations for two Board Members
  • DoSAA is seeking nominations for Chair-Elect
  • DoW is seeking nominations for one Co-Chair

Call for Nominations: Asian American Psychological Association

AAPA is pleased to announce our call for nominations. We are seeking nominations for two Board of Directors member positions, to serve from August 31, 2013 – August 30, 2015.

We seek committed people to serve in these leadership roles and to carry on our services and programs. The office description is provided below:

In performing duties of their office, the Directors shall:

  1. assume specific duties and responsibilities as directed by the President;
  2. assist the Vice-President in planning the annual convention;
  3. act as liaisons to other national or international organizations which purposes or actions will benefit the Association and its purposes;
  4. assist in soliciting corporate donations and other fund raising activities to carry out the objectives of the Association, including awarding of student scholarships;
  5. serve for no more than two (2) consecutive terms of two years each.

AAPA nominations should be accompanied by a brief statement (250 words) addressing:

  • Past AAPA offices held (if any);
  • Past contributions to AAPA and/or Asian American psychology;
  • Goal statement of what the nominee hopes to accomplish as an AAPA officer.

Nominees must be AAPA members. Self-nominations are encouraged.

Please send nominations and statements by May 31, 2013 via email (as text in the body of the email message, NOT as an attachment) to:

Linda Juang, AAPA Secretary/Historian
juang@psych.ucsb.edu

Call for Nominations: Division on South Asian Americans

The Division on South Asian Americans (DoSAA) is pleased to announce our call for nominations. DoSAA is seeking nominations for Chair-elect for the term starting August 31st 2013:

Chair-Elect: This position will serve a one year term, but will subsequently serve as co-chair and chair for a total of a 3 year term. This person will primarily serve as preparing for the position of co-chair and chair and will familiarize themselves with the current business of the division. Assist the chair and co-chair as necessary with current business of the division. Act as a liaison with other associations and divisions as appropriate.

This position allows for opportunities to participate on sub-committees within the division (award, newsletter, conference programming etc.).

The Division on South Asian Americans seeks:

  • To represent AAPA members interested in South Asian American mental health.
  • To increase visibility of South Asian Americans as a collective entity within AAPA.
  • To serve as a recruitment tool for future South Asian American members within AAPA.
  • To establish a representative body within AAPA and to liaison with outside organizations.
  • To provide resources and support regarding best treatment practices for South Asian Americans (e.g. culturally sensitive assessment tools, client care, clinician referrals).
  • To provide professional networking opportunities for members interested in South Asian American mental health concerns (e.g. research collaborations and conference presentations).

Nominees must be current (dues paid) Professional members of AAPA and DoSAA with the exception of the student representative who needs to be a student member of both AAPA and DoSAA.

To encourage the representation of diverse perspectives in the division, DoSAA encourages individuals in all disciplines of healthcare, stages of career, ethnicity, race, disability, gender, sexual orientation and age to apply for positions. The division will work extensively through email and phone conferences because of the limited face to face contact. Regular checking of email and participation in all phone conferences will be required.

Individuals may self-nominate or be nominated by another AAPA member.

Nominations should be accompanied by a brief statement (250 words) addressing:

  1. Past contributions to Asian American psychology and/or AAPA.
  2. Past offices held in AAPA or other organizations/committees (if any).
  3. Goal statement of what the nominee hopes to accomplish as a DoSAA officer.

Members will be allowed to vote by electronic ballot. Nomination materials must be received by May 31, 2013.

Send Nominations via Email to:

Monique Shah Kulkarni, PhD
Membership/Nomination/Elections Chair
moniqueshah@utexas.edu

Call for Nominations: Division of Women

The Division of Women is pleased to announce our call for nominations. DoW is seeking nominations for one nominations for one position, Co-Chair. The co-chair is to serve a 2-year term, starting August 31, 2013.

Duties of the co-chair include:

  • Writing regular co-chair update columns in the DoW newsletter and the AAPA newsletter.
  • Serving on the AAPA Council of Representatives (one of the co-chairs).
  • Serving as liaison to other organizations including feminist divisions or those eliciting information on the concerns of Asian American women.
  • Being responsible for facilitating communication among the DoW Officers.
  • Supporting all regional representatives via checking in regarding events, financial assistance, encouragement and acknowledgement of their efforts.
  • Leading all DoW-related activities at the Annual AAPA conference.
  • Leading effort to select DoW Award recipients with input from DoW officers.
  • Encouraging women to present in the DoW sponsored symposium held at the Annual AAPA conference.

Nominations should be accompanied by a brief statement (250 words) addressing:

  • Past AAPA and/or DoW offices of positions held (if any);
  • Past contributions to AAPA and/or Asian American women’s psychology;
  • Goal statement of what the nominee hopes to accomplish as a DoW officer.

Nominees must be AAPA and DoW members. Self-nominations are encouraged.

Please send nominations and statements via e-mail to:

Ivy Ho, Ph.D.
DoW Co-Chair
Ivy_Ho@uml.edu

It Takes a Village: The Immediate Mental Health Response to the Oak Creek Sikh Temple Shootings

By Announcements

A thoughtful reflection on the Oak Creek Sikh Temple shootings which occurred on August 5, 2012. This story was written by AAPA member Puni Kalra for the organization Counselors Helping (South) Asian/Indians, Inc (CHAI).

By Puni Kalra

On Sunday, August 5, 2012, at approximately 10:30 am, a gunman arrived at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and killed 7 people, including himself. I was sitting in my home in Aurora, Colorado that morning and learned of the event as I was scanning my Facebook newsfeed. I immediately ran to the television and could not believe what I was seeing…swat teams at a Gurdwara and images of Sikh men, women, and children in distress. It was utterly heartbreaking. I went numb for the next 24 hours.

The following night, I called my childhood friend in Chicago to process what had happened. We were both still in shock. Having grown up in the Sikh community and going to youth camps since the age of six, this hit very close to home in every way — physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The Gurdwara was my second home, and even though I may have grown up in Chicago and this was an hour away, it didn’t matter. This was still my Gurdwara and the people that were affected were my Sikh brothers and sisters.

Click here to read the full post.