Video Transcript
I’m Dr. Melba Vasquez. It’s an honor to serve as the 2011 president of the American Psychological Association.
As I begin my presidential year, I am humbled by the talents of my colleagues, inspired by the work of psychologists everywhere and keenly aware of what psychology can contribute -- must contribute -- to make the world a better place.
Psychology is a broad and diverse discipline. I truly believe that the contributions we can make to improving society are boundless but I am also cognizant of the fact that my presidency will last for just 12 months. Focusing on concrete goals that can have broad impact will be important.
Toward that end, I have appointed three presidential task forces, each with outstanding and talented members, and each charged with bringing our strongest science to an issue that is critical to the discipline and to society.
The first task force will be on immigration. The charge to this group is to create an evidence-based report on the psychological factors related to the experience of immigration. I have asked the task force to pay particular attention to the mental and behavioral health needs of immigrants across the life span and the effect of acculturation, prejudice and immigration policies on individuals, families and communities.
My second task force will be on preventing discrimination and promoting diversity. The goal of this work will be to determine ways in which to apply our discipline toward the reduction and prevention of discrimination and to communicate and enhance the benefits of inclusion.
The third task force will address the issue of educational disparities, with the goal of developing evidence-based strategies to reduce the impact of educational disparities --especially for poor and/or racially and ethnic minority students.
Each of these three projects is designed to highlight psychology’s scientific basis, our understanding of behavior and value the discipline can bring to improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities.
There are many extremely important issues within the discipline. The rapidly changing worlds of technology and research have posed challenges and opportunities specific to psychology. I plan to work with the APA Governance to create and adopt guidelines for the practice of telehealth, telepsychology and telepractice, and to pass a resolution communicating the overwhelming science on the effectiveness of psychotherapy. I will also spend time this year working with governance groups to continue APA’s work toward addressing the internship imbalance our students face.
In closing, let me say that I understand and appreciate the diversity within APA. While we have all chosen to dedicate our professional lives to a discipline we love, I also want to acknowledge that we won’t always agree on every issue. I have confidence, however, that our collective goal is to promote a thriving discipline. I welcome your involvement and encourage your input. Serving as president of the APA is a unique honor and a unique opportunity. I thank you for your interest and your support.