The planning of a Division 28/50 conference is moving forward

As president-elect of Division 28, one of my initiatives for 2013 is a collaborative effort with Dr. Sara Jo Nixon, President-Elect of Division 50 (the Society of Addiction Psychology) to create the first annual joint conference held by the two Divisions. This conference presents an opportunity for members of the two Divisions to discuss research topics that may not fit within the limited hours of the larger APA Convention in August. The conference also offers opportunities for increased recruitment of members to both Divisions. Chad Rummel, Communications Manager in the Division Services Office and Committee on Division/APA Relations (CODAPAR) Staff Liaison for APA, developed the idea for the conference with Dr. Nixon and myself. APA will provide a discount in planning fees for the initial meeting, and we will seek sponsorship through CODAPAR.

Division 28 members’ strong support of the meeting was crucial in confirming the feasibility of the conference. Back in March, Chad prepared a Division 28/50 Feasibility Survey that was completed by 129 Division 28 members. Over 80 percent of respondents expressed some interest in attending the conference, and nearly half (45 percent) of all respondents reported being very interested in attending. This interest is very important given that 70 percent of respondents are either not planning to attend or are uncertain about attending at the 2013 APA Convention in Hawaii. Most encouraging, one in every five respondents expressed interest in serving on the 2013 Planning Committee, which is now being formulated. Responses from Division 28 members have also provided helpful prioritizing guidance to the Planning Committee. Networking opportunities (58 percent of responses), quality of breakout sessions (54 percent), and the quality of keynote speakers (39 perecent) were viewed as “very important.” Responses from Division 50 members were equally enthusiastic.

Location and exact dates are being negotiated with several cities in the Northeast and Southeast (regions preferred by 69 percent of respondents) and will be finalized in the next few months. The meeting will likely be established as a two-day spring conference because nearly two-thirds of respondents preferred a stand-alone meeting to a satellite meeting. I look forward to providing further details, including the conference name and 2013 theme, in future newsletters. Thank you all for your interest in and support of this exciting new venture.