President's column

Greetings members!

It was wonderful to catch up with many of you this past summer at APA. We are already gearing up for APA 2020 and hope to see many of you there. Several members from the section will participate in a special collaborative symposium on Trauma and the Lifespan that should not be missed! Ann Masten will be our discussant, and more details will follow in the spring newsletter.

We continue our efforts to plan and organize events for our members at other national and international conferences to facilitate networking and camaraderie among child maltreatment researchers. We are organizing meetups at the American Psychology-Law Society (Div. 41) conference in March and at APSAC next June, both in New Orleans, Louisiana. More information will go out on the listserv soon about these social hours. Please email us if you would like to be involved in planning an event at a relevant conference in your hometown.

In January, we will have some new leadership on our executive committee. We are honored to have excellent candidates running for secretary and member-at-large. Please email your vote by Dec. 27 if you have not done so already. Election ballots go to our membership email list and not our listserv. If you did not receive the ballot, please double check your membership status and feel free to contact me with any questions.

We are delighted to welcome Sara Vice as our incoming newsletter editor. Anna Washington will transition from secretary to membership chair, and we are grateful to have her continue her involvement on the executive committee. A special thank you to Angelique Day (member-at-large), Barbara Oudekerk (outgoing newsletter editor) and Kelly McWilliams (outgoing membership chair) for their outstanding work, service and dedication to the section. We also thank our outgoing student board representative, Elizabeth Demeusy, for her dedication. Alex Busuito is now taking the lead as student representative.

A reminder to all members that it is time for annual APA, division and section renewals! Please note that you do not need to be a member of APA to join the section. Please see benefits of membership and renewal instructions below.

As always, please feel free to contact me at Stephanie Block to introduce yourself and/or if you have any questions about the section. As a group and as individuals, we are devoted to children’s well-being and welfare, and we would love to find a way to involve you in our important efforts.

Benefits of membership:

1. Join the section email lists, which provide forums for sharing information and learning about job opportunities, social events and section projects.

2. Receive an electronic copy of the section newsletter three times per year to keep you abreast of topical features and news of interest.

3. Apply for the grants and awards such as:
   Early Career Award
   Dissertation Award

4. Help support advocacy for legal and mental health issues relevant to children and families experiencing maltreatment.

5. Engage in opportunities to help shape policies that affect children and families.

6. Promote your work at APA's Annual Conventionopens in new window and participate in programming focused on child maltreatment.

How to renew:

1. Visit your account on MyAPAopens in new window.

2. Provide your general information and APA number (if you have it). Do not have an APA number? No problem! Just leave it blank.

3. You will then be directed to a screen which will inform you about the APA divisions you belong to (if any) and will give you the option to add new memberships.

4. To add the section, press the "Add divisions" button.

5. Scroll down to Div. 37 where you will see the subsection option for the Section on Child Maltreatment.

Note: The section is separate from Div. 37, meaning:

1. If you are already a member of/renewed Div. 37, you are not automatically a member/renewed for the section.

2. You do not have to be a member of APA or Div. 37 to join the section.