Div. 55 President

Derek C. Phillips, PsyD, MSCP, ABMP, is a licensed clinical psychologist in the states of Illinois and Florida, a board-certified medical psychologist, and a clinical neuropsychologist in the department of neurology at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, a nonprofit, regional hospital system in rural east central Illinois. Additionally, Derek is a prescribing psychology resident at Sarah Bush Lincoln, completing rotations in emergency medicine, surgery, internal medicine, and psychiatry in 2021. He is director of the APA-designated MS in clinical psychopharmacology program within the school of psychology and counseling at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he is also an adjunct professor in the APA-accredited clinical psychology PhD program teaching psychopharmacology. Previous academic appointments include adjunct professorships at Lake Land College and in the MA in clinical psychology program at Eastern Illinois University. Derek is also currently a health service psychologist in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. 

He earned his BS in psychology and social work (summa cum laude) from Olivet Nazarene University in 2009 and MA in counseling psychology (2012) and PsyD in clinical psychology with a concentration in clinical neuropsychology (2015), both from Adler University (previously Adler School of Professional Psychology) Chicago campus. He completed a one-year internship in clinical psychology/neuropsychology and two-year fellowship in clinical neuropsychology in Lakeland, Florida, at Psychological and Neurobehavioral Services, P.A. of the Centerstone Consortium. In 2019, he obtained his MS in clinical psychopharmacology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. As previously mentioned, Derek is currently completing an 18-month prescribing psychology residency at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, Illinois, and plans to apply to become a licensed prescribing psychologist in Illinois in mid-2021.

Regarding prior and current volunteer leadership service, Derek is a former member of the APA Council of Representatives (representing Div. 55, 2018–2019) and former member of the APAPO Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice (CAPP, 2015–2016). He is a current member of the Council of Representatives of the Illinois Psychological Association as chair of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity Section (2019–present), chair-elect of the APA Board of Convention Affairs (2019–present), secretary of APA Division 42 (Independent Practice, 2019–present), treasurer-elect of APA Division 44 (Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2020–present), member of the Illinois Association of Prescribing Psychologists Board of Directors (2020–present), chair of the Illinois Clinical Psychologists Political Action Committee (2018–present), and editorial board member of Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology (2020–present) and Practice Innovations (2021–present). Derek was a 2017 recipient of the Walter Katkovsky Scholarship for Psychopharmacology Training from the American Psychological Foundation and the 2020 recipient of the Patrick H. DeLeon Prize for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of Pharmacotherapy from the Society for Prescribing Psychology (APA Div. 55). He is the twenty-first, and first ECP, president of Div. 55!

Peter Smith PsyD, MSCP

Peter Smith PsyD, MSCP, has been active in his state psychological association for many years beginning as an ECP, and working in various committees, including but not limited to, professional practice, legislative, and multiple task forces. He became involved with an endeavor to advance RxP in Maryland and was elected representative-at-large. He served as Div. 55 treasurer from 2018–2019. As president-elect of APA Div. 55, Peter is intent on advancing RxP legislative reach through supporting states pursuing RxP, along with expanding access within federal programs. He is a public service psychologist having spent the last eight years working in a juvenile justice setting while also working in an emergency room providing crisis evaluations for the past 10 years. This builds upon his experience working in special education programs and public schools and working in a residential treatment center for adolescents.

Peter holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from The George Washington University, a master's degree and doctor of psychology degree from The Chicago School, and a master's degree in clinical psychopharmacology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He also completed the PEP and was previously licensed as a medical psychologist in Louisiana. Peter has also been affiliate faculty at multiple universities, including Loyola University in Maryland and Argosy University. He was recently appointed as affiliate faculty through the University of Maryland Global Campus for the spring of 2021. He has been active in supervision and training of graduate students with externs at many of his past employment settings, including his current site in juvenile justice.

Judith Steinman, PhD

Judith Steinman, PhD, is past president of Div. 55. She has been the director of the California School of Professional Psychology—Alliant International University’s Master of Science in clinical psychopharmacology (MSCP) program since 2017. She served as the coordinator of the MSCP program at the University of Hawai`i—Hilo’s Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy for seven years.

Judi serves as chair of the Div. 55 Training Director Council and is a member of the Diversity, Research, Bylaws, and Membership Councils and Committees. She was a coordinator and co-author of the division’s specialty petition to APA’s Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Subspecialties in Professional Psychology, resulting in clinical psychopharmacology being formally recognized as an APA specialty and laying the path towards board certification with the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Judi served as chair of the Hawaiʻi Psychological Association’s RxP Subcommittee and as a member of the Political Action Committee board for several years until recently moving to Florida. She is actively engaged in efforts to bring prescriptive authority for qualified psychologists to Hawai’i and around the country.