Public Interest
The application of psychological science and clinical knowledge
to the public interest and public good can only be done by
"walking the walk". I have been committed
to sharing psychology with the public as part of my professional
work and have been involved at the front lines of public service. I
have had local, State, and National responsibilities as well
as working to build bridges with our international colleagues:
- Directed Evanston Hospital's community mental health programs
bringing sliding scale and pro bono services to a diverse
population of urban, underserved individuals, couples, and
families.
- Founded the Illinois Psychological Association, American
Red Cross Disaster Relief Network in 1994 following a devastating
tornado in Illinois. This was one of the first such Psychology-Red
Cross networks providing ongoing Red Cross training to psychologists.
- I was involved in community crisis intervention and long
term follow up after a shooting at an elementary school
and published research focused on the effects of such an
event on police, paramedics, and public safety personnel.
- Received a $1 million grant from SAMHSA to develop the
National
Rural Behavioral Health Center bringing primary care
psychological services to a diverse population of underserved,
rural Floridians. Our Center's charter from the US Congress
asks us to provide educational programming for disaster
relief training nationwide. Our Center provided educational
programs post 9-11 and post Katrina recovery as well as
educational and direct service activities following numerous
hurricanes in Florida. The Center was the site of one of
the first GPE grants focusing on rural primary care psychology.
We co-hired, with the Veterans Health System, a psychologist
to help staff this Center. This helped the local VA illustrate
the importance of psychologists in its rural and primary
care clinics and resulted in the significant infusion of
psychologists into primary care facilities at all facilities
in our local system.
- I now serve as the Associate Dean for International
Programs in the College
of Public Health and Health Professions while continuing
my clinical supervision, classroom teaching, direct service,
and research interests. While department chair I established
a faculty & student exchange program with University
of Oxford, Oxford, England, and a formal arrangement
to educate a cohort of new faculty in clinical psychology
for the University
of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
- I have served on the Board of Directors of the Simon
Foundation for Continence since its inception in the
1980s. This service activity combines my health psychology
practice and scientific interests in supporting a consumer
driven, public education foundation providing self help
and professional information to a wide range of those managing
adult urinary incontinence.
- Served on working groups to help prepare the Practice
Guidelines for Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Clients and
the Practice Guidelines in Geropsychology.
- Member of the Town Hall Panel at the first "International
Conference on Stigma in Healthcare" hosted by CBS's
Martha Teichner, in Chicago, 2003.
- Invited speaker at the 20th Anniversary Meeting of the
Interstitial Cystitis Association. Alexandria, Virginia,
November 1, 2003. Presented, "Psychological Aspects
of Interstitial Cystitis."
- Chaired the Board of Directors' Task Force on Work Force
analysis that resulted in funding for the APA's Center for
Work Force Analysis and Research. This Center will allow
Psychology [1] to collect the data necessary to truly understand
the career "pipeline" for all branches of psychology,
[2] help provide data to advise students about career opportunities
and "supply and demand" for training and career
trajectories, and [3] help Psychology provide data necessary
to educate public policy officials as we seek increased
research funding, additional training funding, and improved
support for services provision and public service programs.
- Served as an APA representative to the NIMH Panel on integrating
behavioral science research and public health research.
Published a consensus document: Muehrer, P, Afifi,
A. Coyne, J., Kring, A., Merson, M., Prohaska, T., and Rozensky,
R. (2002). Research
on Mental Disorders: Overcoming Barriers to Collaborations
Between Basic Behavioral Scientists and Public Health Scientists.
Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings,
9, 252-262.
- Served as chair of the Behavioral Science Curriculum Committee
for the Public Health Program in the College of Public Health
and Health Professions, University of Florida.
- Grant proposal reviewer for the Prevention Programme,
The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development,
The Hague, The Netherlands.
- I believe that my proposed APA Presidential
Initiatives directly reflect my commitment to public
service.
|
