E-News December 2023

Update from Prof. Lori Foster, IAAP President

As I write to you on this Southern Hemisphere summer solstice, I extend my warmest greetings to all, regardless of the season you're experiencing. This time of year often brings a mix of reflection and anticipation, and it's in this spirit that I share a brief update and introduce this edition of our eNews.

Our strategic planning process continues to progress steadily. Our team is diligently working on translating overarching goals into specific, actionable objectives. This nuanced phase of planning is critical to ensuring that our future directions are both aspirational and grounded in practicality. President-Elect Pedro Neves and I appreciate your ongoing interest in this crucial endeavor.

In this December edition of the eNews, we bring you a variety of engaging updates and insights:

Exploring the Future of Work: Dive into the highlights from our recent conference on "Psychology of Selection and Assessment," which gathered experts and over 200 participants to discuss emerging trends and ethical approaches in the field.

United Nations Engagements: Celebrate the proactive involvement of Division 15—our Student and Early Career Psychologists—in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Their energy and innovation have led to three proposals for the upcoming March 2024 meeting. Further, we're proud of IAAP's support for the vital discourse on mental health education cross culturally, echoing imperatives articulated by UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Stay tuned for the outcomes of these dynamic exchanges, including the forthcoming World Interfaith Harmony Week, emphasizing peace amid global conflicts.

Division 17 Insights: Explore the latest developments in professional practice with an update from Division 17, showcasing the dynamic work and contributions in this area of psychology.

Webinar on Terrorism and Peacebuilding: If you missed our insightful webinar on 'Contributions of Psychology to the Challenge of Terrorism and Peace Building', it's now available for all IAAP members. This timely session offers valuable perspectives on a critical global issue.

Secretary-General Elections: As we look forward to the future leadership of IAAP, I encourage members to engage in the upcoming elections for our new Secretary-General. Your participation is vital in shaping the direction of our association.

Early Career Marathon 2023: Celebrate the achievements of our early career psychologists and access insightful presentations from this innovative event.

Upcoming Opportunities: Learn about a job opening, a very special issue of Applied Psychology Around the World, and save the date for ICAP 2026 in Florence.

As we approach the end of the year, I want to express my gratitude for your continued engagement and contributions to the IAAP community. Your involvement is the heartbeat of our organization, driving us toward a future rich in collaboration, innovation, and global impact.

Wishing you a season filled with peace, joy, and inspiration.

Warm regards,
Lori Foster
President, IAAP

Call for Nominations for the Secretary General of IAAP 

Submitted by Dr. Christine Roland-Lévy

Dear Members of the International Association of Applied Psychology,

Our current Secretary General, Luminita Patras, is finishing her term in July 2024, and a new Secretary General needs to be found.
As Chair of the Elections Committee, I am pleased to invite you personally to submit names of candidates for the office of Secretary General, or even considering running for the position yourself, in keeping with the rules stipulated in IAAP’s Constitution and Rules of Procedure.

Read the full letter from Dr. Roland-Lévy>

EARLY CAREER MARATHON

If you missed IAAP's innovative virtual event for student and early career psychologists, you're still in luck! The presentations are available online for your viewing. 

Congratulations to the winners of 2023!

• First Place: Harriet Pinel, Nudge Interventions to Promote Sustainable Behaviours in Organisations
• Second Place: Shelby Grahn, From Wanting to Helping? Psychopathic Traits, Priming and Costly Helping
   
• Runner-up: Anouk Jasmine Albien, Migrant Career Adjustment
• Runner-up: Bárbara Moreira, The Efficacy of a New Sexual Violence Prevention Program with College Students
• Runner-up: Anna Pettway, Childhood Trauma and the Emergence of Eating Disorder Symptoms

PROMOTING DECENT WORK FOR ALL

Exploring the Future of Work: Conference on the Psychology of Selection and Assessment

IAAP recently hosted a pivotal two-day conference titled "Psychology of Selection and Assessment: From Calling to Meaning and Purpose.  Perspectives and Imperatives for Decent Work and Decent and Healthy Lives." This event, organized by Annamaria Di Fabio, was part of  IAAP's Special Project "Promoting Decent Work for All." It took place in the historic Medici Riccardi Palace in Florence, Italy.

In collaboration with the Italian Association of Psychology (Associazione Italiana di Psicologia – AIP), the University of Florence, and the University of Wroclaw, the conference took place with the support of IAAP’s Division 1 “Work and Organizational Psychology.” It convened notable experts such as Prof. José Maria Peiró and Prof. Maureen E. Kenny. Attracting over 200 participants worldwide, the event focused on innovative selection and assessment methodologies, the impact of technology on work, and strategies for fostering humane, productive work environments.

Key conclusions emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical and evidence-based assessment models, and a human-centric approach in the era of 5.0 technological change. The event marked a significant step in defining pathways for achieving healthy work and lives for all.

UNITED NATIONS

One of the most important annual meetings at the United Nations is the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).  Every year, IAAP has been well represented in events that UN rep Judy Kuriansky has moderated or spoken at.  Also, youth members of IAAP’s Student and Early Career Division (Division 15) always submit impressive events for the NGO CSW/NY Forum.  This year is no exception!  Three proposals met the  deadline for presentation at the March 2024 meeting, submitted by students in Judy Kuriansky’s class on “Psychology and the United Nations.”  The submissions (limited in words required for the title) are:

• Support for Women Cancer Patients in Ukraine, by June Chang and Catherine Burke

• From a UN Resolution to Action: Advancing Access to Justice for Survivors of Violence Against Women Worldwide by Emily McGill, Josefina Streeter, June Chang, Stephanie Greco, Himaja Boinapalli, Bemsi Nkuo, Dahlia Alrawi, and Judy Kuriansky

• Feminism and Patriarchy: East Asian Films, Television and Beyond by Jinge Ren

IAAP was also the sponsor of an exceptional event held on Zoom by another member of Division 15, Bemsi Nkuo, also Kuriansky’s student, on “Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Mental Health Education: International Students Giving Back to their Homeland.” On December 11, this event focused on the importance of cultural sensitivity in education about mental health care across the world and featured experts in the UN community. It included a roundtable with students in the Columbia University Teachers College community from diverse countries, who want to bring education about mental health back to their home country, especially to dispel stigma and to address the calls for mental health and wellbeing worldwide. These calls come from the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, the new General Assembly Resolution about Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, and the Political Declaration about Universal Health Coverage. IAAP’s UN rep Judy Kuriansky was the featured speaker at the aforementioned event. Other expert speakers included: Women’s human rights activist Mbah Nadine who runs Empower Her, whose charity organization is in Bensi Nkuo’s homeland of Cameroon, and Neha Srinivas from Fairleigh Dickinson University who is an expert in cross-cultural psychology. The IAAP student members on the roundtable were Niklas Nyblom from Sweden/Japan, Theo Ntwari from the DRC, Josefina Streeter from Chile, and Himaja Boinapalli from India. The report is being prepared for publication and video posting.

Another yearly event IAAP co-sponsors is the World Interfaith Harmony Week, which is even more important this coming year given the drastic wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Currently in the planning stage, it will take place the first week of February.

IAAP’s UN rep Judy Kuriansky gave the plenary speech at a conference held on December 9th at New York’s majestic Riverside Church. The event was the “United Nations 2023 Unite!” conference, where Kuriansky presented on gender-based violence against women and men. This event was co-sponsored by IAAP with many women’s rights organizations.  At the end of the meeting, a working group was formed to explore what comes next, which would follow up on two historic steps at the UN. The first is the adoption of a General Assembly Resolution on “Access to Justice for Survivors of Sexual Violence” championed by the UN Missions of Sierra Leone and Nigeria, with the participation of Japan. This was championed by the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Fatima Maada Bio based on her dedicated project, #HandsOffOurGirls, about which IAAP has co-sponsored events. The second historic step is the adoption of a resolution establishing November 18th as the official "World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Violence.” These next steps are under consideration, including the possibility of establishing a convention about this issue.

WEBINAR RECAP

Contributions of Psychology to the Challenge of Terrorism and Peacebuilding

If you missed the IAAP webinar on December 7, 2023, titled "Contributions of Psychology to the Challenge of Terrorism and Peacebuilding," there's still an opportunity to gain valuable insights from this enlightening event. The webinar provided an exploration of how psychology contributes to understanding and addressing terrorism.

Key areas covered in the webinar included:

• Welcome and Overview: An introduction to the Task Force on Terrorism and Peace Building's work, setting the stage for the discussions that followed.
• Study Insights: Detailed presentations on the Task Force's study methodology and findings, examining psychology's role in understanding and addressing terrorism.
• Focused Contributions: Expert discussions on various aspects of psychology related to terrorism, encompassing topics such as radicalization, the impact on victims, psychological first aid, treatment approaches for victims, and the processes of resilience and posttraumatic growth.

Altogether, the webinar offered a thought-provoking analysis of psychology's critical role in addressing one of the most pressing global challenges. For IAAP members who couldn't attend the live session, the recording is now available. Click here to access the recorded webinar.

DIVISION NEWS

Division 17: Professional Practice 

Are you interested in staying up-to-date with the latest developments in professional practice? Dive into Division 17's December newsletter for an overview of recent activities, achievements, and resources. From festive greetings to discussions on integrated mental and general health care, the newsletter offers information, inspiration, and more. Join Division 17 in exploring key contributions, notable publications, and expert perspectives shaping the field of psychology today.

Read the Division 17 Newsletter here>

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The 28^th International Conference on Corporate and Marketing Communications will be held in Vienna on March 26-27, 2024. We welcome contributions from all areas of corporate and marketing communications, and are particularly looking forward to submissions (full paper, working paper, or extended abstract) on our conference theme “Valuing Diversity in Corporate and Marketing Communications: Towards an Inclusive Corporate and Market Environment.”

The deadline for paper submission is January 8, 2024. There will also be an independent special issue on the conference theme in the Journal of Marketing Communications. 

Please find more information here >

JOB OPENING

Georgia Institute of Technology, The School of Psychology:
4 open-rank tenure-track faculty positions available
Learn more about this career opportunity>

SAVE THE DATE

ICAP 2026 in Florence

You're invited to Florence Italy for the 31^st International Congress of Applied Psychology (ICAP). Our congress will take place from 20-26 July, 2026. It promises to offer new and exciting opportunities to learn, exchange ideas, reconnect with colleagues, meet new people from around the globe, and work together to advance the science and practice of applied psychology. Learn More>