Positive Health and Wellness Division
Election 2018
Biography:
Statement of Interest:
I am a strong supporter of the Positive Health and Wellness Division of IPPA. As a Division co-founder (and co-author of the division charter), in conjunction with Drs. Sara Pressman and Afton Hassett, I have continuously volunteered and have served in an advisory role for Division activities. I am now formally applying for the President-Elect position to further enhance my service towards the mission of the Division.
My career has encompassed research, clinical/intervention applications, and teaching activities concerning positive psychological factors associated with health outcomes. I have a BA and MA in psychology, and a PhD in Preventive Medicine (Health Behavior Research). I am currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine (USC Keck School of Medicine) and am a member of the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research. This environment has provided wonderful experiences for bridging disciplines, as well facilitating team work between clinicians/practitioners and researchers. Thus, I am well-versed in collaborating across disciplines, publishing in interdisciplinary/healthcare-oriented journals, and mentoring and supporting undergraduate students, predoctoral trainees, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. I developed, and have continuously taught (since 2006), an undergraduate course focused on relevant research (entitled Happiness, Well-Being, and Health). My peer-reviewed publications represent numerous domains within Positive Psychology, including posttraumatic growth, spirituality, optimism, positive affect, and mindfulness. With numerous peer-reviewed publications, external grant funding, and a rich history of mentoring-, classroom-, and community-based experiences, I have a strong awareness of the academic world as well as the logistical issues needed to help foster the goals of the Positive Health and Wellness Division of IPPA. Thank you for your consideration.
Hi Joel,
I have a few questions:
1. Spanning the gulf between research and practice is central to the Division. What would a future where this gap is bridged look like? How can the Division help move us all there?
2. What has been your best experience with the Positive Health and Wellness Division so far? (Could be a program, event, exchange, etc.)
3. Can you give an example of a time where you lead a team that created a successful outcome?
Hi Jenny,
Thank you for your questions.
1. I believe IPPA is unique because it has strong membership representation from of both researchers and clinicians. Thus, I think all activities of the Division should aim at leveraging this strength. Increasing the communication between members is paramount. The division needs to support conference activities, regional meetings, and online information distribution to help facilitate this communication among our members. From the researchers’ perspective, the sharing/distribution of high-quality studies (including literature reviews/meta-analyses focused on a specific topic area/intervention) is particularly helpful. Likewise, from the clinicians’ perspective, the sharing/distribution of successful/novel clinical techniques is invaluable for informing the next iteration of scientific research.
2. Attending the IPPA World Congress is always a highlight. Specifically, I find the poster sessions to be the most rewarding. At these sessions, I typically stumble upon something new/novel that is generated by scientists/clinicians who are not necessarily “on the radar.”
3. I currently lead a diverse team (including staff, undergraduates, predocs, postdocs, PhDs & MDs) that is focused on cancer survivorship issues among young adults. In our largest effort, we successfully recruited over 1,000 young adult cancer survivors into a cohort study. This was quite a task, and we look forward to publishing on these data soon!
Hi Joel. I live in Colombia. English is not my mother tongue and it’s difficult to keep updated when the most important information about positive psychology always come in English. Do you think, as president of this division, you can make an extra effort to ensure information translated into other languages?
This is a very important point, especially because this is an international organization. I believe that, at the very least, the plenary & quarterly sessions (in addition to website material) should be provided with translation.
Hi Joel, thank you so much for your sustained interest in serving the positive psychology community! What do you feel are the most critical aspects of the Division member experience? In what ways can Divisions become even more effective in their work engaging members?
Thanks for your consideration!
L
For engaging members, I think we need a stronger online presence. We can become more effective by increasing these communication efforts (e.g., through the IPPA network website & starting a division-specific dedicated twitter account).