Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 9. Source pages: 10.
Student Focus Shane Lowery Graduate Assistant Dr. Joe McGahan ULM, Social Science Research Lab 2010-2011 4th Judicial District Court Caseflow Assessment Project
In 2010, Shane Lowery, graduate student working through the Social Science Research Lab at University of Louisiana Monroe, began his work for the 4th Judicial District Court of Louisiana. Shane has worked to develop an assessment that would measure the current caseflow practices in the court system. He explained to the Times, “The local administrators were interested in knowing how long it was taking to process their cases from the time of arrest to the date of disposition, and how they matched up with national standards.” Shane collects data on “case time” and also gathers information on variables that could have an effect on overall caseflow time, including the number of pretrial resets, inactive or loss time due to failure of individuals to appear, and trial resets. “As word of this project spread,” Shane explained, “the Louisiana Supreme Court became interested and helped me in the development of the assessment, with the overall goal of developing a system that can be used in any district court across the state.” The project stemmed from a MacArthur Foundation Grant titled the Louisiana Models for Change Initiative, received by Dr. Jana Sutton of ULM's Marriage and Family Therapy Program. This effort aimed to increase evidence-based practices within the 4th Judicial District Court's Juvenile Justice System. Representing the Social Science Research Lab, Dr. Joe McGahan and Shane were contracted to manage data collection and analysis, putting them in contact with Juvenile Court Judge Sharon Marchman, and leading to the caseflow project. Shane is interested in Industrial- Organizational Psychology and said, “This project was of special interest to me. The thought of doing an efficiency analysis of our local court was intriguing and would give me a chance to really explore an area of I/O psychology that I found interesting.”
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Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 9. Source pages: 14.
According to Executive Director of LPA, attendance at this year’s Annual Meeting of the Louisiana Psychological Association was up from last year. She told the Times that attendance was about 8 percent higher than in 2010. And in 2010 the attendance had also been up about that same percentage from 2009, she said.
Ms. Lowe explained also that registration at this year’s conference was highest on Thursday, the day for the annual meeting and the town hall discussion regarding Act 251. Attendance has been up since the passage of 251. Ms. Lowe said that comments from convention attendees noted the strong quality of the presentations this year, that many workshops were full, and that the psychopharmacology presentation was completely filled.
At the same time, overall membership in the association is down slightly, Ms. Lowe said. She attributed this to normal cycles.
About the program chairman, President-Elect Dr. Phillip Griffin, Ms. Lowe said, “He did an awesome job of planning.” She noted that she felt that one factor in the success of this year’s convention was related to the broad range of topics and the quality of presentations.
Workshop on testing with Dr. Alexander Quiros was well attended.
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The first meeting of psychologists from the Lafayette area was held on April 27th at Imonelli Italian Restaurant in Lafayette. A similar group was started in Lafayette in the 80’s but reportedly only lasted approximately six months for unknown reasons. Having such a group in which to network, share information, collaborate, and socialize has been a desire of mine for many years, and I finally decided to bring it into fruition. I sent out 70 letters of invitation, and for this first meeting, there were eight in attendance. There are quite a few others who are interested in being a part of this group, but were unable to make it to the first meeting. Although I was somewhat disappointed at the small turn out, various members of the Baton Rouge Area Society of Psychologists (BRASP) assured me that this was a decent number, as their core group is typically only 10-12 members. BRASP has been running successfully since 1983 and meets monthly, for networking and presentations by various guest speakers.
I must make an embarrassing admission: In the invitation letter sent out for this first meeting, I erroneously set the date as Wednesday, May 27th; however, it was intended for Wednesday, April 27th. The letter requests an email be sent if there was interest in attending, so only those who emailed me prior to April 27th knew that the date was incorrectly written. Because of this error, another mail-out will be sent inviting Lafayette psychologists to this same meeting for Wednesday May 25th (as May 27th is a Friday), to be held again at Imonelli’s restaurant. At the meeting was a mixture of more recently licensed psychologists, as well as some more seasoned or retired psychologists. In attendance were doctors Jimmie Cole, John Morella, Henry Lagarde, Doug DeMahy, Jessica Brown, Kristin Duhe, Gina Beverly, and myself. For this first meeting, we spent time introducing ourselves to one another, with some getting reacquainted with colleagues they had not seen in many years. There was a lot of diversity among the group in terms of career paths. Some shared history about how they were active in getting psychology out from under medicine and the recent activities surrounding Act 251, which placed medical psychologists back under the medical board. LPA legislative chair, Jessica Brown, Ph.D., spoke about the bill that was recently filed by Senator Willie Mount (SB 226) which proposes to dissolve the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP) and the Louisiana Counseling Association board (LCA), and create one Omnibus Board. Discussion surrounded potential consequences and what legislative calls to action might be beneficial to psychologists. All mental health groups are strongly opposed to this bill and are planning to fight its passage. All in attendance expressed thanks for getting this group started, and are eager to participate in future meetings.
Input received from those psychologists in attendance indicated that the preference for these meetings will be for every other month. Input will also be received from those psychologists in attendance at the May 25th meeting as to their recommendation for meeting frequency. For now, the third meeting, tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 23rd will focus on reviewing the bylaws of BRASP and determining the more functional aspects of the group (i.e., objective, membership, group name, officers, dues, tax status, etc.). The meetings from June forward are tentatively going to be scheduled for every 4th Thursday, unless there is opposition from the group. If you have an interest in attending, or have suggestions for our group, please email me at gailgill@msn.com.
(L to R) Drs. Hank LaGarde, Jimmie Cole, Gail Gillespie, John Morella (mostly hidden), Doug DeMahy, and Gina Beverly (turned away). Also attending were Drs. Jessica Brown and Kristin Duhe. The group is being organized for networking and information sharing in the community by Dr. Gillespie and is scheduled to meet again on May 25 at Imonelli’s Restaurant in Lafayette. Interested persons are invited to contact Dr. Gillespie at gailgill@msn.com. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Gillespie)
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Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 9. Source pages: 16.
Speaking about infertility for Infertility Awareness Week on Friday, Dr. Alice Dormar of Boston noted that seven million people, or one in eight couples, struggle with infertility. “We’ve seen stress levels equivalent to those of cancer and Aids,” she said to Fox News.
She also noted that if people can lower their stress, “…learn some stress management skills and get support, they can double their pregnancy rates.”
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Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 9. Source pages: 16.
This year’s wine and cheese reception, highlighting the research contributions of students from several universities and agencies around the state was a success. According to Executive Director Gail Lowe, 17 research posters were submitted, up considerably from recent years. The competition was strong among many interesting submissions, and showcased topics such as “Using Interactive Biofeedback Therapy to Address Social Skills Deficits in Children,” submitted by Taighlor Whittington, B.A., of the Neuropsychology Center of Louisiana and sponsored by Dr. Darlyne Nemeth. Another presentation from Northwestern State University student Teri Tanner, B.A., was “Getting to Know You- Exploration of Beginning Theoretical Approach,” sponsored by Dr. Susan Thorson-Barnett.
In the coming months the Times will report on more of these researchers and their work.
Dr. Tony Young and Louisiana Tech University graduate student Meggie Rowland with her first place poster/research presentation at the recent state convention. Meggie’s topic was “Sighted College Students’ Attitudes Toward Blindness.” Authors include Dr. Edward Bell, Dr. Mary Ann Goodwyn, and Dr. Alice Carter, all from LA Tech. Dr. Goodwyn was sponsor.
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In a March 29th letter addressed to the “Louisiana Psychology Profession,” Senator Willie Mount from Lake Charles wrote that she intends to file a bill for a consolidated board in the upcoming legislative session. This legislation would dissolve both the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP) and the Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPCBE).
Senator Mount’s intention to create an omnibus board follows the failure of the “Behavioral Health Professionals Working Group” to provide specific solutions to disputes between the two boards. The “Working Group” was created by the Senator’s Concurrent Resolution and met approximately nine times over the course of several months as reported in the Times. (Vol 1, No 11-12, Vol 2, No 1-2,4,&7).
In SCR 100, the legislature urged the two groups to develop a more collaborative approach and to find ways to meet the state’s mental and behavioral health problems, especially for underserved citizens.
In her March 29th letter (see pages 17-18 this issue) Senator Mount wrote that the design of the new board would include three psychologists, three LPCs, and three consumers.
The Times had previously talked with Mr. Greg Waddell, attorney for the Senator’s office and committee on Health and Welfare, on March 22nd. He said, “The two boards will be consolidated into a single board with nine members.” He said the law will repeal both the LSBEP and the LPCBE and that they would “go away.”
The looming legislation has both psychologists and counselors scrambling to oppose the move. Several sources indicate the Louisiana Psychological Association will oppose the action, although no specific plan has been broadly published to members. Also, members of the Louisiana Association of Counselors have noted to the Times that they will try to block this effort. Grassroots of Psychology has also indicated disfavor with an omnibus board.
Today LSBEP Executive Director, Jaime Monic told the Times that the psychology board “…will meet in April to discuss its position on Senator Mount’s intent to propose legislation to create an omnibus board. At this time, the Board stands behind the recommendations presented by the psychology representatives of the BHPWG [Working Group] which were outlined in their Final Report to the Joint Health & Welfare Committee.”
Also today, Executive Director of the medical board, Dr. Robert Marier said to the Times, “It has only just now come to our attention. We have no position on it as yet but will discuss it on the 18th.”
In her letter, Senator Mount wrote, “I have made it abundantly clear to both boards and the respective professional associations that I am open to any alternative solution which BOTH professions can agree upon. So far, both sides have indicated that they are against the proposed consolidation, but neither side has been able to propose an alternative solution.”
In the March 22nd call, Mr. Waddell said to the Times that the Senator gave both groups the chance to collaborate with each other, and that while they “did some great work,” they did not accomplish one of the primary goals. “It seems that the boards are at each others’ throats,” he said.
“There is a history of the two boards fighting,” he noted. “If she [Senator Mount] had her way, she’d rather not fool with it,” he said. “She’s open to suggestions and has been, if there is something else that is suitable to both groups.”
Mr. Waddell told the Times that, “The new board will come into existence before the consolidation, to give time for transition.”
He said that the bill has not been filed but will likely be pre-filed soon. As of Times publication the bill had not yet been filed.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Dr. Ben Arnold died in Alexandria on March 19th. He was a licensed psycholo- gist and known to many in the community as a kind, giving man who led a life of thoughtful service to others, having followed a career path as an educator, trainer and psychologist.
Dr. John Simoneaux, a friend of Dr. Arnold’s for many years, said, “He was a sweet, humble, gentle man. He was truly one of the good guys.”
Another colleague, Dr. Kenneth Binns, told the Times that he and Ben had the same clinical advisor when they attended the U. of Mississippi. He said, “Ben was a very, very generous person, not in the least egotistical. Ben was concerned with the profession, and the overall profession being on the same team. He felt we could be more supportive of one another. Maybe this was his coaching background–Ben Arnold certainly understood that.”
According to his obituary, Dr. Ben Arnold earned his BS degree in science from Louisiana College in 1965 and for the next decade was a mathematics and science teacher, as well as coach, at Poland High School in Alexandria. Along the way he earned his masters in Education and School Administration, and was promoted to Assistant Principal, and then to Principal, until he retired from this position in 1987.
Also during his service at Poland he worked on his Masters Plus 30 from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, and in 1991 graduated from University of Mississippi in Oxford, with a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with emphasis in Counseling. He completed his internship in psychology at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans.
Long time colleague of Ben’s, Dr. Lisa Harper who practices in Shreveport, said, “He was such a gentleman. What I admired about him most was that he was the perpetual student, always invested in learning more.”
In 1994 Ben went into private practice in Pineville and Natchitoches. As a licensed psychologist, Ben served on the staff of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and the Natchitoches Mental Health Center. He also consulted to the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, Office of Juvenile Justice, and the Department of Children and Family Services. Ben conducted staff development for the Ware Youth Center in Coushatta.
He was a member of the Louisiana Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, the Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Association, the American Society of Clinical Hyp- nosis, Phi Delta Kappa, the Louisiana Association of Educators, and National Associations of Elementary and Secondary School Principals.
For Ben’s obituary, family members wrote, “Even more than his many educational and professional accomplishments, it was his devotion and love for his family and friends that will be most remembered. Generous, compassionate, selfless and always quick to smile, he shared his whole heart. His passing has left a void in many lives, yet he has taught us how to be strong and thrive through life's uncertainties. He will be missed; however, we rejoice in having known him.”
According to friends, Ben’s death was unexpected. To extend online condolences to the family, go to www.hixsonbrothers.com. (Photo courtesy of HixonBro)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
LSBEP Executive Director, Ms. Jaime Monic, will retire on April 11th. Her position is to be filled by Ms. Kelly Parker and Ms. Monic will continue as a consultant to assist in Ms. Parker’s training for at least the next year, according to Ms. Monic.
Jaime told the Times, “It has been easy to work for a group of professionals that I value so much and regard as dignified and ethical. This is what made my decision to leave all that more difficult. However,” she said, “I have decided that I needed to focus more on my family. I have been surprised to find that the challenges of raising three boys, in middle school, high school and college are greater now than they were when my boys were toddlers. I feel blessed to have this opportunity at this time.”
The transition plan includes Jaime working in a part-time, intermittent role over the next year or more.
Ms. Jaime Monic began working with the LSBEP in 2000 under the directorship of Brenda Ward, the Executive Director from 1990 to 2006. “…even though this was a small office, I could take on as much as I felt comfortable with and never become bored working for the LSBEP,” Jaime said. “I eventually had my hand in everything. Brenda was an excellent mentor, I could go on and on and on about how wonderful she is both personally and professionally, and it would never be enough to describe her.”
Jaime added, “The most challenging part of this job has been the ever changing dynamic, not just of board composition, but also evolving practices and regulation. Meeting these challenges and working through them have been very rewarding.”
The Board will introduce Ms. Parker at the LPA 2011 Annual Convention, during the board’s annual report to LPA members.
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Dr. Alicia Pellegrin has stepped down as president of Grassroots of Psychology in Louisiana, and Dr. Susan Dardard has taken over that leadership role.
In a letter posted on March 14th to members, Dr. Pellegrin noted a number of accomplishments of the group, but said that since she hoped to serve in LPA in the near future, her plans would require that she step down.
Dr. Susan Dardard has been involved with Grassroots since its inception in 2009. She told the Times, “I welcome the opportunity to address the needs of psychology in Louisiana in my new role as president of Grassroots, and I thank Alicia Pellegrin and Mike Chafetz for their invaluable leadership in the past.”
She noted that her priority will be “… to work with other leaders of psychology in our state, and to bring together the diverse groups of our psychology community.”
“My first undertaking,” she said, “has been to bring together representatives of the LPA EC and Grassroots to deal with Senator Mount’s pending legislation…”
“My long range objective,” she said, “is to develop programs that educate elected officials and the public about the unique training, skills, and services of psychologists.”
Dr. Marva Lewis (L) Sociocultural Psychology professor from Tulane and diversity expert selects a treat from Dr. Susan Dardard’s cowboy hat at the scientific track that Susan developed for the Fall Conference. Dr. Dardard took over Grassroots leadership from Dr. Alicia Pellegrin last month.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
LPA’s Convention and Annual Meeting will be held April 14-16 at the Baton Rouge Marriot. Highlights of this year’s convention include featured speakers, a hotly contested election to take place at the business meeting, followed by a Town Hall meeting designed to allow members to discuss the topic of Act 251.
Also on Thursday at 4pm-5pm, the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists will offer a chance for attendees to discuss the activities of the Board during the last year, according to the conference brochure.
The three-day conference will provide attendees the option of 18 hours of continuing education credit.
The Thursday morning program offers two CE workshops. “Wechsler Memory Scale–IV and Wechsler Memory Scale -IV Flexible,” presented by Alexander Quiros, Ph.D. from Pearson, will cover improved floors across subtests, enhanced assessment of visual memory, co-norming with the WAIS IV, and updated norms.
James Van Hook, III, Ph.D., will present “Data Driven Academic Interventions,” addressing academic disabilities in the areas of reading and mathematics. Participants will learn how to identify such disabilities and which type of intervention is warranted.
Dr. Quiros will continue in the afternoon with “NEPSY-II: A Flexible Neuropsychological Measure for Children.” He will discuss subtests, standard- ization details, and psychometric properties.
Also on Thursday afternoon, Joseph Comaty, Ph.D., MP, will present “Update on Mental Health Laws Affecting Psychologists.”
Thursday at 4 pm members of the Louisiana State Board of Examiners will be available to discuss the activities of the Board during the last year.
The Annual Membership Meeting, Election of Officers and Awards Presentation will convene at 5 pm. The Town Hall Meeting will follow at 6.
On Friday, featured speaker Dan Egli, Ph.D. will present a full-day, two-part workshop, “Practical Psycho- pharmacology: Major Depression” and “Practical Psychopharmacology: OCD – An Integrative Algorithm.”
Also on Friday morning, Joseph Tramontana, Ph.D. will present “The Mental Side of Sports,” a review of his experience in the field of sports psychology and use of hypnosis in athletics.
At 11:00 am John Hamilton, M.S. will present a 1-hour symposium, “Conducting and Presenting Research as a Graduate Student,” designed for those interested in conducting applied research.
Friday afternoon, Michael E. Schwartz, PsyD, Clinical Neuropsychologist from New York, will present “Early Career: Successful Independent Practice.” He will provide practical, useful information and advice to the recently graduated and who aim for independent practice.
Wine & Cheese Reception and Poster Session begins at 4:30. Guest tickets are available.
On Saturday morning, Kelley Pears, Ph.D. and Leslie Drew, Ph.D. of Veterans Administration Medical Center – Alexandria, LA, will present “PTSD and Evidence Based Treatment,” and focus on the accurate diagnosis of PTSD, co- occurring disorders, with emphasis on Prolonged Exposure Therapy.
Also on Saturday morning, Aaron Armelie, Ph.D., Southeast LA Veterans Health Care System – New Orleans, LA, will present “Ethical Issues: HIV/AIDS Mental Health Services.” This workshop will present a systematic, ethical decision-making model to help clinicians make sound, ethics-based decisions.
Saturday afternoon, Monica Stevens, M.S., Anna Breuer, M.A., & Julie Larrieu, Ph.D., from Tulane Medical Center – New Orleans, LA, will present Evidence Based Treatment for Young Children and Their Caregivers. Two evidence based practices will be presented.
Emily Sandoz, Ph.D., University of Louisiana at Lafayette – Lafayette, will present “An Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.” Her workshop will focus on the theoretical model of psychological flexibility and how this model is used in the treatment of a broad range of disorders.
For registration or additional information contact Executive Director Gail Lowe at the LPA office (225) 766-0185. Or register online at www.louisianapsychologist.org
LPA members attending annual business meeting in 2010.
Presentations on matters of importance to the community are part of the regular activities. Above, a talk by attorney Kevin Hayes, LPA’s consultant in governmental affairs.
Executive Director of LPA , Ms. Gail Lowe, catches a quick bite between the hectic events of last years’ convention.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 8. Source pages: 2.
Senator Mount seems poised to offer a bill for an omnibus board as her solution to on-going conflict between the LSBEP and LPC boards, conflicts that often wind up in front of the legislature.
Fighting it out in front of the legislature is pretty much the way things are done in a free society. Citizens, members of public boards, and Joe the plumber, all have the right to fight about issues as long as they want to, because that is what helps social order, and a legislator’s job is to somehow arbitrate, facilitate, and judge these disputes.
Putting that aside, Senator Mount has an excellent point. She is rightly concerned about our state’s underserved mental health needs. And she is correct that long-standing, entrenched conflicts that waste time and resources should be a focus for change efforts.
Her first solution was a very good one. In her resolution (SCR 100) she asked the board members to work to hash things out, but the results were disappointing. Now she feels that her only option is to consolidate the two boards. It seems this is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. (How can three psychologists, who have to coordinate with six other people who do not understand our science and profession, do the work of the five psychologists we have now? Five who work very hard just to keep up.)
On the other hand, I think Senator Mount’s first approach was an excellent idea. But the approach needed the touch of a real psychologist, because while the goal was admirable, the execution flagged. First, the “Working Group” met for only a total of 18 hours, less than one-half a normal workweek. Secondly, teams with serious conflicts must have an experienced, neutral facilitator trained in group process, consensus, creativity and conflict resolution. The composition of the group, as well as the time format, should have been designed with a plan for change in mind, rather than based solely on past political characteristics. Optimally, all team members’ strengths and weaknesses should be measured, and gaps in the team’s overall ability to accomplish its goal, filled. These are just a few things to note, there are many more.
When people have intractable conflict, they require time and help. Reframing problems for creative solutions and releasing fixed ideas calls for a systematic process. What we needed was a real psychologist to consult with the Senator or the Working Group, and a planned change effort.
An omnibus board will dilute the diversity and the unique contributions of both professions. So we should rework the Working Group and the Senator’s original request. And this time, design an effective intervention. This time apply the scientific knowledge and psychological techniques that we know lead to a greater degree of creativity and win-win problem-solving.
Then, if that doesn’t do the job, we can always regress to politics, and fighting in the war room.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 8. Source pages: 5.
As LPA’s new delegate to APA, Dr. Darlyne Nemeth attended the APA Council of Represent- atives on February 18-20 in Washington, D.C.
“It was an amazing experience,” Darlyne noted. “Being the Louisiana Council Rep is like being a member of the United States House of Representatives. The contents of the agenda for this meeting is 4 inches thick,” she said.
She participated in a variety of the Council activities, including deciding to reduce the dues of full members, adopting guidelines for a variety of issues, and establishing a new task force to create guidelines for psychologists’ use of telepsychology.
Darlyne noted that she was a little unprepared for the coalitions that existed. She explained, “What I didn't understand until I got there was that there were various coalitions, like special interests groups, that met before the council meeting officially began. Being new, I did not understand that I had to pay money to join these coalitions. Therefore, I did not bring a checkbook.” She said that each group requires a fee to join, and so she will bring these issues to the next LPA EC meeting for approval.
Dr. Nemeth expressed her wish for state associations to have more input, saying, “As the APA Council Representative from Louisiana, my elected duty is to represent LPA to the best of my ability. Many major divisions, such as Division 40, Clinical Neuropsychology, have several representatives supporting their agenda. It appears that the state and provincial associations do not have a lot of political influence on council and that is why they have a coalition. I would hope that, in the future, state and provincial associations will have more meaningful input.”
Dr. Darlyne Nemeth is a licensed psychologist, MP and is a specialist in neuro- psychology. She has been internationally recognized for her work with the hurricane Anniversary Wellness Workshops and was named LPA Distinguished Psychologist in 2010.
“I am grateful and humbled to be representing Louisiana in this major event,” she told the Times. And, “I am working hard to meet as many council reps as I can and to put forth a good image for Louisiana,” she said.
Dr. Darlyne Nemeth (R) at the APA Council meeting with APA President, Dr. Melba Vasquez. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Nemeth.)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 8. Source pages: 5.
At an educational meeting this week between LPA Executive Council members and Grassroots of Psychology, organized by Grassroots President Dr. Susan Dardard, participants discussed the position of LAMP regarding the omnibus board threat.
A member of the LPA executive committee, with connections to LAMP, suggested that LAMP might be willing to use their political influence to block the ominous bill if Grassroots members would agree to put their objections to Act 251 to rest. Most of those at the meeting indicated that while they would appreciate LAMP’s help, they could not agree to that arrangement.
It is unknown if LAMP will support or oppose the omnibus board bill.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
A career in public health is a natural choice, if not an immediately obvious one, for psychologists and psychology majors. When we think of public health, the disciplines of epidemiology and health policy and systems management may come to mind. However, public health also includes biostatistics, environmental health sciences, and behavioral and community health sciences.
Over the past two decades, each of these disciplines has contributed to improving the public’s health. There have been significant decreases in infant mortality, deaths from heart disease and stroke, an overall leveling off of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use, and significant advances made in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
But challenges to the public’s health continue: obesity in children and adults is pandemic, as are diabetes and other chronic illnesses; oil spills and waste disposal threaten our environment; tobacco use remains the single most preventable cause of death and disease; and HIV/AIDS presents a serious threat, disproportionately affecting women and communities of color.
Psychology and public health complement each other in more ways than you can imagine. The complementary touchstone is behavior. Individual behavior and environmental factors are responsible for about 70% of premature deaths in the US. Psychology, the study of behavior, affords its graduates a program of study grounded in the scientific method, enriched by an understanding of the biologic bases of behavior, enhanced by developmental, social, organizational, community, and educational psychology, and woven together by statistics, research methods, and program evaluation.
In this on-going series, we will present examples of the natural fit between psychology and public health by highlighting the paths of psychologists whose professional careers have segued into public health. All are faculty of the Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Program (BCHS) of the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Public Health in New Orleans.
Dr. Sarah Moody-Thomas
The career of Dr. Sarah Moody-Thomas is a guide to a clinical psychologist’s transition into the field of public health. Dr. Moody-Thomas is the director of the BCHS program, the Charles L. Brown, Jr. MD Professor of Health Promotion, and Director of the LSU Health Care Services Division’s Tobacco Control Initiative (TCI). She earned her BS in psychology at Southern University in Baton Rouge and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Georgia, where she co-majored in public administration.
Although primarily academic, Sarah’s career has included clinical practice, community development, and organizational behavior change in addition to research and program evaluation. She has been a member of the psychology faculties of Louisiana State University and University of New Orleans (UNO), ultimately becoming chair of the psychology department at UNO. While at UNO she maintained a small clinical practice, consulting specifically on behavior management of clients with both developmental delay and mental illness, initiating changes in environmental and structural processes for this population.
Sarah’s research interests have always focused on addressing the needs of minority and medically underserved populations by examining organizational structures that contribute to health disparities. While at UNO, she tackled her first major public health issue, preventing and controlling the use of tobacco products. She conducted school-based interventions to prevent tobacco use and research to identify individual characteristics and environmental factors affecting student’s decisions to smoke.
Her earlier work brought her into contact with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and its efforts to prevent and control cancer in high-risk groups. She became the regional president for the NCI-sponsored National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer.
“The goal,” she said, “was to engage communities and get the word out on prevalence, screening, and early detection of cancer and the importance of involvement in clinical research.”
Her efforts brought her to the attention of the LSUHSC, where she was appointed Associate Director of Behavioral Science and Community Education at the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center and professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
“I’ve had the pleasure of initiating several cancer control and prevention projects, including Partners in Wellness,” she said, “where we trained indigenous lay health educators from specific zip codes in New Orleans to share messages about screening and early detection of cancer and help community members navigate the health care delivery system to access care.”
“I am a founding member,” she explained, “of the New Orleans Chapter of Komen for the Cure, at one time known as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and served in leadership capacities to ensure representative participation in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial and Selenium versus Vitamin E trials conducted by of the South West Oncology Group, a national cooperative group for clinical trials.”
Her NCI-funded projects have focused on increasing minority participation in cancer clinical research, the role of physician education in minority enrollment in clinical trials, and community education and dissemination of health promoting information. Her expertise in these areas has been recognized by her appointment to two committees of the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine: Preventing Nicotine Addiction in Children and Youths, and Cancer Research Among Minorities and the Medically Underserved.
“There is a wealth of research supporting the benefits of tobacco cessation and the effectiveness of evidence-based treatments,” Sarah noted. In 2003, the same year that the LSUHSC School of Public Health was established, and acting in her role as Director of the TCI (Tobacco Control Initiative), Sarah accepted the legislative mandate to provide tobacco cessation services to patients of the state’s public hospital system.
“For me, the challenge was to integrate this knowledge into the existing health care delivery system in a way that made access to treatment sustainable and available to all patients in that health care network. I saw this as an ideal opportunity to translate research into practice using the system change strategies recommended in the US Public Health Service [2000] clinical practice guideline, Treating tobacco use and dependence,” she said.
To reach this goal, Sarah marshaled the resources of both psychology and public health. She started by assessing the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and preferences of patients and clinicians, learned about institutional resources and infrastructure to identify, treat, and monitor tobacco users, and employed a systems approach to the development, implementation, and evaluation of the TCI.
“I used an ecological perspective to help me identify the levels of influence that might come into play and stage theories of change, such as the Transtheoretical Model and Organizational Development, to understand and guide individual and organizational change.”
The TCI emerged as a multi-level intervention to prompt clinicians to engage patients about their use of tobacco, rate readiness for change, and refer for treatment. These practices are supported and facilitated by information technology and the system’s electronic health record.
Fully implemented in seven of LSU’s public hospital facilities, the TCI is a recognized success. Its patient “quit rates” doubled between 2007 and 2009.
As a result, in 2010 the National Association of Public Hospitals recognized the TCI as an outstanding program for the use of health information technology in the identification and treatment of tobacco use. “This program [TCI] puts our state at the forefront of innovation to improve the public’s health,” said Dr. Sarah Moody- Thomas.
The BCHS program ascribes to a socioecological perspective to understand determinants of health. As such, Dr. Moody-Thomas and her faculty actively recruit psychology majors from area universities to pursue a master’s degree in public health.
She says, “Public health is a natural for someone with a background in psychology.” Dr. Sarah Moody-Thomas’ career path can attest to that.
For more information about the LSUHSC School of Public Health and the BCHS program and admission for fall 2011, visit http://publichealth.lsuhsc.edu/
Dr. Sarah Moody-Thomas, director of the Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Program (BCHS) of the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Public Health in New Orleans. Her Tobacco Control Initiative has received national notice. (Photo courtesy LSUHSC School of Public Health)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 8. Source pages: 8.
Centenary Professor Dr. Amy Hammond told the Times that a group of her students have worked together on a “student- initiated” research project, and have been accepted to present the results at the Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, to be held in Washington, D.C., in May.
The student researchers are Amanda Shackleton, Jessica Garris, Michael Naquin, Shakeria Alcorn, Jacob Jones, and Katherine Shamburger.
The students developed their ideas for the project in the research methods course at Centenary, making changes and refining the research as they learned more, Dr. Hammond explained.
The study is titled, “A Sense to Remember: Seeing and Touching is Better than Hearing.” The student researchers presented participants with 21 words in three modalities—auditory (read aloud), visual (a photograph), or tactile (placed in the hands).
They discovered that recall was significantly better for items presented in tactile and visual modes than for items in the auditory mode.
Michael Naquin said, “The thing I enjoyed most about the research was working with my friends to apply our class concepts to real life, and at the same time we found some interesting results.”
Dr. Hammond’s students from Centenary getting set to present their poster research at APS in May. From L to R: Shakeria Alcorn, Jessica Garris, Michael Naquin, and Amanda Shackleton. (Photo courtesy, Dr. Hammond.)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.