Interdivisional Grants and

Division Collaboration

Zeeshan Butt, PhD (CODAPAR)

Associate Professor of Medical Social Sciences, Surgery, & Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Associate Director, Center for Patient-Centered Outcomes Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

What is an interdivisional grant?

• The Committee on Division/APA Relations (CODAPAR) of the American Psychological Association (APA) seeks proposals for collaborative projects sponsored by two or more APA divisions.

• The purpose of the program is to support joint activities that enhance the work, interests, or goals of two or more divisions. Examples include, but are not limited to: – furthering APA’s goals of working to advance psychology as a science, a

profession, and a means of promoting human welfare; – projects that promote collaboration between the science and practice

of psychology; – fostering the recruitment of ethnic minorities into psychology, APA or

division membership, or APA governance; and – activities that focus on a currently unaddressed topic or area in

psychology.

Who is eligible?

• Projects must be sponsored by at least two divisions. Priority will be given to projects that demonstrate significant collaboration between the sponsoring divisions;

• The projects may not duplicate an activity currently being undertaken by another APA office or group; and

• The project must be completed within 12 months of receipt of funding. If projects will extend beyond 12 months, proposals must indicate which deliverable tasks will be funded by the grant in the initial 12 months of funding. Failure to complete the funded deliverable tasks within 12 months may render participating divisions ineligible for future interdivisional grants program (IGP) requests.

How do we apply?

• Proposals must be submitted to CODAPAR Staff Liaison Veronica Allen, vallen@apa.org, no later than May 31, 2015, and should include the following: – Cover Page (including sponsoring divisions and 150-word abstract) – Budget Summary (including amount of request, any matching funds,

and justification) – Proposal (limited to four pages) that includes:

• the rationale, methods of implementation, goals, and measurable outcomes • brief comments on how the project meets the purposes of the Interdivisional

Grants Program; • how each division will participate and assist in meeting outcomes of project;

and • how the project aligns with the goals and objectives of APA’s strategic plan

– Project Timeline

• Templates are available!

How are proposals reviewed?

• Proposals will be reviewed and ranked using the following criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsoring divisions to ensure these elements are included in the proposal. Clearly stated goals and a well-defined outcome; Innovative project goals and outcomes; True collaboration between the sponsoring divisions; Alignment with the ongoing goals of the divisions involved; Alignment with the goals and objectives of APA’s strategic plan;

and Reasonableness of budget request and budget justification

(Note: Funds should be used to support direct project costs rather than indirect costs, such as conference travel)

Review Criteria

5 4 3 2 1

a. Goals/Outcomes of Project

Deliverables are clear and highly valuable; Timeline well-

articulated and appropriate

Objectives should be elaborated; Timeline

needs adjusting to achieve goals

Project goals are vague or poorly articulated; project

unlikely to yield deliverables in timely manner

b. Innovation Project is wholly unique and

creative

Aspects of the project demonstrate innovation

Project duplicates efforts of

APA or divisions

c. True Collaboration

Interdependent partnering among divisions is a key

feature of project

Divisions will work together toward project

goals

Project goals could be accomplished without

collaboration; No plans for partnering articulated

d. Alignment with Division Goals

Project is clearly integral to goals of collaborating divisions

Project seems aligned with divisions’ goals, but links

need to be spelled out

Project is unrelated or tangential to goals of

divisions involved

e. Alignment with APA Strategic Plan

Project will significantly advance one or more of APA’s

strategic objectives

Project may be consistent with APA strategic

objectives, but connections should be

better articulated

Project is irrelevant or antithetical to APA’s strategic objectives

f. Reasonability of Funding Request/Budget

Budgetary needs are well documented and IGP funds

are essential to success

Budget needs adjusting relative to project goals; Other sources of funding

should be considered

Budget is overinflated with unnecessary costs; Budget

justification not provided

What happens after we submit?

• As a reminder, proposals must be submitted to CODAPAR Staff Liaison Veronica Allen, vallen@apa.org, no later than May 31, 2015 to be eligible for the next cycle of funding

• CODAPAR will review proposals during its September 2015 meeting and make recommendations to the APA Board of Directors at its December 2015 meeting.

• Funds will be made available and sent to the lead division in December 2015.

• Recipients of grants will be required to provide an interim progress report by July 1, 2016, and a final report by December 15, 2016.

• In addition, CODAPAR may request status updates throughout the project to be shared with the APA Division Dialogue and APA Monitor.

2014 IGP Awardees

• “A Web-Based Concussion Toolkit – A Collaborative Resource for Clinical, Research, and Legislative Efforts” — $5,000 Divisions: 19, 22, 31, 40, 47 Abstract: The proposed web-based “Concussion Toolkit” will provide resources for clinicians, researchers and legislative advocates working in the concussion field. As information related to concussion is being presented by the media at a historic rate (frequently with limited empirical backing), there is need for empirically-based information on the assessment and treatment of concussion-related sequelae. Psychologists are particularly poised to meet the increasing clinical/research demand, as they have produced much of the scientific literature on concussion. Nonetheless, legislation has been passed in some states which limit participation of psychologists in concussion-related care. Psychologists working in military, sports, veteran and civilian arenas would benefit from a one-source repository of empirically-based information on assessment and treatment, as well as information on “lessons learned” with regard to legislation-based advocacy. The involved divisions of APA will provide information, reviews and links related to their specific areas of interest as it pertains to concussion. In addition, the toolkit will include information on how best to lobby legislatures to change laws in this area (i.e., to advocate for psychologists to be included in the process).

2014 IGP Awardees

• “Exercise and Mental Health: Resources for Psychologists, Consumers and the Public” — $3,195 Divisions: 17, 22, 42, 47 Abstract: The proposed Exercise and Mental Health website will provide resources for practitioners and the public regarding the general benefits of exercise for mental health as well as for those with specific conditions. The evidence for the positive effects of exercise on mental health continues to accumulate. However, the use of exercise in mental health treatment regimens is lagging behind the available evidence, for example in comparative effectiveness relative to medication in depression and in prevention of cognitive decline in normal aging and dementia. The proposed website will be a central resource for practitioners, clients and others interested for information related to the benefits of exercise in mental health, including availability of printable fact sheets. The website will also provide areas designed for specific populations and conditions such as for those who are injured and/or disabled, involved in rehabilitation, for older adults and veterans.

2014 IGP Awardees

• “Establishment of the Mental Health Mobile Phone Application Review Database” — $4,450 Divisions: 29, 46, 56 Abstract: Divs. 56, 29 and 46 propose the development of a Mental Health Mobile Phone Application Review database, linked to the three division websites. By providing reviews of applications in an easily accessible format, the project will meet APA's goal of pursuit of excellence by providing APA members with evaluated tools to augment service delivery. The database will also enhance the potential effectiveness of self-help strategies, thus serving the community and highlighting the role of APA in championing ethical and empirically based interventions, core values of APA. The project serves the strategic goal of expanding psychology’s role in advancing health through education and creation of what is likely to be a highly accessed database for researchers and professionals. Beginning our work with evaluation of apps related to stress/trauma/anxiety, we have an ideal combination of experts with Div. 56 (knowledge of stress/trauma), 29 (expertise in psychotherapy) and 46 (expertise in technology).

2014 IGP Awardees

• “Improving School Climate for LGBT Youth: Resources and Interventions” — $5,000 Divisions: 16, 44 Abstract: Division 16 and 44, among others, have been crafting text for a possible new resolution concerning LGBT youth in schools. Any recommendations for how schools can improve their climates to support the resiliency, mental health and health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender diverse youth will only be effective if there are materials, resources and models that can be implemented by school staff and administrators, school psychologists and community mental health providers. We propose a task force that would generate a detailed resource list, model curricula or other resources that can be disseminated to school districts. The grant would support the creation of materials for use by school psychologists, school administrators, staff, teachers and community agencies focused on the health of LGBT youth.

2014 IGP Awardees

• “Promoting Brief, Evidence-based Assessment and Intervention in Interdisciplinary Health Care Settings: An Online Educational Tool Kit and Conference Event for Students” — $1,550 Divisions: 22, 38, 40 Abstract: Evidence increasingly supports health service psychologists as beneficial components of collaborative healthcare models. Health psychologists, rehabilitation psychologists, and clinical neuropsychologists are among those most likely to work in interdisciplinary medical settings. Clinical psychologists within these specialties share primary goals of translating science into practical, evidence-based clinical practice and of working collaboratively as part of a broader health care team. For graduate students planning to pursue careers in one of these specialty areas, additional training is warranted to prepare for the unique demands associated with interdisciplinary healthcare provision. Accordingly, Divs. 22, 38, and 40 aim to design a web-based educational resource for graduate-level students training in these specialty areas, and to facilitate an educational presentation for students at the 2014 APA convention that addresses pathways to board certification in these respective healthcare specialties. A $2,500 budget is proposed to accomplish these aims.

2014 IGP Awardees http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/departments/pmr/documents/concussion_toolkit/index.htm

2014 IGP Awardees • “Psychological Science & Innovative Care Strategies:

Informing Health Care Redesign & Improving Care for Youths” — $5,000 Divisions: 37, 53, 54 Abstract: This proposal brings together collaborative teams from Divs. 53 (Clinical Child/Adolescent), 37 (Child/Family Policy/ Practice) and 54 (Pediatrics) to address the question: how can we best mobilize the science of psychology to improve health and mental/behavioral health care for youths in this era of health care reform? Aligning with two goals of APA’s strategic plan, expanding psychology’s role in advancing health and increasing recognition of psychology as a science, we will form collaborative teams to examine key issues for improving health/mental health care, including: improving care access, reducing health disparities; enhancing quality of care, strengthening evidence-based and evidence-informed care; prevention; integrated behavioral health and health care; and workforce development/training. Researchers and clinicians from the teams will work with stakeholders and policy-makers in a 1-day forum, with forum results presented at the APA convention, integrated in a report/pdf-book, supplemented with forum recordings, and available as online resources for the field.

Prior IGP Awardees • http://www.apa.org/about/awards/interdivisional-grants-project.aspx?tab=4

Questions?

vallen@apa.org