President’s Column

Carlos A. Cuevas, PhD

I hope everyone is starting to enjoy the summer. As is often the case throughout the year, this is another period of transition for many of us. Changing schedules, changing routines, and changing activities. So, the first thing I want to mention in this issue’s column is the importance of self-care. While many associate the summer with a more relaxed, easy-going way of life, the many shifts in how we spend our time can be challenging and at times stressful. As such, I encourage everyone to find the things that best help them take care of themselves and manage the hurdles that can come with these seasonal changes.

As you might imagine, our discussions within the division are turning to the upcoming 2024 APA Annual Convention in Seattle, WA. I am very excited about what we have in store, particularly how many of our division presentations are in line with my presidential theme, BIPOC and Beyond: Intersectional Approaches to Trauma-Informed Care and Research. The presentations cover a broad range of communities that are often disproportionally impacted by trauma. To highlight a few, we have presentations on the impact of racial trauma among Black men, racism experiences among ethnically diverse youth, and a historical perspective on Jewish family trauma. I am also very appreciative of Dr. Margarita Alegria who has agreed to be our invited speaker. She has spent her career doing work in the area of health care among diverse communities, particularly looking at issues of racial disparities within health care service delivery. I am excited to hear about her work and her thoughts on these important topics central to trauma survivors.

As I mentioned in the previous issue of TPN, matters of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) are a priority as part of my presidential year, so I wanted to share some highlights on our progress. Thanks to leadership by two of our Executive Committee members, Ayli Carrero Pinedo and Nnamdi Pole, we have begun the process of implementing some of the recommendations from our Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, Equity (I-DARE) Task Force strategic plan. While this will be a long-term process, these are the first steps of taking the I-DARE task force work into action. Additionally, our Membership Committee, led by Margo Jacquot, has been busy working on ways to continue to grow and bring diversity to our membership and our Division leadership. Given the committee’s energy and enthusiasm, I am optimistic about how much more Division 56 can grow and be an intellectual home for practitioners and scholars.

Finally, I want to bring attention to ongoing challenges that we face. Continued conflicts around the world, with little hope of ending soon, will have a significant ripple effect across various communities globally and locally. The ever-shifting socio-political landscape continues to bring challenges in the areas of reproductive health, racial equity, and health-care access.

In many cases, this leads to further division rather than building bridges, limiting our ability to make progress in many of these arenas. I have recently had numerous opportunities to hear from colleagues about how this can be taxing and discouraging for those of us working with the individuals impacted by these events. I have also had the good fortune to hear about creative ways to implement our work. This has included ideas around community/researcher collaborations, novel research that looks at how individuals experience racism and bias, and funding opportunities that continue to prioritize community violence and violence prevention. I encourage everyone to share these moments of progress as a way to balance the challenges inherent in the work we do.

As always, I encourage everyone to reach out and connect with your colleagues within the Division and beyond, including members of the Executive Committee. The more we hear from our members, the better we can advance the interests of our Division and the people we serve. Looking forward to seeing many of you in Seattle.