KPA 2024 Fall Conference

9:00-10:30 – Shaping the Future of Psychology: Advancing Population Health and Impacting Societal Issues, presented by Jaime "Jim" L. Diaz-Granados, PhD, Deputy CEO- American Psychological Association

This presentation will provide an overview of APA’s strategic goals and share examples of work the association is doing to advance each of these goals: Utilizing psychological science and knowledge to make a positive impact on critical societal issues; Elevating the public’s understanding, appreciation, and utilization of psychology; Strengthening APA’s roles as a leading voice for psychology; and Preparing the field of psychology for current and future opportunities and challenges. This presentation will also highlight the need for a population-based approach to behavioral health, specifically emphasizing the role of psychology and psychologists in promoting this approach. Examples will be shared that make clear how psychological practice and research are essential to advancing a population health framework, ultimately better addressing the nation’s needs across the continuum of health and achieving greater health equity.

10:35-10:55 - Poster session breakout rooms

11:00-12:30 - Voices after Death: The Value of the Next of Kin interview in Fatal Overdose Reviews- , presented by Nicole Schlaefli, MBA, MPH, Alex Francisco, PhD, and Zikeya Byrd

By June 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was reporting that synthetic opioids were involved in an estimated 87% of opioid deaths and 65% of all drug overdose deaths nationwide. To intervene, the Institute for Intergovernmental Research released a framework for jurisdictions to form Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Programs. The intention of these programs are to review the deaths that resulted from overdose by people in the community organizations dealing with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs).

One of the key aspects of these OFR Programs is the Next of Kin (NOK) interviews. The NOK interview is a tool OFRs can use to expand their understanding of the life experiences of a decedent and identify non-traditional touchpoints or systems that may not be represented by the OFR members. This information is used to identify community-specific prevention and intervention strategies. This presentation will focus on the outcomes related to NOK interviews, as well as a roadmap to integrate the information gained into an adapted protocol to conduct the Psychological Autopsy current utilized in suicidology.

1:30-2:30 - Population Health and Equity: Health Outside of Healthcare, presented by Catherine Satterwhite, PhD, MSPH, MPH

Nearly 80% of health outcomes are influenced by factors outside the traditional healthcare setting. To effectively address health needs and enhance overall well-being, it is crucial for healthcare professionals to consider these external factors, including social drivers of health. This presentation will demonstrate the importance of addressing health outside of the traditional healthcare setting, describe the role of population health strategies in improving well-being, identify opportunities for healthcare providers to engage in addressing social drivers of health at the individual, clinic, system, and policy level, and introduce KCU’s new Center for Population Health and Equity.

3:00-4:30 - An Update and Discussion of the APA Ethics Code Revision, presented by Mark M. Leach, PhD

The purpose of this presentation is to provide updates and highlight possible changes to the APA Ethics Code. Discussion of expanded principles and standards as well as a proposed new section highlighting their relationship will be offered, along with next steps. A few new specific standards will be presented in addition to their rationale. Participants will be able to describe the new proposed section to the ethics code; Participants will be able to present two areas of emphasis of the ethics code. Participants will describe two new standards found in the code.

Mark Leach, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development at the University of Louisville. He has been the Director of Training at two universities and a Department Chair. He earned his doctoral degree in counseling psychology from the University of Oklahoma and completed an internship at the University of Utah. Much of his scholarship has revolved around psychological ethics on both national and international levels and he has recently begun work in the subarea of behavioral ethics. He has engaged in work for the American Psychological Association and the International Association of Applied Psychology in various capacities, including being Vice-Chair of the Ethics Code Task Force charged with developing the next version of the APA ethics code. In addition to teaching and research he worked with clients in different capacities over many years, been an expert witness, and has been a consultant, reviewer, and visiting scholar.