Psychologist Professional Advisory Group Meeting Minutes
April 05, 2017
1200-1300 EST
Dial-In Number: 866-782-0573
Participant: 2214354
Note: Please email attendance to LCDR Robert Burns at:
1. Report from the Chair: CDR Seth Green:
· The PsyPAG Awards cycle is completed for this year. A very big thank you to the review board team that reviewed packets and all the work that goes into that effort. The selection for this year’s Senior Career Psychologist is CDR Jill Breitbach. The Early Career Psychologist of the Year is LCDR Wade Keckler. Both of these officers had exceptional accomplishments and contributions to their respective agency and to the PHS and were very deserving of this honor. Congratulations to them both!
· CDR Robin Toblin and LCDR Neal Kimble’s article on PsyPAG being the only PAG split between two categories in the current issue of Frontline, the COA publication, can be read. The article highlights the accession process and reports on the survey data on category status from last year. The EB is trying to coordinate a meeting between the SciPAC and HSPAC CPOs respectively to continue the dialogue on this issue and how it affects PsyPAG.
· Category Day for SciPAC will exhibit multiple mentoring sessions as well as SciTalks for the first time, similar to Ignite format/Ted Talk style. Mentoring sessions will be offered on the Tuesday before Category Day at 9am. If you are planning on attending please consider these events during your attendance.
· As per the bylaws if you materially participate in a committee, as noted by the committee chair, you are still considered an active member of PsyPAG. This is a relevant issue for a few officers unable to be on the call due to duty station obligations.
2. Report from the Chair Elect: CDR Julie Chodacki:
· If you'll be attending COA in Chattanooga, please let me know.
· HSOs are planning a PAG break out for category day, need to
know number of attendees
· If you're presenting, we'll tell other psychologists
Perhaps we can plan for a PAG social/lunch (any volunteers
to coordinate?)
3. Report from Vice Chair of PAC Affairs: CDR Michelle Tsai:
· Thank all the Committee Chairs for representing PsyPAG at the respective HS Subcommittee meetings. Currently I'm tracking the following representatives:
- CDR Tsai: Stakeholder and Community Engagement
- CDR Cua: Awards Subcommittee
- LCDR Reilly & LCDR Trail: Policy Subcommittee
- CDR Davidson: Readiness
· Please let me know if I'm missing anyone on the list.
· We submitted the Calendar of Activities for 2017 to HS PAC in March. It's a live document, so please provide me upcoming activities if you have not done so or planning to have them.
· COA
- SciPAC: Interactive small group session scheduled for the end of the Category Day; the date and time for the second event is TBD
- HSPAC: Career Counseling scheduled for Tuesday morning
4. Report from the Secretary: LCDR Robert Burns:
· At the conclusion of today’s meeting, please send a confirmation email to the above email. .
5. Guest Speaker: LT Nicolas Buhr from the Bureau of Prisons. CV attached.
6. Reports from Committee Chairs: Please email LCDR Burns your bullets prior to the meeting.
· Rules and Procedures: CDR Julie Chodacki:
o Committees that haven't submitted SOPs, please remember to be
thinking about/working on composing SOPs
o HSO PAC is standardizing SOP documentation; once their
recommendations are unveiled we'll consider implications for PsyPAG;
meanwhile, don't alter anything
· Communications: LT Neal Kimble:
o Discuss upcoming newsletter
o Speak about challenge coin design and drafting
o PsyPag t-shirt design
· Readiness: CDR Bryan Davidson:
o RedDOG is now utilizing PACs, rather than deployment teams, to convey
Readiness delinquencies. 1 Apr 17 was last update.
o Background in Epidemiology may be helpful on deployments. Large survey of
FEMA workers recently done by PHS MH deployment team.
Check out this CDC website for a free tool to build surveys/collect
data: https://www.cdc.gov/epiinfo/index.html
o RAM event occurring in conjunction with COA conference 3-4 Jun.
o Your Readiness Committee is collecting a list of on-line trainings and
resources relevant for psychologists. HSPAC is teaming with RedDOG to build
a set of trainings by PAG for easy access by fellow professionals.
o Please send your ideas/suggestions/key resources for compilation to
or
· Membership: LCDR Chris Poulson:
o Contacted the Recruitment and Retention Committee regarding updates to the membership directory.
o Collaborating with the Communications Committee to engage current PsyPAG Officers by newsletter profiles or Officer spotlights.
o The Membership Committee still needs a volunteer to keep the membership directory of to date.
· Professional Development: CDR Jose Gomez:
o Discussed the latest update on CEU and Conference opportunities. See below submitted by LT Buhr.
o Awards: CDR Ed Cua: ; LT Debra Chen (Co-Chair):
o Thanks to the Awards selection subcommittee chair CDR Tranchita and the committee members CDR Sekulic and LCDR Reilly for their professionalism and service in reviewing the nomination packets.
o Thanks to all the officers who submitted nomination packets and were very deserving candidates.
o Congratulations to the winners noted by CDR Green.
o Currently working on submitting the award packets forward to the PAC for the Award Ceremony -submitted UC packets to the HS PAC for PAG awards for the 2016 year.
o Currently tracking down 2015 year submission for the PsyPAG exec board that was submitted in the past to see what stage we are in. It appears submitted to the PAC, submitted to the awards committee and no response at CCHQ. Email out to CDR Dorinda Ball the Awards Coordinator.
· Recruitment and Retention: LCDR Jim Tyson:
o Recruitment and Retention continues to work on a civil service to Commissioned Corps information pamphlet/flow chart.
o We are also beginning to organize email groups, consisting of PsyPAG members, for each individual agency so that concerns may be addressed and supported provided that is unique to those posts.
· Policy and Advocacy: LCDR Meghan Reilly & LCDR Sharyl Trail: &
o HSPAC Policy Subcommittee meeting on February 24th: PHPAG is currently piloting the PAG SOP template and updates will be provided during the HSPAC All Hands meeting on April 7th, which will be provided during the next PsyPAG call.
o No other updates at this time.
o RDF 3 accepting applications to join their team. Please submit to LCDR Trail.
7. Reports from Special Interest Groups: Please email LCDR Burns your bullets prior to the meeting.
· ABPP: LT Brendan Eberenz:
o 1st meeting was on 3/22/17. Discussed:
o ABPP Certification Special Pay starts at $2,500 and grows after 10 years creditable service
o ABPP Certification is part of HSO Professional Development Benchmarks and helps with promotibility
o Exploring options for meeting the ABPP requirement of a recorded work sample in positions where recording is problematic (ex. ICE and BOP)
o Next meeting is 5/17/2017 @1200EST with Guest Speaker LCDR Jessica Schultz speaking about her Clinical Psychology ABPP credentialing experience.
8. Mark your Calendars – The next PsyPAG meeting will be Wednesday, June 07, 2017 @ 1200 EST.
ATTENDENCE ROSTER
Executive Board
Position / Rank / Last Name / First Name / AttendanceChair / CDR / Green / Seth / Present
Chair-Elect / CDR / Chodacki / Julie / Present
Vice Chair PAC Affairs / CDR / Tsai / Michelle / Excused
Secretary / LCDR / Burns / Robert / Present
Documented Names Verifies Attendance
Rank / Last Name / First NameCAPT / Murry / Michael
= 1
CDR / Bhagwat / Aditya
CDR / Bodart / Jennifer
CDR / Chodacki / Julie
CDR / Cua / Eduardo
CDR / Daniels / Heidi
CDR / Davidson / Bryan
CDR / Gomez / Jose
CDR / Green / Seth
CDR / Hung / Barron
CDR / Sekulic / Kenneth
= 10
LCDR / Burns / Robert
LCDR / Cohn-Aizic / Daniela
LCDR / Figueroa / Juana
LCDR / Keckler / Wade
LCDR / Lees / Brian
LCDR / Mobley / Joy
LCDR / Schultz / Jessica
LCDR / Trail / Sharyl
LCDR / Tyson / James (Jim)
= 10
LT / Abeita / Lynn
LT / Buhr / Nicholas
LT / DiMisa / Samantha
LT / Eberenz / Brendan
LT / Kimble / Neal
LCDR / Restrepo / Adriana
LT / Riley-Bass / Ka’Seania
LT / Schlessinger / Kari
= 7 / TOTAL = 28
PsyPAG
CE and Conference Resources
April 2017
PsyPAG Professional Development Committee Page 1 of 3
Continuing Education (CE) Resources:
The Training Institute at Home Base
Cost: Free
Description: Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Program works to heal the invisible
wounds of war for Post-9/11 Veterans, Service Members and their Families through world-class
clinical care, wellness, education and research. The Training Institute at Home Base develops and
showcases a range of trainings that teach healthcare professionals across the nation how to better
recognize and treat the invisible wounds of war.
Access: http://homebasetraining.org
US Military Matters
Cost: Free
Description: The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) has been awarded a grant from the Department of
Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) with the primary goal of conducting programs and trainings in suicide
prevention, outreach, and education for National Guard members, Reserves, their families, and
mental health providers who provide treatment.
Free resources are offered as part of the grant project which include online trainings (webinars), and
in-person workshops and trainings. Topics include: Sleep Problems, Suicide Risk: Warning Signs,
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury: Signs and Symptoms, Military Life/Transitions,
Substance Abuse, and Military Sexual Trauma among others.
Access: http://usmilitarymatters.org/
Defense Centers of Excellence
Cost: Free
Description: The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) hosts
monthly webinars to provide information and facilitate discussion on a variety of topics related to
psychological health and traumatic brain injury. The webinars are open to the public, and many
provide continuing education.
Access: http://www.dcoe.mil/Training/Education.aspx
Center for Deployment Psychology
Cost: Free/Paid
Description: CDP offers online, 2-day, and 3-day workshops that focus on specific empirically-supported treatments
to address various critical psychological health issues facing Service members today. All workshops are
free and include CEs, but any travel or expenses must be self-funded. Webinars will be held monthly
from 1300-1700 (1 PM-5 PM) EST.
PsyPAG Professional Development Committee Page 2 of 3
The CDP provides interactive web-based training to educate professionals working with Service
members, Veterans and their families. Some limited web trainings are free while other can be
purchased for approximately $20/CE.
Access: http://deploymentpsych.org/
Upcoming Conferences:
American Association of Suicidology, 50th Annual Conference
Dates: April 26 - 29, 2017
Location: Phoenix AZ - Hyatt Regency
Description: Agenda and brochure not available at this time. For further information, see link below.
Access: http://www.suicidology.org/annual-conference/50th-annual-conference
American Psychiatric Association, Annual Convention
Dates: May 20 - 24, 2017
Location: San Diego
Description: Early bird registration ends Feb 2; also have advance registration and late advance registration.
Access: https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/meetings/annual-meeting/registration
Association for Psychological Science, 29th Annual Convention
Dates: May 25 - 28, 2017
Location: Boston, MA
Description: To view the program/agenda, see link:
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/conventions/annual/program
Access: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/conventions/annual
Society for Prevention Research, 25th Annual Meeting
Dates: May 30 - June 2, 2017
Location: Washington DC - Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
Description: This year’s theme is “Prevention and Public Systems of Care: Research, Policy and Practice.” The
Society for Prevention Research envisions a wellness-oriented society in which evidenced-based
programs and policies are continuously applied to improve the health and well-being of its citizens,
fostering positive human development and citizens who lead productive lives, in caring relationships
with others.
Access: http://www.preventionresearch.org/2017-annual-meeting
USPHS Scientific and Training Symposium
Dates: June 6 - 9, 2017
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Description: Highlights of this year's agenda will include:
· Keynote presentations by Dr. James Marks, Executive Vice President of the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, VADM Vivek Murthy (invited), U.S. Surgeon General, and RADM Boris Lushniak (ret),
Dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Health
· A panel discussion featuring RADM Ali Kahn (ret) and CAPT Lynn Slepskii looking at "A Culture of
PsyPAG Professional Development Committee Page 3 of 3
Health: Success and Challenges"
· The Anchor & Caduceus Dinner and Silent Auction including the C. Everett Koop Memorial Lecture
by Dr. Erika Lee who will discuss the history of Angel Island.
· Category Day featuring a full day of profession-specific topics
· More than 75 track presentations.
Access: http://symposium.phscof.org/about
American Psychological Association Annual Convention
Dates: August 3 - 6, 2017
Location: Washington DC
Description: Registration and hotel information will be available beginning on Monday, April 17, 10 a.m. EDT
Access: http://www.apa.org/convention/index.aspx
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, 51st Annual Convention
Dates: November 16 - 19, 2017
Location: San Diego, CA - Hilton Bayfront Hotel
Description: The theme this year, Applying CBT in Diverse Contexts, is intended to showcase research, clinical
practice and training. You can view the Call for Papers information via this link: Call for Papers 2017 .
Accepting abstract submissions for the Continuing Education Sessions. The deadline for abstract
submissions is 11:59 PM ET, Wednesday, February 1, 2017.
The submission portal for the general sessions Call for Papers will open on Wednesday, February 15,
2017. More information about the convention and how to submit abstracts will be on ABCT's website,
www.abct.org, after January 1, 2017. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM, ET Wednesday, March
15, 2017.
Access: http://www.abct.org/Conventions/?m=mConvention&fa=dConvention
Contact Information
If you are aware of any CE opportunities or upcoming conferences that you think your fellow PsyPAG members
may be interested in, please contact LT Buhr at .