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Text of Letter:
December 28, 1993
R.A. Bornstein, Ph.D.
Secretary,Division 40
Department of Psychiatry
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH 43210
Re: Agenda item
Dear Bob,
Thank you for your December 7th letter regarding items to be placed on the Executive Committee meeting agenda. As the Liaison between Division 40 and APA's Committee on International Rela- tions in Psychology (CIRP),I have a couple of items which I would like to include. They are as follows:
1) l The major emphasis for the CIRP over the past few months has been on the identification of individuals and institutions who are able to host visitation of scholars from other countries. This is especially true of projects for Russian scholars and practitioners interested in undertaking short-term visits to the us: APA is committed to attempting to find appropriate placement for these individuals. Perhaps,Division 40 could enlist the interest of its members to host scholars for upcoming visits through an announcement in the newsletter. In the absence of that,any interested parties could contact Dr. Heilbronner or Joan Buchanan in APA's Office of International Affairs.
2) l Efforts continue to be directed toward investigating various funding agencies that could be used to promote an international exchange of scholars for scientific/academic pursuits. Several have been identified,but members are asked to provide further information about other available resources that could be used toward this end. Please contact Dr. Heilbronner.
3). In August and October 1993,the CIRP met in Toronto and in Washington, respectively. The Division 40 Liaison was unable to attend these meetings because of insufficient funding. I would like to propose that The Executive Committee consider appropria- tion of some division funds toward the development of interna- tional relations with neuropsychologists throughout the world. Providing a mechanism so that the Division 40 Liaison can at least attend one of the bi-annual CIRP meetings would be one constructive use of such funds.Bornstein letter Dec. 28.1993
4) l In 1992,a group was established to start a network among CIRP members who have access to an electronic mail system, with the ultimate objective being the creation of an international electronic network of psychologists. Items from the CIRP meet-ings as well as articles from Psvcholoav International (the publication from the Office of International Affairs) will also be included. At present,the Division 40 Liaison is not a member of this e-mail system.
5) l At the present time,there is no formal international af-fairs committee of Division 40. Other APA Divisions apparently have committees devoted to the development of international relations between psychologists in their respective fields of study. I would like to propose that the Division consider the establishment of such a committee,comprised of members from other countries. In this way,a more formal committment to the development of relations with neuropsychologists throughout the world might be established. At the very least, an international roster might be established,comprised of Division 40 members who are interested in these kinds of activities. This could be done via a call for interested parties in the Division 40 newsletter. Division 40 members who are interested in finding out more about APA's Office of International Affairs,the CIRP, or reading about recent developments in psychology on an international level might be interested in receiving copies of Psvcholosv International from the Office of International Affairs. They may contact Joan Buchanon at 202-336-6024 in that office.
6) l The primary activity of the Division 40 Liaison over the past year has been on maintaining communications with CIRP, the Office of International Affairs,and with other organizations who have an apparent commitment to the international development of neuropsychology and related fields. These include the Interna- tional Neuropsychological Society (INS),The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM),and Division 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology) of APA. These organizations have expressed an inter- est in ongoing dialogues with Division 40 on international issues.
7). At the present time,I have not heard a response from the Division 40 President about whether the division offers either an affiliate membership or some other form of reduced dues for psychologists residing outside the U.S. and Canada. If no such provision exists,the Executive Committee might want to consider the possibility of establishing some kind of international/for- eign affiliation provision in the by-laws. If it does exist, this might be announced more publicly.
8). Discussions are currently ongoing concerning the possibility of establishing some type of pre-conference symposium before an APA Conference or INS Meeting. Several funding resources haveBornstein letter Dec. 28, 1993 Page 3 been investigated included APA's Science Directorate. Perhaps, this is something that can be done in collaboration with Division 40 Program Committee for an upcoming Conference.
9). The editors of the Division 40 newsletter might want to consider the establishment of an international column in the newsletter, specifically directed toward the development and current status of neuropsychology in a particular region of the world. Another option would be to have a special section of the division journal Neuropsychology used for that purpose.
Bob, this should cover the most salient issues for now. If you have any questions about what I have written you may reach me at 312-908-6237. I will look forward to the Executive Committee meeting on Feb. 2nd, 1994.
Sincerely, '~&z-~
Robert L. Heilbronner, Ph.D.
Division 40
Liaison to CIRP
(End of letter text)