Two University psychology professors were selected to attend the American Psychological Association’s fifth annual Science Leadership Conference scheduled for Nov. 14 through Nov. 16 in Washington.
Mary Lou Kelley, clinical psychology professor, and Claire Advokat, biological psychology professor, are two of only 100 professionals selected nationally to attend, and they are the first University faculty members to be invited to an APA conference.”It shows that LSU is being seen at a federal level for doing exemplary research,” Kelley said. Invitations were extended to those who have “an outstanding record of scientific accomplishments and leadership,” according to the APA invitation letter. In light of current health care reform, the theme of the conference is “Enhancing the Nation’s Health Through Psychological Science.” The goal is to advocate for increased federal funding in psychological research and training to ultimately improve the nation’s health, according to the invitation.Presentations, panel discussions and group activities will prepare the participants to meet with congressional offices in effort to communicate the value of their research. “It’s a great honor,” said Robert Matthews, psychology department chair. “They’re working on what APA considers important problems in regards to health care.”Kelley specializes in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents. Her work originally dealt with ADHD and its relationship to education performance. Kelley said the goal is to research effective ways parents can help their children function well in school. After Hurricane Katrina, she focused her research on children’s psychological adjustments following coastal disasters. The National Institute of Mental Health and the Department of Homeland Security have supported her research.”We’re studying resiliency instead of the negative outcomes,” Kelley said.Kelley’s goal is to develop sound measures of coping and social support for children after disasters. She plans on developing curriculum materials to be used by the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA to assist families in recovery methods. Advokat’s expertise is in psychopharmacology — drugs that affect the brain. Specifically, she researches how and why psychiatric medications work to relieve symptoms in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety and ADHD.Her studies show stimulants alone do not improve academic outcomes for children or adults. Her current research studies the effects of stimulants on memory and other cognitive functions.  Advokat also researches the comparative effectiveness of drugs that are on the market. When a new drug becomes available, she tests if it is a better alternative. Kelley and Advokat said they look forward to seeing what areas of research the government wants psychologists to direct their attention toward, and the conference will be helpful in terms of grant opportunities to know what the government wants to fund. Advokat said she welcomes the opportunity to talk about psychological research and how it can help.”You don’t often get to think about the big picture,” she said. “You don’t think you’re ever going to be in a situation where you can persuade or try to persuade people who can make those decisions and help decide where we should direct our resources.”Advokat said the conference will be a great opportunity to represent Louisiana.”It’s good for our representatives to see that our state’s contribution can match that of any other,” Advokat said. “We are just as successful, and it’s good to be reminded of that every once in a while.”—–Contact Sarah Eddington at [email protected]