News

It is with great please to announce that the AAPA Awards Committee has selected the following members for our annual awards:

• Wei-Chin Hwang, PhD (Claremont McKenna College) as AAPA Fellow
• Y Joel Wong, PhD (Indiana University) as recipient of the Early Career Award

We received a number of outstanding nominations for each award and it was a difficult decision for the Awards Committee. I want to personally thank the Awards Committee (Arpana Inman, John Moritsugu, and Donna Nagata), chaired by Past President, Gordon Nagayama Hall. Please congratulate Drs. Hwang and Wong, both will be honored the AAPA Convention in Orlando.

We are pleased to announce the selection of the following emerging
leaders as AAPA Leadership Fellows for 2011-2012.

Dr. Shihoko Hijioka received her B.A. in Psychology from the New
College of Florida, her M.A. in Psychology and Ph.D. in Clinical
Psychology from the New School for Social Research.  She completed her
internship at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Zucker Hillside
Hospital, and is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at the City University
of New York.  Dr. Hijioka has past experience in leadership and
service through her contributions as a poster session co-chair for
AAPA annual conventions and a regional representative for AAPA
Division of Students.

Dr. Nellie Tran received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of
California, Los Angeles, and her M.A., and Ph.D. in Community &
Prevention Research in Psychology from the University of Illinois at
Chicago.  Dr. Tran is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology
at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.  She has past experience
in leadership and service through her contribution as the APA
convention program chair for the Div. 35, Society for the Psychology
of Women, Section V: Psychology of Asian Pacific American Women; a
Volunteer committee co-chair for AAPA conventions; and a Conference
mentor for APA Division 27, Society for Community Research and Action.

We welcome these two promising individual to the AAPA Leadership
Fellows Program and know that they will make wonderful contributions
to AAPA and to the field of multicultural psychology. Look for them at
the convention this year in Washington, D.C.!

Grace Kim, Ph.D. and Sam Wan, Ph.D.
AAPA Leadership Fellows Program Co-Directors; Past Leadership Fellows

The horrific images of the disaster in Japan are reminiscent of the photos I saw in 2007 at the Hiroshima Peace Museum of the World War II devastation following the nuclear bomb. This is the worst disaster in Japan since World War II. Although I have no relatives in the Sendai area, the epicenter of the current disaster, my maternal grandparents immigrated to California from Japan in the early 20th Century and I adopted my two older children from Japan at the end of the century. I feel a personal connection and sorrow for the people of Japan, as I know many of you do.

Some of you will be in position to offer direct psychological assistance to Japanese victims and their families. The Veterans Administration has developed a useful psychological first aid manual, which has been translated into Japanese:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/manuals/psych-first-aid.asp

Many will want to donate money to help Japan. There are many relief organizations helping Japan. In selecting an organization to donate to, I encourage you to: (a) inquire what percentage of donations actually go to relief efforts vs. other costs, such as administrative expenses; and (b) inquire if the relief efforts are culturally competent, in terms of collaborating with and empowering
the Japanese people.

As those interested in Asian American psychology, let us keep the Japanese in our thoughts and prayers, and do what we can to help Japan cope with this disaster.

Articles on coping from afar:
http://cupertino.patch.com/articles/are-your-kids-worried-about-quakes,http://understandmymind.com/themes/japan-coping-from-afar/

Articles on how Japanese people are coping:
http://www.pri.org/health/japan-s-psychology-after-the-earthquake3004.html

How to help/give:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110314/us-us-japan-earthquake-donations-glance/

Person finder in Japan:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/11/japan-earthquake-google-person-finder-_n_834445.html

Gordon C. Nagayama Hall, Ph.D.
President, Asian American Psychological Association