Welcome Breakfast (optional)
     Room: Zapata
     Introduction to the Conference

Keynote Address (no CE)
20 Years: A History of the VA Psychology Leadership Conference
Rodney R. Baker, Ph.D.
Former AVAPL Archivist/Historian
Chief of Psychology (Retired), San Antonio VA MC

Invited Address (CE)
VA Mental Health: Current Directions and Future Initiatives
David Carroll, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Office of Mental Health Operations, VA Central Office

Invited Presentation (CE)
Collaborating to Serve Veterans in the Justice System
Melissa Fitzgerald
Senior Director, Justice for Vets

Invited Address (CE)
A View from Washington: Update on APA’s Veterans Advocacy
Heather O’Beirne Kelly, Ph.D.
Director, Military and Veterans Health Policy
American Psychological Association

Breakouts – Session A:
Breakout 1 : Navarro Ballroom (CE)
Getting Involved with Advocacy Nationally and Locally
Ronald Gironda, Ph.D.
Assistant Chief of Mental Health and Behavior Sciences and Chief of the Psychology Section
President, AVAPL
 
Thomas Kirchberg, Ph.D., ABPP
Chief, Psychology Service
Memphis VA Medical Center
Past-President, AVAPL
 
Mary Beth Shea, Ph.D.
Local Recovery Coordinator & VITAL Program Manager; Orlando VA Medical Center
President-Elect, AVAPL
 
John McQuaid, Ph.D.
Associate Chief of Mental Health for Clinical Administration; San Francisco VA Medical Center
Secretary, AVAPL
 
Samuel  Wan, Ph.D.
Training Director, Postdoctoral Fellowship Program; San Francisco VA Medical Center
Treasurer, AVAPL
 
Russell B. Lemle, Ph.D.
Psychology Director
San Francisco VA Health Care System
 
Heather O’Beirne Kelly, Ph.D.
Director, Military and Veterans Health Policy
American Psychological Association
 
Kathleen M. McNamara, Ph.D., ABPP
Lead Professional (Retired)
Pacific Islands Health Care System
 
Jay L. Cohen, Ph.D.
National MH Technical Assistance Specialist
Office of Mental Health Operations, VACO

Breakout 2 (Olivares) (no CE):
A Conversation Hour with the Past Presidents of AVACP/AVAPL
Rodney R. Baker, Ph.D. (Moderator)
Past President of AVACP, 1982-83
See separate handout for a list of Past Presidents and their bios.

Breakout 3 (Zapata) (CE):
Improving Morale and Increasing Psychological Safety
Participant Comments During the Session
Steven Lovett, Ph.D.
Chief, Psychology, VA Palo Alto
 
Lisa K. Kearney, Ph.D., ABPP
Associate Director for Education
VA Center for Integrated Healthcare
 
George Shorter, Ph.D.
Chief, Psychology Service, Malcom Randall VAMC

Breakout 4 (Villa) (no CE):
Getting a Job in the VA: A Guide for Trainees and Early Career Psychologists
 
Stacy Pommer, LMSW
Health Systems Specialist
Associated Health Education
Office of Academic Affiliations, VA Central Office
 
James Marfield, MBA
VHA National Healthcare Recruitment Consultant, National Healthcare Recruitment Service (NHRS), Human Resources Operations and Oversight (HROO), Workforce Management and Consulting (WMC)

Networking Lunches (1.5 hours)
General Lunch Area (Navarro), including:
     -Meet the AVAPL and Division 18 Officers
 
Lunch topics
     -Diversity/Psychologists of Color (Villa)
     -Women in Leadership SIG (Olivares)
     -Advocacy (Zapata)

Breakout 4 (Villa) (no CE):
Hiring in the VA: A Guide for Chiefs, Hiring Managers, and Directors of Training
Getting a Job in the VA: A Guide for Trainees and Early Career Psychologists
 
Hiring in VA: A Guide for Chiefs, Hiring Managers, and Directors of Training
 
Stacy Pommer, LMSW
Health Systems Specialist
Associated Health Education
Office of Academic Affiliations, VA Central Office
 
James Marfield, MBA
VHA National Healthcare Recruitment Consultant, National Healthcare Recruitment Service (NHRS), Human Resources Operations and Oversight (HROO), Workforce Management and Consulting (WMC)

Invited Presentation (CE)
Measurement-Based Care
Rani A. Hoff, Ph.D., MPH
Director, Northeast Program Evaluation  Center (NEPEC)
Office of Mental Health Operations (10NC5)
Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine
 
Sandra G. Resnick, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Northeast Program Evaluation  Center (NEPEC), Office of Mental Health Operations
Associate Professor, Yale University School of Medicine
Investigator, VISN 1 MIRECC

Invited Presentation (CE)
VHA Mental Health Program Office Update
Wendy Tenhula, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief Consultant
Office of Mental Health Services, VA Central Office

David Carroll, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Office of Mental Health Operations, VA Central Office

Brief Break and Poster Set-up

Social Hour with Poster Sessions 1 & 2
(Navarro Ballroom Pre-Function Area)

7:00 am – 8:00 am
        7:15 am – 8:00 am

Continental Breakfast (Navarro)    
        Job Exploration Breakfast
        (optional)
        Overview of Upcoming VA Job
        Opportunities

Keynote Address (CE)
Reframing PTSD as a Neuropsychological Construct: From Camp Lejeune to Bethlehem
Antonio E. Puente, Ph.D.
President, American Psychological Association
Professor of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Wilmington

Invited Presentation (CE)
Combating Threats to Veterans’ Mental Health Care Through Strategic Partnership
From Vietnam to Today: What Decades of Community-Based Service Have Shown Us 
Michael Blecker, J.D., MPH, MMAS
Executive Director, Swords to Plowshares

Invited Presentation (CE)
Partnering to Meet the Mental Health Needs of Veterans and Their Families
 
Terri Tanielian, M.A.
Senior Social Research Analyst
RAND Corporation

Breakouts – Session B:
Breakout 1 (Navarro) (CE):
Women in Leadership
Antonette Zeiss, Ph.D.
Consultant
Chief Consultant, Office of Mental Health Services (2010-2012)
 
Nicole Shiber, Ph.D.
Supervisory Psychologist, Recovery Services and Outreach Program, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital

Allison Aosved, Ph.D.
Internship and Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Director, VA Puget Sound
 
Stacey Pollack, Ph.D.
National Director of Program Policy Implementation
Mental Health Services, VA Central Office
 
Mary Beth Shea, Ph.D.
Local Recovery Coordinator & Training Manager, Orlando VAMC
President-Elect, AVAPL

Janna L. Fikkan, Ph.D. (in absentia)
Associate Director of Training
VA Puget Sound, American Lake Division

Breakout 2 (Olivares) (CE):
Measurement-Based Care
Rani A. Hoff, Ph.D., MPH
Director, Northeast Program Evaluation  Center (NEPEC)
Office of Mental Health Operations (10NC5)
Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine
 
Sandra G. Resnick, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Northeast Program Evaluation  Center (NEPEC), Office of Mental Health Operations
Associate Professor, Yale University School of Medicine
Investigator, VISN 1 MIRECC

Breakout 3 (Zapata) (CE):
Mental Health Access Now, Soon, and Sustained: Principles and Strategies for Successful Implementation
 
Lisa Kearney, Ph.D., ABPP
Associate Director for Education
VA Center for Integrated Healthcare
 
Clifford Smith, Ph.D., ABPP
Deputy Director
Office of Mental Health Operations
 
Matthew Miller, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief of Staff
Saginaw VAMC

Breakout 4 (Villa) (no CE)
 
Veteran’s Choice Utilization
Russell B. Lemle, Ph.D.
Psychology Director
San Francisco VA Health Care System

Ronald Gironda, Ph.D.
Assistant Chief of Mental Health and Behavior Sciences and Chief of the Psychology Section, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital; President, AVAPL

Networking Lunches (1.5 hours)
 
General Lunch Area (Navarro), including
   -Building Morale
 
Lunch Topics:
   - Early Career Psychologists (Olivares)
   - Mid-Career Psychologists (Zapata)
   - Psychology Training (Villa)

Breakouts – Session B:
Topics (Repeated)
 
(See previous descriptions and room locations)

Invited Panel (CE)
 
Best Practices from the Field: Improving Access to Quality Mental Health Services
1. Adapting the Unified Protocol for the PCMHI Setting
*Kelly A. Caver, Ph.D.¹
*Nicola F. De Paul, Ph.D.¹
Candice L. Barnett, M.D.^1,2
David G. Zacharias, M.D., MPH^1,2
1Seattle VA Medical Center
²University of Washington Medical Center
 
2. Assessment and Treatment of Race-Based Trauma among Ethnic and Minority Veterans
*Hannah Klempner, Psy.D.
Stephanie Crockett, Psy.D.
Asale Hubbard, Ph.D.
Kristine Burkman, Ph.D.
San Francisco VA Medical Center
 
3. An Integrated Approach to Benzodiazepine Discontinuation: Shared Medical Appointments for Veterans Co-Prescribed Opioids and Benzodiazepines
*Elizabeth (Betsy) Crowe, Ph.D.
Lucille J. Carriere, Ph.D.
VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System
 
4. FLOW: Improving Access by Facilitating the Identification and Transfer of Stabilized or Recovered Mental Health Patients Back to Primary Care
*Tracey Leone Smith, Ph.D.
Terri Barrera, Ph.D.
Zenab Yusuf, M.D., M.P.H.
South Central MIRECC
 
*Denotes presenter(s)

Invited Presentation (CE)
Office of Academic Affiliations Update: A 70-Year History of Training Psychologists
Kenneth R. Jones, Ph.D.
Director, Associated Health Education
Office of Academic Affiliations

Presentation of the Patrick DeLeon Advocacy Award
 
2017 Recipient: John R McQuaid, Ph.D.

Continuing Education Workshop (CE)
Compassion Cultivation
Jennifer Sippel, Ph.D.
Spinal Cord Injury Informatics Program Manager
VA North Texas Health Care System