Professor to serve as president for division of APA

University of Central Arkansas psychology professor Dr. Femina Varghese has been elected President of Division 18 of the American Psychological Association (APA) for the 2014-2015 academic year.

“I am humbled and honored to have the confidence and trust of the members of APA’s Division 18 to have been elected to serve as their president. This election is a testament to the support and encouragement I have received from UCA and the Department of Psychology and Counseling toward my development as a national leader. I am honored to be a faculty member among such wonderful colleagues,” Varghese said.

Varghese will serve as president-elect, president, then past president beginning fall 2013 and ending spring 2016, for a total of three years of leadership.

Division 18, Psychologists in Public Service, is a division of the American Psychological Association whose members serve the public in various settings with some of the most challenging clients. The division consists of six sections: veterans affairs, community and state hospital, criminal justice, police and public safety, psychologists in Indian Country, and serious mental illness/severe emotional disturbance. The Division, which includes about 800 members, will work at the national level.

Varghese also was the recipient of the 2013 Division 18 Early Career Achievement Award.

“To the best of my knowledge, Dr. Varghese is the first UCA psychology professor to be elected president of an APA division. This is an incredible achievement for her. I am confident she will have a positive impact as Division 18 president,” said Dr. Art Gillaspy, chairperson of the Department of Psychology and Counseling.

The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA is the world’s largest association of psychologists, with more than 134,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members.