Morgan professor’s APA presidency

Jocelyn Turner-Musa, Ph.D., professor of Psychology and department chair in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), was voted as President-elect of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 1 (Society for General Psychology). In her role as president, Dr. Turner-Musa will oversee the APA division’s focus on promoting consistency among the diverse specialties within the psychology profession by encouraging members to incorporate multiple perspectives from psychology’s sub-disciplines into their research, theory and practice. Her term as president begins in August 2021.

“I look forward to serving Division 1 of the American Psychological Association and welcome the opportunity to advance the division’s unique position to bridge the gaps within an expansive profession and discipline of diverse perspectives,” said Dr. Turner-Musa. “I am especially proud to represent Morgan State University, as part of my initiative is to highlight the role of Minority Serving Institutions in diversifying the field of psychology.”

Dr. Turner-Musa’s platform will primarily focus on promoting diversity, inclusion, and engagement in psychology by increasing the participation of Minority Serving Institutions in Division 1, as well as within APA. Working closely with the Division 1 Executive Committee, members, and APA governance, Dr. Turner-Musa also aims to promote psychological science as a primary means in  addressing current social, behavioral, and health challenges, particularly within communities of color.

Prior to assuming her post as Division 1 president, Dr. Turner-Musa plans to liaise with the current president and past-president in the coming year to develop and implement division programming. No stranger to applying her insight as a subject matter expert in the field of psychology, Dr. Turner-Musa has also served as the guest editor for the international scholarly journal Healthcare, for the publication’s special “Health Disparities and Stigma in the Era of Covid-19“ issue.

The American Psychological Association is a leading national scientific and professional organization for psychology comprising more than 121,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members. Dr. Turna-Musa’s election as incoming president to one of the APA’s 54 divisions places a Morgan faculty member among the foremost authorities and thought-leaders from many other prominent U.S. institutions.

Congratulations to Dr. Jocelyn Turner-Musa on your appointment and for being able to exhibit our core values of Leadership, Excellence and Integrity in your tenure as Division 1 President of the APA.