I. PURPOSE

The Psychology Professional Advisory Group (PSYPAG) of the Health Services Professional Advisory Committee (HS‑PAC) shall consider discipline‑specific professional issues and advise the Surgeon General through the HS‑PAC and Chief HS Officer regarding such issues.

 

II. OBJECTIVES

 

The PSYPAG functions in a resource and advisory capacity to assist in the development, coordination, training and evaluation of activities related to the Psychology professional discipline in the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) with the specific objectives of:

A. Identifying issues of interest and facilitating the resolution of concerns as they relate to PHS psychologists;

 

B. Assessing personnel needs of USPHS as related to psychology and assist in meeting the needs relative to recruitment, retention, training, utilization, and professional development;

 

C. Developing position papers, statistical reports, and/or guidelines where appropriate, to advise and comment on matters relating to the personnel issues, psychologists and their practices;

 

D. Promoting cooperation and communication among and between other professional disciplines and health professionals; and

 

E. Promoting all aspects of Psychology throughout the agencies and programs of the USPHS.

 

F.  Assessing the professional development needs of psychology officers and developing strategies and opportunities to meet them.  

 

 III. MEMBERSHIP

A. Eligibility Requirement: Members shall be USPHS Health Service Officer Psychologists.  Ad hoc psychologist members from The Scientist Category (other PHS categories) will also be welcome.

 

B. Meetings will be open to all members. Any  voting member may participate on a committee. 

 

C. Organizational representation: Participation shall be promoted from each of the DHHS Operating Divisions to provide the range of experiences and perspectives necessary to address issues before the PSYPAG. Efforts will be made to have the broadest representation possible among all agencies including but not limited to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and other non‑DHHS agencies.

 

D. Geographic consideration: Participation shall be promoted from members whose regular duty station is geographically removed from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Members will be actively solicited and provisions such as teleconferencing will be made so that Commissioned Corps Psychologists stationed outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area can participate in meetings.

 

E. Diversity among officers of different cultures, race, ethnicity and gender shall be respected and participation welcomed.  Efforts will be made to ensure that participation of the PSYPAG represents the ethnic and gender diversity of its officers.

 

F. Members will be solicited through Commissioned Corps publications and other appropriate means.

 

IV. PSYPAG LEADERSHIP

 

The leadership of the PSYPAG shall be composed of the Chair, a Chair‑Elect and a Secretary. Elected officers will come from voting membership. Each officer shall be elected by the voting members of the PSYPAG prior to the end of the calendar year, for a term of office, as defined in the By Laws, beginning on January 1. In the event of a vacancy of the Chair, the Chair‑Elect shall assume the responsibilities for the duration of the term. Vacancies in other offices shall be filled by appointment (by the Chair) for the remainder of the term.

 

Duties of the officers are the following:

A. Chair: Provides leadership to the PSYPAG and provides liaison to the HS‑PAC. The Chair is considered an ex‑officio member of the HS‑PAC and is expected to attend the HS‑PAC meetings and any other significant meetings affecting the PSYPAG; the Chair may also designate a representative to attend such meetings.

Term of the Chair: The Chair will serve a 1 year term.

 

B. Chair‑Elect: Assists the Chair and functions as the Chair when necessary

Term of the Chair‑elect: The Chair‑elect serves a 1 year term and then succeeds as the Chair the following year.

 

C. Secretary: Provides a written record of the activities of the PSYPAG. The Secretary shall record the minutes of meetings, maintain reports and official documents of the PSYPAG, and assist the Chair and Chair‑elect in carrying out the duties associated with their respective offices.

 

Term of the Secretary: The Secretary serves a 1 y ear term.

 

The PSYPAG operations and procedures shall include the following:

 

A. Operational Year: The operational year for the PSYPAG is the calendar year January 1 – December 31.

 

B. Frequency of Meeting: Meetings will be held at least once per quarter. Additional meetings may be called by the Chair as needed.

 

C. Agenda: A meeting agenda and appropriate background material will be made available to the PSYPAG members.

 

D. Recording and Reporting: Minutes of each PSYPAG meeting will be recorded, and approved by the PSYPAG. The PSYPAG Secretary will maintain a permanent file of official minutes and reports.

 

E. Voting and By‑Law Amendments: Voting members will receive nomination forms for chair‑elect and secretary, will be notified of nominees thirty days prior to voting.  A Commissioned Corps officer who is not of the psychology discipline selected by the PSYPAG will tabulate votes.   Where voting is required, action will be determined by the simple majority of those voting members present. By‑law amendments will be made by a simple majority vote of those voting members who are present. 

 

F. Operating Subcommittees: The PSYPAG may have operating subcommittees to accomplish its objectives. These subcommittees will be organized and conduct business in a manner consistent with the PSYPAG. The Chair of the PSYPAG will appoint the Chair of each Subcommittee. The operating subcommittees may include but are not limited to: (1) public relations, (2) recruitment/retention, (3) career opportunities, (4) professional policy development, (5) membership, (6) awards and (7) PSYPAG website update.

 

G. Quorum: A quorum shall consist of at least 5 members of the voting PSYPAG membership