Editor's Corner

Spring is here, and so is the next edition of The SoAP Box! Whether you are trying to survive an onslaught of pollen or wishing for the last vestiges of winter to disappear, spring brings with it a sense of energy and movement. In that spirit, this issue is full of reflections, updates, and insights from across Division 50—highlighting ways our members are pushing the field forward, celebrating one another, and working to promote and protect our vibrant community. Whether you are a researcher, clinician, educator, student, or somewhere in between, we hope you find something that resonates with you. 

As always, we begin with Dr. Susan Collins’s Presidential Column reflecting on CPA, looking ahead to APA, and the importance of community and connection. 

We have several exciting spotlights in this issue. Dr. Min-Jeong Yang is featured in the Early Career Psychologist (ECP) Spotlight. Luke Herchenroeder, a member of the Division 50 Student Committee, is featured in the Student Spotlight.

We also feature Dr. Fiona Conway, an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin studying substance use among adolescents and young adults. You can read more about her ongoing work, as well as her recent publication examining within-group differences in tobacco use among Black adolescents, in the Diversity Science Spotlight. 

Revisit the excitement of CPA 2025 in the SoAP Box Sound Bites. We recap the event through members’ posts shared on Bluesky. While you’re at it, make sure to follow the new Division 50 account (@apadivision50.bsky.social)! 

As the academic year comes to a close, we take time to celebrate the accomplishments of students/trainees and look ahead to their exciting next steps in Show & Tell.

Finally, we wrap up this issue with Division Announcements, including the SoAP Student Research Grant application due May 1st, 2025 and a reminder to case your ballot for Division 50 Officer elections beginning May 8th, 2025.   

Looking ahead to the Summer 2025 issue and beyond, I welcome anyone from our membership to contribute a piece or suggestions for content. This includes things that fit within our established structure, as well as new ideas for standalone or recurring columns. Please submit any content to me (jfillo@mailbox.sc.edu) by July 1st, 2025.    

• Diversity Science Spotlight. In this column, we are looking to highlight recently published work or accomplishments by members from backgrounds that are underrepresented in psychological science. We are also interested in promoting research focusing on improving health equity and social justice in historically disadvantaged groups. Send us a link and description of your current projects, awards, or media attention you have received, and any other information that you would like to share with our readers. If you are discussing research focused on improving health equity and social justice, you can also provide additional information about the implications of your research. Please limit responses to 500 words.
• SoAP Box Sound Bites. Summer means the APA Annual Conventionis near! In 50 words or less, please respond to the following prompt—What’s advice would you give to first-time APA attendees to make the most of the experience? 
• Show and Tell. This is the place to show off your recent accomplishments, accolades, awards and/or to highlight the cool ways in which you promote your lab (websites, Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, etc.). Send us a link and description of your current projects, awards, or media attention you may have received, and any other information that you would like to share with our readers. This is also a great space to congratulate students/trainees!  Please limit responses to 200 words.
• Finding Success in Failure. In line with the recent trend of prominent academics and clinicians sharing their “CVs of Failures”, we want to hear about a time in your career that things didn’t go your way. For this next issue, I am hoping someone will provide insights into the challenges they experienced as a mentor and what they learned along the way. We are interested in what the challenge was, how you approached resolving the issue, and what you learned as a result of the experience. What advice would you give to others when facing similar challenges in the future?  Please limit responses to 500 words.  
• See submission guidelines, previously published in the Fall 2024 SoAP Box, for submitting to Clinical Pearls, Clinician’s Corner, & Clinical Translation.
• Ethical Issues. In this column, we are looking for articles focused on describing ethical issues you may come across in your research and/or addiction-related clinical practice. Specifically, we want to hear what the ethical issue was, how you handled it, and lessons learned. Some examples could be issues related to googling patients, how you handled it when a patient contacted you on social media, or what happens when you run into a research participant out in the real world. Please limit responses to 500 words.