Dr. Melissa Morgan Consoli of the Gevirtz School was named co-chair of the Committee on International Relations in Psychology (CIRP). Consoli was elected to the highly competitive committee, which is part of the American Psychological Association (APA) on her first attempt in 2013, and now current members have elected her to co-chair the committee with Dr. Arpana Inman of Lehigh University.
Since its founding in 1944, the CIRP has emphasized developing international psychology, both from a scientific and professional perspective, by promoting collaboration and cooperative research. The goal of CIRP is to “foster interactions of all kinds between psychologists in the U.S. and their colleagues abroad, to promote an international perspective within psychology, to promote the role of psychology within international program, policy and educational settings, and to monitor the rights of psychologists and the use of psychological knowledge internationally.”
The committee determines the recipient of the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology, nominates candidates for the International Humanitarian Award, and oversees the APA NGO representation to the UN. The current strategic plan supports seven program areas, including fostering psychology in a global age and promoting the value of cross-cultural and multicultural competence for U.S. psychologists.
Melissa Morgan Consoli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology. All of her research is conducted through a social justice lens, using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods designs as well as community based research paradigms. Her goal is for research to be culturally relevant, informative in the development of prevention and other community programs, and useful in addressing societal issues of concern for the populations with whom she works.