February 24, 2009
Since her arrival at St. John’s University in September
2008, Associate Professor Scyatta Wallace, Ph.D has been busy
teaching the next generation of Psychology professionals, creating
youth projects to prevent HIV/AIDS, cultivating grants with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the National
Institutes of Health (NIH). And if that isn’t enough, add her
recent appointment by the American Psychological Association (APA)
to its Committee on Psychology and AIDS (COPA) and you have one
busy woman trying to change the face of HIV/AIDS in the
community
The American Psychological
Association is a Washington D.C-based professional association
that represents psychologists worldwide. The organization’s mission
is to advance the application of psychological knowledge to benefit
society and improve people’s lives. APA addresses mental health
concerns, government policies and funding, HIV/AIDS education, and
research and promotes the highest level of conduct and ethics for
psychology professionals.
COPA was developed as a sub-committee to assist in the development
and implementation of APA’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. COPA
consists of six committee members who are selected by the APA Board
of Directors to serve a three-year appointment based on expertise,
dedication to the AIDS issues, education and training background.
Members are expected to aid in the APA goals through implementing
new programs to enhance the mission of the organization.
“I was elated to receive the approval letter from APA and as a
committee member, I will jump in and assist in projects,” says Dr.
Wallace. “COPA works with a number of federal, state and
community-based organizations through conferences, meetings,
workshops and research programs.”
Dr. Wallace was attracted to St. John’s University’s mission to
serve disadvantaged communities. She desired to join an
institution that understood the importance of empowering the
underserved community through service, education and
research. She notes that through this recent appointment to
COPA, she will be able to network with other universities, public
policy institutions and community organizations to assist in
continuing St. John’s mission of service.
“For me, social justice and working with vulnerable populations is
the most important thing--that’s what drives me,” Dr. Wallace adds.
“I see this appointment as completely complimentary to our mission
at St. John’s.”
Healthy Teens Program
Over 50 percent of people who have HIV/AIDS within the teenage
group are African-American, although they only account for 12-13
percent of that population. That is why Dr. Wallace is
committed in her goal to promote education, awareness and
prevention of HIV/AIDS among young African-Americans. Awarded
numerous grants by the CDC and the National Institute on Drug Abuse
(NIDA), her research addresses drug use, youth incarceration and
neighborhood/social factors that contribute to the spread of the
HIV epidemic.
Dr. Wallace’s current projects include: BEATS (Brothers Encouraged
to Access Testing Services); Project SMART (Supporting Minority
Adolescent Research Training) and Context of Risk. These various
projects examine a central theme: what are the risk factors
associated with this epidemic? And how can we promote educational
awareness?
“The groups I work with are a vulnerable population, incarcerated
men find it hard to remove themselves from the same repetitive
cycle, meanwhile the stigma associated with HIV creates a major
concern in testing and treatment within minority communities,” Dr.
Wallace explains. “I want to give young people positive development
to be healthy and productive members of society—it all goes hand in
hand.”
Dr. Wallace’s fundamental objective is to develop materials to
better understand, document and intervene in the actions of
participants, and secure an array of partnerships in order to
provide community empowerment, resources and
career skill-sets. Her
ultimate goal: to obtain a network of professionals throughout New
York City who are dedicated to solving the HIV/AIDS crisis through
student engagement, project research, and academic
internships.
When asked her future project goals, Dr. Wallace replies, “Within
the next three years, I would love to see the materials
disseminated to agencies that really need them, more community
network collaborations, and assistance provided to students who are
empowered to make a change. There are positive people who are doing
positive things; we can all do grassroots impact and force the
powers-that-be to make a change.”