History of the Association of Medical School Psychologists (AMSP), 1982–2005

Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, Vol. 12, No. 3, September 2005 ( C 2005) DOI: 10.1007/s10880-005-5742-7 History of the Association of Medical School Psychologists (AMSP), 1982–2005 Reuben J. Silver, 1 John E. Carr, 2,4 and Gerald Leventhal 3 This paper presents a brief history of the Association of Medical School Psychologists (AMSP) from the Association’s beginning in 1982 to the present day. Prior to 1982, there had been sev- eral unsuccessful efforts to form an association that would represent psychologists in academic medical centers. Attempts by psychiatry to limit the growing number and influence of psychologists in medical schools created a sense of threat among psychologists that catalyzed the formation of the Association. Membership was initially restricted to one senior psychologist from each medical school, a restriction that limited AMSP’s development, but AMSP later opened its doors to all academic medical center psychologists. The Association was rebuffed in initial efforts to join the Association of American Medical Colleges, and at a later date, to become a Division of the American Psychological Association (APA). In time, however, AMSP did establish formal ties to both of those organizations, and it has collaborated with APAin important surveys of academic medical center psychologists. Following a period in the late 1990’s when AMSP seemed likely to lose its way, the Association rebounded. AMSP now has an Adminis- trative Director, a stable home base, and revised bylaws that assure greater stability and con- tinuity of leadership. These developments, in conjunction with a strong working relationship with the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings , have positioned AMSP to grow and more effectively serve the community of psychologists who work in academic medical centers. KEY WORDS: History of psychology associations; medical school psychologists; academic medicine and psychology. INTRODUCTION Association of Medical School Psychologists (AMSP). This paper uses the acronym AMSP to refer to the Almost a decade has passed since the first his- Association across all time periods, but with the un- tory of the Association of Medical School Psychol- derstanding that readers will keep in mind that AM- ogists (AMSP) was written (Silver, 1996). Since that SPP is the historically correct acronym for the period time, there have been many changes. For one thing, prior to 1999. The paper is divided into three main sec- the Association adopted a new name. At its beginning tions: (1) review of AMSP’s development from 1982 in 1982, the Association was known as the Associa- through 2005; (2) listing of key events grouped accord- tion of Medical School Professors of Psychology (AM- ing to the presidential term in which they happened; SPP). In 1999 the Association changed its name to the and (3) Appendices that identify the organizational leaders whose vision and work guided the Associa- 1 Wilmington, North Carolina. tion’s development. 2University of Washington, Department of Psychiatry and Behav- ioral Science, Seattle, Washington. 3University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey—New Jersey EARLY HISTORY Medical School Department of Psychiatry, UMDNJ—University Behavioral Health Care, Newark, New Jersey. 4Correspondence should be addressed to John E. Carr, Department Although some psychologists on the facul- of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Washington, ties of medical schools had begun to meet infor- 4225 Roosevelt Way, Nebraska, Seattle, Washington 98105. mally at American Psychological Association (APA) 235 1068-9583/05/0900-0235/0 C 2005 Springer Science +Business Media, Inc. 236 Silver, Carr, and Leventhal conventions in the nineteen forties, it was not un- as full voting members of the Medical Staff, but their til the early nineteen fifties that the interest in the report helped open the way for psychologists at other role of psychology in medical education became or- university and community hospitals to seek full staff ganized. In 1953, Ivan Mensh, as chair of a subcommit- privileges (Thompson & Matarazzo, 1984). tee of the APA Education and Training Committee, In 1979 Reuben Silver, of Albany Medical surveyed psychologists in medical schools, publish- College, invited all Heads of Psychology in medical ing his findings in the American Psychologist (Mensh, schools in the State of New York to a meeting to dis- 1953). Joseph Matarazzo, who succeeded Mensh as cuss the feasibility of developing a forum to share is- chair of that subcommittee, did a follow-up survey in sues of mutual concern. Eleven of the then New York 1955 (Matarazzo & Daniel, 1957). State 12 medical schools were represented at that ini- Mensh’s survey revealed that there were 255 psy- tial meeting, at which Silver was chosen President. chologists working in medical schools. This informa- The bylaws that were developed limited membership tion prompted Joseph Matarazzo, who later was to to the Director of Psychology at each medical school. become the first psychologist to chair a department However, it soon became apparent that psychologists of psychology in a medical school, Ivan Mensh, Head in medical schools were not organized into strong di- of Psychology within the Department of Psychiatry at visions. In fact, in many schools the director of psy- UCLA, and Robert Watson, Professor of Psychology chology at the affiliated hospital was completely in- at Northwestern University, to convene a meeting in dependent from psychology in the medical school. In Colorado of a group of medical school psychologists other words, there was no overarching entity called in 1953. Victor Raimy, of the University of Colorado, “psychology” in many of the medical schools. There- hosted the meeting. Enough signatures were gathered fore, the decision was made to expand membership to present a petition to APA Council for the estab- to include the designated head of psychology at each lishment of a Division of Medical Psychology. Un- medical school affiliated hospital in New York State. fortunately, Hobart Mowrer, APA President in 1954, who believed that there were too many Divisions, per- suaded the APA Council to declare a moratorium on THE BEGINNING the creation of Divisions. In 1957, another unsuccessful attempt was made to form an association of med- In March 1981, as President of the New York ical school psychologists. A summary of that meeting group, Silver surveyed all Chief Psychologists in med- was described by Knopf (1959). There was little en- ical colleges in the United States concerning their in- thusiasm for further discussion after that setback. terest in attending a meeting at the APA convention Nathaniel Wagner of the University of in September 1981 to discuss issues of mutual con- Washington School of Medicine, in collaboration cern. Although the previous attempts at organizing with K. Stegman, surveyed medical school psychol- psychologists in medical schools had failed, this one ogists (Wagner & Stegman, 1964) and followed with did not. Probably the Zeitgeist had a great deal to do another review a few years later (Wagner & Stegman, with the viability of the proposal for an organization. 1968). As a result of their findings showing increased Earlier, psychologists may have felt relatively secure numbers of psychologists in medical schools, Wagner in their medical school appointments and/or viewed called a meeting at APA with the hope of organizing them as intermediate steps to graduate department medical school psychologists. However, very few appointments. The new Zeitgeist suggested that psy- medical school psychologists attended, and those that chologists were beginning to identify with their set- did were not enthusiastic about another association. tings as medical school faculty and administrators. Apparently, at that time, not all psychologists in Psychologists were appointed Deans at the Univer- medical schools perceived their settings or their ac- sity of Colorado Medical School (John Conger) and at ceptance as uniquely different from arts and sciences Syracuse (Carlyle Jacobson). Some (e.g., Starke Hath- departments or other clinical settings. This perception away, at the University of Minnesota) had been ap- was challenged by a landmark survey by Matarazzo, pointed acting heads of psychiatry in the early 1940. Lubin, and Nathan (1978), which asked psychologists Interestingly, at the time of the 1981 APA meeting, in medical schools about their membership status on Sidney Orgel, at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, the Medical Staff of their university hospital. They and John Carr, University of Washington School of found that the medical staff bylaws of only six of the Medicine, were appointed acting chairs of psychiatry then 115 university hospitals included psychologists and were to serve in those positions for four years. History of AMSP 237 The early nineteen eighties were also a time establish a task force to work on the formation of a when psychologists in medical schools were beginning national organization. to feel attacked. For one thing, the Joint Commis- The initial meeting of the task force occurred sion on Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAH)—since in April 1982 in San Antonio, with Alvin Burstein, renamed, Joint Commission on the Accreditation of of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Health care Organizations (JCAHO)—had decided San Antonio, as the host. Just prior to the meeting, to exclude psychologists from membership on medi- the Division of Clinical Psychology, which Burstein cal staffs. In fact, most psychologists, being unaware headed at the UT Health Sciences Center, was elim- of this change in policy, assumed that they were mem- inated. It was generally assumed that the change had bers of their medical staffs, and were shocked to been prompted by the growing antagonism of psy- learn about the change. Psychologists felt increas- chiatry toward psychology. Thus, the formation of ingly threatened by the acts of some psychiatry de- a national organization of medical school psycholo- partments, e.g. limitations on the status and func- gists was undertaken at a time and place that seemed tioning of psychologists.

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