POSITION SUMMARY

The Director leads the Health Equity area within the Division of Diversity and Health Equity (DDHE) and serves as a content expert of health equity across the organization with our members and APA administration. This leader strives to build health equity as a core competency through collaboration with other APA departments, the development of health equity related programs, and the creation of member-facing materials which promote health equity as a component of improving mental health outcomes.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serves as the health equity expert for the APA administration and works to meet requirements of current projects with health equity-related strategies or goals.
• Reviews current literature and serves as a resource to APA staff on updated research or emerging issues which advance health equity.
• Works with Education and Membership to build health equity related trainings and other educational resources to promote integration of health equity principles within member facing products.
• Works with Government Relations and Policy, Programs and Partnerships to advise on legislative and regulatory changes which reduce health inequities and improve mental health outcomes at the federal and state levels.
• Generates and provide health equity-related stories to surface equity-related news with Communications, Psychiatry.org website, and Psychiatric News.
• Works with Marketing and Communications to fulfil internal requirements regarding website maintenance, media placements, newsletters, social media, and development of new materials.
• Contributes to and prepares presentations, issues briefs, position statements and other written materials pertinent to health equity.
• Provides subject matter content on health equity to internal committees, workgroups or groups where representation is needed.
• Supports equity-informed data and evaluation of current APA projects.
• Serves as national health equity leader and implementer of implicit bias program(s).
• Facilitates live and virtual health equity and implicit bias trainings with members, professional audiences, and staff.
• Supports the overall growth goals of the organization by providing content expertise needed for funding proposals and helping to write proposals as needed.
• Seeks and helps to secure funding for health equity, learning, and professional development initiatives.
• Participates in professional education conferences/meetings to support and maintain professional content and leverage opportunities for enhanced leadership and growth within the health equity field.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Ph.D. or M.A. degree required with at least 8-10 years of health equity experience in the field.
• Publications including peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and resources focusing on health equity across diverse population groups.
• Experience developing educational resources on health equity.
• Strong background working with minority and underserved populations and mental health/health equity issues related to diverse communities that experience disparities.
• Ability to effectively interact with professionals, people and families living with mental illness, and advocates.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to make effective presentations.
• Strong administrative and organizational skills with the ability to provide leadership, direction and supervision of programs, and to staff.