Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Psychology and Health Equity.

Abstract

There is overwhelming evidence of serious problems with access to health care services, quality of care, and unequal health outcomes among minoritized groups including Black, Indigenous, and other populations of people of color across numerous health outcomes. At the core of health inequities are structural factors that include systemic racism as well as a range of other characteristics associated with limited political, social, and economic power. The APA Presidential Task Force on Psychology and Health Equity was appointed to recommend a course of action for APA in contributing to the solution of health inequities. The Task Force developed the Resolution on Advancing Health Equity in Psychology (https://www.apa.org/about/policy/advancing-health-equity-psychology), adopted as APA policy in October 2021. The current report provides additional discussion of the limitations of current structures of psychology training, science, and professional practice in addressing health inequities. Recommendations are offered for specific actions in the following areas: (a) Education and Training, including recruitment, admissions, and retention along the pathway and curricula transformation throughout the training sequence; (b) Research and Publications, including advocacy for health equity in research funding, mitigating bias in reporting, and improving representation and inclusive excellence; and (c) Professional Practice, including developing competent professional practice models and guidelines and promoting viable service reimbursement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).