SSSP Mental Health Division Newsletter, Volume 8: Issue 1 Contact: Stephanie Hartwell, PhD, Section Chair Professor of Sociology UMass Boston 100 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125-3393 Phone 617-287-6271 fax 617-287-6288 Stephanie.hartwell@umb.edu Meetings 2012, August 16-18, Denver Colorado, Art of Activism The former division chair, Teresa Scheid, reported that the mental health sessions of the 2011 meetings were very well attended. Our hope is we continue to offer interesting and important sessions related to social justice and mental health. The sessions for the 2012 meetings include: a. Thematic Session - Reconciling Advocacy and Research - Papers on Mental Health in the Round (4 papers/ 1 discussant) – Mental health services research is often applied to real world settings.  This thematic session highlights the balance that mental health researchers must achieve through rigorous methods and data presentation while advocating for mental health services.   b. Emerging Institutional Contexts for Mental Health Care (4 papers/ 1 discussant or 5 papers) – Mental health care is currently provided across an array of settings and institutions.  This session focuses on research and evaluations on mental health services and programs in emerging non-traditional and specialty settings including corrections, residential treatment, primary care, educational, and community settings. c. Thematic Session - Diagnosis and Labeling: A Contested Process (4 papers/ 1 discussant or 5 papers) – With the new DSM-V forthcoming, the question of labeling emerges as an important theoretical conundrum with practical implications with the potential to increase or decrease resources and life chances.  This session will highlight issues in diagnosis and labeling. SSSP Funds and Travel Awards The Lee Scholar Support Fund Committee announces funds available for Foreign Scholars to participate in the 2012 Annual Meeting, August 16-18, Denver, CO. The Society for the Study Social Problems established the Lee Scholar Support Fund to help bring foreign scholars to the Annual Meeting. The specific purpose is to facilitate scholarly participation by persons engaged in research related to labor, gender, race-ethnicity, less advantaged countries, and other struggles. More generally, the purpose of this fund is to foster cooperative relations among persons and organizations engaged in applying sociological findings to confront social problems and create social change. Consistent with past practice, preference will be given to applicants from economically disadvantaged countries who without these funds could not attend the Annual Meeting. The Lee Student Support Fund Committee announces funds available for Undergraduate and Graduate Students to participate in the 2012 Annual Meeting, August 16-18, Denver, CO. In recognition of Al Lee’s commitment to social justice and his history of critical contributions to the Society for the Study of Social Problems, SSSP established the Lee Student Support Fund. The fund provides up to $500 in travel support (transportation costs only) for undergraduate and graduate student conference participants. Awards are allocated by the committee. In addition to need, the committee may recognize among other factors, the Society’s commitment to diversity, as well as consider the applicant’s commitment to scholar-activism, and interdisciplinary work. Only complete online applications will be reviewed, and there is only one award per applicant. An online application should be submitted no later than March 15, 2012An online application must be submitted no later than March 15, 2012 The Erwin O. Smigel Award Committee announces funds available for Unemployed and Underemployed Sociologists to participate in the 2012 Annual Meeting, August 16-18, Denver, CO. The Erwin O. Smigel Award was established in 1975 to provide assistance to unemployed and underemployed sociologists. Applicants should be sociologists with an advanced degree who are not full-time students and who are not fully employed. Erwin O. Smigel was a professor and Chair of Sociology at New York University, and the author of The Wall Street Lawyer as well as other works. He was the second editor of Social Problems. Greenley Award The Mental Health Division invites nominations for the 2012 James R. Greenley Award for distinguished contributions to the sociology of mental health. With this award, the Division seeks to recognize individuals who have distinguished careers and made a significant impact on the field through their scholarship, teaching, and community involvement. Previous award winners include Jerome Myers, Bruce Link, Thomas Scheff, Walter Gove, R. Jay Turner, Bruce Dohrenwend, Bill Avison, Virginia Hiday, and Eric Wright. Nominations, including a letter of nomination and a copy of the nominees CV, should be sent to Stephanie.hartwell@umb.edu. The winner of the 2012 award will be notified in June and awarded at the meetings in Denver, CO. Student Paper Award 2012 Graduate Student Paper Competition. Papers should involve an empirical analysis, either qualitative or quantitative, dealing with any aspect of the sociology of mental health. To be eligible, a paper must have been written during 2011 or 2012, and it may not be published or accepted for publication. Papers that have been presented at a professional meeting, submitted for presentation at a professional conference, or are under review for publication are eligible. Papers must be student-authored. They may be single authored by the student or co-authored by more than one student, but may not be co-authored by a faculty member or other nonstudent. Paper must not exceed 28 pages including all notes, references, and tables. To submit your paper for consideration, send two online copies to: Richard.carpiano@ubc.ca. Please include (1) a cover letter indicating that you are submitting your paper for the competition; and (2) a letter from your advisor that certifies your status and offers some brief comments about your work. SSSP banquet where the award will be presented, conference registration and student membership. Job Opportunities: http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/320/Job_Opportunities/ The Department of Mental Health of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health is searching for individuals for two tenure-track positions at the level of Assistant or Associate Professor. The Department consists of 18 full-time faculty from diverse disciplines and about 75 research fellows and students. Our mission is to advance understanding of the occurrence, causes, and consequences of alcohol, drug, and mental disorders, in order to improve health in the general population, and to prevent and control these disorders and their consequences for functioning, disability, and health. Department faculty conduct a range of research in a multi-disciplinary environment, collaborating with other departments in the Bloomberg School, with the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the School of Medicine, and with a number of local, state, and international agencies. Global Mental Health The Department seeks an individual with experience and dedication to the field of global mental health, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries. Areas of interest include child mental health, services and systems research, substance abuse and addictions, the interplay between mental and physical health, and methodological approaches to working in cross-cultural and challenging contexts.The recruit will have the potential to collaborate with researchers in the School of Public Health, including faculty in the Applied Mental Health Research Group (http://www.jhsph.edu/refugee/response_service/AMHR/). Applicants should have an M.D. degree or a doctoral degree in epidemiology, psychology, sociology, social work, or a related discipline. Substance Abuse Research The Department seeks an individual with experience and dedication to the public health approach to addictions and substance use disorders. The recruit will have the potential to collaborate with a range of researchers in the School of Public Health and the School of Medicine. Preference will be given to candidates with substance abuse services research, epidemiology, and/or prevention expertise. An international orientation or experience is also an advantage. Applicants should have the M.D. degree or a Doctoral degree in public health psychology, sociology, social work, or a related discipline. Faculty are expected to teach and to develop externally-funded research. Successful candidates will have a strong publication record or an exceptional potential to publish. Application reviews begin in the fall of 2011 and will continue until the position is filled. Interested candidates should send a letter describing research and teaching interests, names and addresses of potential references, and a Curriculum Vita, to: William W. Eaton, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Suite 850, Baltimore, MD 21205, weaton@jhsph.edu The Department of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts Boston invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor with primary interests in health and/or mental health, starting September 1, 2012. The appointment requires completion of the doctoral degree in Sociology by no later than 8/31/12. The University of Massachusetts Boston is a research-high institution and offers faculty the opportunity to teach and conduct research in a diverse urban setting. The successful candidate will be expected to develop an externally funded program of research, teach courses at the undergraduate level and in the Department’s M.A. Program in Applied Sociology, and contribute to a PhD program that is anticipated to begin in 2014. Additional information about the Department can be obtained at www.umb.edu/academics/cla/dept/sociology. Review of applications will begin on October 15, 2011 and continue until the position is filled.  Please send cover letter, curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, research and teaching statements, teaching evaluation data, and samples of publications and other writing to: Chairperson, Health and Society Search Committee, Department of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125. UMass Boston is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Title IX employer. SSSP Mentoring Program The Meeting Mentor Program is designed to facilitate interaction between new members or graduate students and meeting veterans at the Annual Meeting. The next Annual Meeting is scheduled for August 16-18, 2012 in Denver, CO at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. It is recommended that pairs communicate prior to or early in the Meeting, so mentees can get the most out of this program. If you are interested in serving as a mentor or being matched with a mentor, please complete the online application. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer K. Wesely at  jwesely@unf.edu . The application deadline is June 30, 2012. New Journal: Society and Mental Health Society and Mental Health publishes original articles that apply sociological concepts and methods to the understanding of the social origins of mental health and illness, the social consequences for persons with mental illness, and the organization and financing of mental health services and care. Its editorial policy favors manuscripts that advance the sociology of mental health and illness, stimulate further research, inform treatments and policy and reflect the diversity of interests of its readership. Manuscripts must be submitted electronically at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/smh Editor William R. Avison, The University of Western Ontario Deputy Editors Carol S. Aneshensel, UCLA, Carol A. Boyer, Rutgers University, Scott Schieman, University of Toronto Web site:http://sociology.uwo.ca/SMHJournal/index.html Member Notes: The section would like to thank former chair Teresa Scheid for all her efforts and spirit. Individuals can send appreciation notes to: tlscheid@uncc.edu. We also congratulate Matthew Silberman recently retired from Bucknell University and is spending his time travelling and being productive. His most recent article: "Sexual Abuse in Childhood and the Mentally Disordered Female Offender;" Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol October 2010 vol. 54 no.5 783-802. Matt can be reached at: silbermn@bucknell.edu. Society for the Study of Social Problems 62nd Annual Meeting August 16-18, 2012 The Grand Hyatt Denver Hotel Denver, CO  Mental Health division will propose change in division title at the Annual Business Meeting so be there for the vote!!!