A Message from Cheryl Rathert, HCM Division Chair
Spring Greetings!
Preparation for the Annual Meeting, August 9-13 in Chicago, is in full swing, with many HCM division volunteers planning sessions, activities, and socials. Stay tuned for exciting news on that front! Also stayed tuned for announcements about upcoming elections and calls for award nominations.
The HCM Executive Committee recently held its mid-year meeting, in which it focused on the division’s strategic plan. The current plan was developed in 2022, so committee members evaluated where we are currently and what can and should be achieved by August to stay on track with the goals. Some key areas of progress are:
• The Practice Committee has been revived, with Tracy Porter and Jennifer Gutberg as committee co-chairs. Last year they initiated a “practice incubator” which informed development of several PDWs for this year. The Practice Incubator will be conducted again this year.
• There was lengthy discussion about the challenges of translating research into practice, and for sharing research conducted by HCM members with practitioners and policy makers. Ideas were discussed for webinars, with one potentially in fall, 2024. Many thanks to Practitioners-at-Large Beth Brooks and Gina Thoebes for sharing their views and ideas on this important challenge!
• The Student Representatives, Robin Peeters and P.J. Noghrechi, have been very active in engaging students in leadership roles and developing new ways to engage students at the conference. More to come!
• Academics-at-Large Yuna Lee and Daan Westra have been working to make the HCM Mentoring Program sustainable. They have reviewed participant feedback and plan to enhance the mentoring experience with potential in-person opportunities at the conference.
• HCM’s new International Representative-at-Large, Abi Sriharan, will be leading discussion groups with members in the coming weeks in order to develop plans for increasing inclusivity among HCM members who are located outside the U.S. Abi is seeking input from as many members as possible, so if you want to be involved, please contact Abi at: abisri@yorku.ca.
• There are numerous ideas under development to engage and welcome first-time conference attendees in Chicago.
These are just a few of the activities that have been taking place since last August by HCM’s wonderful volunteer leaders and committees! We are grateful for their efforts.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Rathert
Chair, HCM Division