SIGs

Are you looking for a way to connect with other INS members who share an interest in a specialized area of neuropsychology? Do you look forward to discussing professional issues, recent research, or the future of our field with others? Then hold on to your hat, because we have news for you!

The call for INS Special Interest Groups (SIGs) is finally here! Click here to review the call for applications. The fillable-PDF form for creating a new SIG is available here. Because initial space is limited, the Scientific Committee will be reviewing each application using the rating form available here. Additional questions can be emailed to INSScientificCommittee@gmail.com.

INS special interest groups (SIGs) provide a forum for INS members with common interests to come together during INS meetings, for the purpose of sharing recent research, discussing professional issues, and interacting informally. SIG members also engage in various activities between meetings (e.g., list serves, newsletters). Currently, there are five SIGs: Brain Injury, Cultural, Epilepsy, Oncology, and Social Cognition, Emotion & Communication. Included below are descriptions of each SIG and who to contact if interested! All INS members, including student and trainee members, are welcome to join a SIG. We look forward to hearing from you and meeting you in Denver 2020 or on our FB page INS Special Interest Groups!
If you would like to join an existing SIG, keep reading…

The Brain Injury (BI) SIG focuses on neurological insults across the lifespan. The BI SIG allows individuals interested in brain injury to share unique research methods and clinical practices. For this SIG, brain injury is defined broadly to include both traumatic and acquired forms of brain injury (e.g., stroke, anoxic injury) in both children and adults to allow a large number of clinicians and researchers, with an interest in brain injury, to connect and collaborate. Our ultimate goal is to increase collaboration among members involved in brain injury clinical services and research, and to increase the profile of brain injury at INS meetings. In the future, we hope to create subgroups (e.g., concussion, moderate-severe TBI, pediatric brain injury, stroke, etc.) within the larger SIG to better accommodate subspecialties. Our membership is diverse as it includes members from around the world with different backgrounds, career levels, ethnicities, and those with/without disabilities. If you are interested in joining us, please email chair Lena Dobson, Ph.D., (Dobson@scandicneuro.com).

The Cultural SIG has a primary purpose of elevating the quality of, and accelerating progress in, research on cultural neuropsychology. We have approximately 40 active members to date, which consists of an international and interdisciplinary network of scientists and trainees whose scientific interest is the role of sociocultural factors (e.g., race, ethnicity, language, acculturation, literacy, socioeconomic status, and educational experience) on cognitive functions across the lifespan. There are currently six workgroups that are addressing the following topics: (1) Identifying high priority research areas in cultural neuropsychology, (2) Developing international guidelines for test construction and adaptation, (3) Developing guidelines in collaboration with journal editors and editorial review boards to ensure issues of inclusion and diversity for manuscripts and funding, (4) Identifying mechanisms and funding opportunities for cultural neuropsychology research, (5) Creating a glossary of cultural terminology that can be used as a resource at the domestic and international level, (6) Developing novel continuing education topics for INS programming. Please contact co-chairs April Thames, Ph.D., (thames@usc.edu) and Aparna Dutt, Ph.D., (aparnadutt6@gmail.com) if interested in joining.

The Dementia SIG was founded to promote scholarly conversations around research, practice, and education as it pertains to the dementias. Issues of interest include, but are not limited to, etiology, clinical presentation and diagnosis, biomarkers, prognosis, incidence, prevalence, prevention, treatment, public policy, and care. The Dementia SIG, while being primarily research-oriented, will also foster perspectives that focus on patient care, policy, and training. For more information, please contact co-chairs Ozioma Okonkwo Ph.D., Adam Brickman, Ph.D., and Yen Ying Lim, Ph.D., at dementiasig@the-ins.org

The Epilepsy SIG is focused on the science and practice of epilepsy. This, of course, has implications for advocacy and policy, but the primary focus is to foster clinical and research collaborations. Please contact chair Cady Block, Ph.D., (cady.block@emory.edu) for more information.

NeuroCOVID-19 SIG

An increasing number of reports indicate that COVID-19 may be associated with neurocognitive symptoms, suggesting that rigorously conducted studies in COVID-19 patients are needed. The global aspect of the pandemic requires a global response in terms of cross-cultural validity of testing protocols with equal access to neurological care in mind. Of course, the socio-economic and health consequences of the infection require primary consideration, so that any neuroCOVID-19 investigations are perceived as an added necessity rather than an added burden in already maximally stretched healthcare systems.

The NeuroCOVID-19 SIG aims to create a platform for sharing and constructively reviewing testing protocols/methods. It is hoped that this process will lead to a publication with recommendations for the recently recovered phase (internet-based cognitive/smell screening tool) and the long-term recovered phase (comprehensive cognitive/smell testing with online and face-to-face testing) in patients with symptomatic disease and ideally control samples of patients with asymptomatic disease. The SIG also aims to develop a set of recommended questionnaires assessing demographics, pre-morbid abilities, medical, psychological health, social support, and stigma. We expect that a standard approach to NeuroCOVID-19 will assist in determining accurate prevalence, incidence and severity of the potential disease whether as a direct or indirect effect of COVID-19.

Further, studies in which SIG members are involved are being initiated in several countries. These studies will provide an opportunity to determine and share best ethics and research practice. We expect that the neuroCOVID-19 SIG will represent a network of exchange for neuropsychologists worldwide and a major platform for reaching other disciplines. This SIG will use a collaborative approach led by neuropsychologists who have experience with infectious disease-related brain damage (e.g., HIV, HCV, malaria, Tuberculosis). Efforts will be made to connect with other relevant INS SIG (i.e., Cross-cultural; Clinical Research Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Social media, Student liaison committee, Global engagement). New members are welcome. Please email co-chairs Lucette Cysique, Ph.D.  (lcysique@unsw.edu.au) and Emilia Łojek, Ph.D. (emilia@psych.uw.edu.pl).

The Oncology SIG focuses on the integration of neuropsychology and cancer, and has goals in multiple domains. The research mission of the Oncology SIG is to advance our understanding of the impact of cancer and cancer treatment on cognitive and behavioral functioning. We are working with multiple groups involved in cognitive care for cancer patients, such as the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) and the International Cancer and Cognition Task Force (ICCTF) to enhance awareness of neuropsychological research in patients with cancer. In the clinical and program development domains, our goal is to foster the integration of neuropsychology into the clinical care of patients with brain tumors and other cancers. We are also working to increase educational opportunities for neuropsychologists in the domain of cognition and cancer. We welcome INS members at any level of training to participate in our meetings and on our listserve. Please contact chair Michael W. Parsons Ph.D., (Mwparsons@mgh.harvard.edu) for more information.

The Social Cognition, Emotion and Communication (SEC) SIG is set up to engage like-minds from every discipline who are interested in how the brain processes social cognition, emotion and communication. We want to join forces to better understood theoretical mechanisms, to develop clinical assessments and to research new interventions for people with brain disorders. These matters are deeply social and so culturally constrained. We therefore need cross-cultural dialogue and cooperation to make real progress. The SIG has a google group called INS-SIG-SEC. Everyone interested in these broad goals are warmly invited to join us. Please contact chair Skye McDonald, Ph.D., (s.mcdonald@unsw.edu.au).

Sports Neuropsychology SIG is setup to connect with colleagues around the mutual goals of INS and the Sports Neuropsychology Society to increase international outreach in clinical practice and research to promote the welfare of athletes. Please contact chair Donna Broshek, Ph.D., ABPP-CN (broshek@virginia.edu) for more information.

We hope to grow our SIG community to include as many specialties as possible.

Sincere regards,
Lena


Lena Dobson, Ph.D.
SIG Liaison
International Neuropsychological Society