A campaign of relevance and Engagement
Everyday! Everyone! Everything!
We must always do the next, right thing. Leading on population health is that next right thing for APA. We need leadership who can lead at a responsive pace in these ambiguous and challenging times.
An “everyday APA”, is one were we can call upon our members to be engaged with APA every day and an APA that is relevant to every one of our members for everything that matters to them, our mission, and our public. This values-based leadership starts with our shared understanding of psychology and our expectations for a safer, healthier, and more equal society.
Learn more about Dr. Butter's "Rally for population health"
We can do better.
A Paradigm Shift for Psychology
A Paradigm Shift for Psychology
We can do better than this. The way we have been treating mental and behavioral health problems for more than 75 years has brought us to exactly where are today. We have inherited a system that ignores healthy people. We largely ignore those at-risk for mental health concerns and also ignore those with emerging and milder symptoms of psy
We can do better than this. The way we have been treating mental and behavioral health problems for more than 75 years has brought us to exactly where are today. We have inherited a system that ignores healthy people. We largely ignore those at-risk for mental health concerns and also ignore those with emerging and milder symptoms of psychological distress. Health is ignored.
Instead, our models of care focus on diagnosis and treatment of the “diagnosable” and provide custodial support of the most severely impacted. We attend to the sick.
Mental and behavior health services as we know them are necessary but not sufficient. for us to have impact in the ways we need.
Our approach brought us inequitable access, great racial disparities in outcomes, and rampant misinformation about healthcare.
A Paradigm Shift for Psychology
A Paradigm Shift for Psychology
A Paradigm Shift for Psychology
We must do something different. We need to call-in everyone - all psychologists - to join a common goal, join a community of action, and to work every day with a commitment to improve society. We must shift our work to a population health paradigm.
Everything we care about and everything we can impact matters.
Every psychologist can con
We must do something different. We need to call-in everyone - all psychologists - to join a common goal, join a community of action, and to work every day with a commitment to improve society. We must shift our work to a population health paradigm.
Everything we care about and everything we can impact matters.
Every psychologist can contribute to this movement. The majority of factors that influence overall health and mental health are rooted in behavioral and lifestyle habits and the social determinants influencing health well within our agency to influence.
A focus on population health is not Dr. Butter’s idea. This is the direction of the Association and has been nurtured by our strategic priorities.
Now is our moment to call psychology and psychologists to lead this movement.
Imagine A Whole New World
A Paradigm Shift for Psychology
Imagine A Whole New World
A population health approach shifts our attention upstream to integrate services in the places people live, work and play. We can work with healthy people and activate healthy behaviors. We can disseminate more broadly mental health literacy and focus on the health of our communities, not just our patients.
Our interventions can target
A population health approach shifts our attention upstream to integrate services in the places people live, work and play. We can work with healthy people and activate healthy behaviors. We can disseminate more broadly mental health literacy and focus on the health of our communities, not just our patients.
Our interventions can target schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, and physicians’ offices rather than working only with our patients in our offices. Health service psychologists working beyond the walls of their offices will be important. Independent practice still matters but more is needed.
We need new population-level science to do this. Our experts in application of psychological science to social change and organizational effectiveness will be needed and centered.
It will take all of us to build this movement.
Learn more about Dr. Butter and his Readiness to lead
Healthcare Leadership
Dr. Butter isa healthcare executive at one of the nation's largest and top 10 children's hospitals. He Chief of Psychology and Director of Behavioral Health at Nationwide Children's Hospital and is a Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Psychology at the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, OH. His impact is greatest in the areas of clinical program development, faculty and staff development, and supporting prevention and population health initiatives.
As a healthcare executive, he leads one of the nation's largest pediatric behavioral health services. His leadership team has built a comprehensive system of care across more than 64 of Ohio's 88 counties. With hospital-based services in Columbus and Toledo, integrated primary care across the state, and inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services across a continuum of care, his program is a national model of comprehensive pediatric behavioral healthcare. Their services reach more than a half-million children across Ohio.
Additionally, Dr. Butter has oversight of a national movement focused on destigmatizing children’s mental health problems which deploys free resources across the US (www.OnOurSleeves.org). as well dozens of other prevention and population health initiatives. He's led and supported equity, diversity, and inclusion programs at his institution.
APA Service and Experience
With more than 20 years of service to APA, his experiences have readied him to lead with authenticity, bravery, curiosity, and humility. He's led within his state association (Ohio), his home division (33) for 20 years, and at higher levels of APA governance serving two terms on Council of Representatives, first as a division representative and then as Chair of the Council Leadership Team (CLT) with a 3-year cycle.
Importantly, he led CLT during pivotal and difficult times.
While on Council, Dr. Butter led several of Council's caucuses either as Chair or a member of the executive board. He has been a champion for the Caucuses of Council contributing to policy development.
Dr. Butter has also served on the APA Board of Directors.
He has been a liaison to the Board of Professional Affairs (BPA), Board of Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) and several of its committees, the American Psychological Foundation (APF), and other work groups including the Board's "Future of Work" taskforce, the Council Liaison Oversight Committee, and more.
Over the past several years, he has helped APA to make tough decisions during a tough time. He worked with great leaders, both supporting them and challenging them. He is ready to lead.
Researcher, Educator, and Advocate
Dr. Butter is also a clinical researcher, clinical educator, and health equity advocate. He is a clinical community child and pediatric psychologist. His specialty is in neurodevelopmental disabilities.
He has been a clinician scientist with a twenty-year robust federally funded research program focused on autism and neurodiversity as well as other healthcare populations (e.g., ADHD, anxiety) and concerns (anti-science/pseudoscience interventions, payment models, cost-effectiveness treatment research). He has more than a hundred peer-reviewed scientific publications. He is currently focused on treatment development RCTs, implementation science and evidence-based treatment dissemination, and genetic biomarker research.
Dr. Butter leads in several research networks, currently chairing the Autism Care Network (ACNet) which is a learning health and clinical research network across the US and Canada focused on improving care for neurodiverse and autistic persons. Dr. Butter is also the chief academic officer for a professional psychology training program teaching more than 50 psychologists-in-training annually.
Dr. Butter works closely with his government relations team to best support advocacy efforts at the state and federal level. Noting many tricky and delicate situations, he recognizes and has supported the prominent role that APA has had in both practice and scientific advocacy efforts. He is proud to be engaged with APA's Advocacy Office whenever they call upon him for input and service.
Check out Dr. Butter in the "Candidate's Forum"!
Dr. Butter discussing top issues impacting psychology with other candidates. Watch and decide for yourself that "Butter does make everything better!".