Message from President

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to take up the ICDSS baton from my colleague, Frosso Motti-Stefanidi, nominated by Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). I have had the great fortune of working with many of you, as ICDSS President-Elect, nominated by the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA). For brief introduction, I am past President of the SRA and currently serving as Governing Council Member of the SRCD. I am so fortunate to have an incredible team working with me to facilitate ICDSS’s mission for my term, as President, 2022-2024, the esteemed Executive Council:
• Frosso Motti-Stefanidi, Past President
• Josafa Cunha, Secretary, nominated by ISSBD
• Susan Branje, as Treasurer, nominated by EARA

Accomplishments thus far:

ISSBD/ICDSS 2022 Conference
Our first meeting of the ICDSS took place June 19-23, 2022, on the Island of Rhodes in Greece. Under Frosso’s leadership, ICDSS had several invited events

• SRCD/ICDSS Joint Symposium: Nancy Hill, Preparing for the Transition to Adulthood
• ISSBD/ICDSS Joint Event: Ann V. Sanson: Implications of Climate Crisis for Human Development and for Developmental Scholars
• SRA/ISSBD/ICDSS Joint Symposium: Velma McBride Murry: School, Social Spaces for Youth Risk and Opportunities for Positive Development
• ISSBD/ICDSS Special Event: J. Goviana Dell’Oro, Learning to Hope Schools, Refugee Teens and the Future of Integration
• ISSBD/ICDSS Roundtable Discussion: Sander Thomaes, Climate Change and Youth Development

Operational Management
• Secured Podium Conference & Association Specialist as Management Company (Marischal De Armond, President)
a. Registration of the Consortium, Bank account & Control of Budget and Finance
b. Bylaws (to be reviewed during Fall 2022 meeting)

What’s Next?
• Schedule a Fall 2022 Meeting
• Create Nomination Slate for President-Elect (2022-2024)
• Finalize and approve Bylaws
• Finalize Societies’ Membership (for those selecting new representatives)
• Review Societies Member Fee Structure
• Website development and support
• Leverage ICDSS to Facilitate Global Initiatives in Developmental Science Research, Mentoring, and Dissemination Change in

What I hope we can accomplish during my term as President of ICDSS

Create Visibility and Deliverables
Develop strategies and approaches to operationalize the mission of ICDSS, which is to combine the efforts of the 12 societies to:

  1. facilitate collaborative multinational developmental research, across the lifespan and across the globe, in the emerging model of “Big Science”.
  2. represent Developmental Science in collectively informing international public policy.
  3. share lessons learned and other good practices on the management of developmental science societies.
  4. expand collaborative training and research opportunities for young scholars.
  5. address global issues in research (ethics committees, such as IRBs, measurement across cultures, open science).
  6. continue the foundational mission of ICDSS, “to understand the contexts, processes, and outcomes of development across the life span with the goal of optimizing human potential”.

Presenting Ideas to Operationalize Our Mission:

  1. Elevate ICDSS to be the premiere “go to” international developmental science, representing the voices of each of the societies, to establish an agenda for big science initiatives in the study of human development across the life course
  2. Advance and integrate our collective thoughts of ways to translate and disseminate developmental science through global outreach of activities emerging in and through our societies, giving specific attention to creating opportunities to facilitate, participate, and present, as ICDSS representatives, in our societies’ conferences, special meetings, and through partnered publication, and manuscript development, grant applications, and other scholarly outcomes
  3. Invest in the next generation of young scholars by leveraging opportunities to co-sponsor a global young scholars mentorship training program.

Sincerely,

Velma McBride Murry, PhD
Lois Autrey Betts Endowed Chair
Associate Provost, Office of Research & Innovation
University Distinguished Professor
Departments of Health Policy & Human and Organizational Development
Past President, Society for Research on Adolescence

Key objectives of ICDSS:

The mission of ICDSS is to combine the efforts of the developmental science society member organizations in order to:

  1. facilitate collaborative multinational developmental research, across the lifespan and across the globe, in the emerging model of “Big Science”.
  2. represent Developmental Science in collectively informing international public policy.
  3. share lessons learned and other good practices on the management of developmental science societies.
  4. expand collaborative training and research opportunities for young scholars.
  5. address global methodological issues in research (ethics committees, such as IRBs, measurement across cultures).