With this issue of The Forward, we reflect on our summer conference, celebrate our GSC essay contest winners, and look ahead to the work of our society and profession. Outgoing SPSSI President Heather Bullock reflects on SPSSI’s collective strength and historical legacy as we approach our 90th anniversary as an organization. Incoming President Kimberly Barsamian Kahn accepts the baton and forecasts the path ahead for us as proactive scientists and advocates. Our Director of Policy and Communications Sam Abbott is also looking forward with a call for SPSSI and its members to contribute to a new policy project aimed at addressing economic inequality. Across these leadership voices, the message is clear: we need to lean into the power of community, advocacy, and evidence-based action as an answer to the political turmoil we face today. 

We also present updates from SPSSI’s Contemporary Social Issues Book Series Editor Brian D. Christens. Brian shares information about upcoming and recently published books from the series, including The Psychology of Misinformation (Jon Roozenbeek & Sander van der Linden) and Young Black Changemakers and the Road to Racial Justice (Laura Wray-Lake, Elan Hope, & Laura Abrams). Harold Takooshian reports on the vibrant activities of SPSSI–New York during summer 2025, including forums and walking tours that engaged members with topics ranging from mythology in psychotherapy to urban landmarks like the Javits Center and the United Nations. 

This issue features winning essays from SPSSI’s Graduate Student Council essay contest on “Bodily Autonomy in Public Policy.” Congratulations to Jessica Thurman, Abbey Michelle Gali, Michelle Young, Sophia Orsinelli, Selma Mackay, and Nazli Yagmur Erdogmus for their powerful contributions. 

Select SPSSI members from the Summer 2025 conference share work presented under the theme “Research as Seed, Teaching as Root, Action as Bloom: Foundations for a Just Future.” Melissa A. Marcotte (“Engaging and Empowering First-Generation Students in Research”) highlights how mentoring student-led projects empowers underrepresented students and challenges deficit narratives. Leanna J. Papp and Jes L. Matsick (“Feminist Spaces Facilitate Research Collaboration on Reproductive Justice”) examine how the 2024 election shaped activism and attitudes around reproductive justice and gendered healthcare. Kathleen Bogart and Katie Wang describe the work of the “Disability Advocacy and Research Network (DARN) at SPSSI,” focusing on disability’s intersection with race and other marginalized identities. C. McGhee (“The Trans Humor Interview Project”) explores humor as a form of care and resistance among trans and gender diverse individuals. Jenessa Canen and Bridget Klest (“Exploration of the Social Safety Model”) present an alternative framework to the minority stress model for understanding LGBTQ+ mental health. Adam Beam, Andrea Negrete, Audrey Wittrup, Gloria Kang, and Alan Meca (“Understanding Ethnic-Racial Identity Development Through Ethnic-Racial Socialization Experiences of Immigrant-Origin Youth”) discuss their mixed-methods study on youth socialization and discrimination, emphasizing the complex relationship between environment and identity formation. 

SPSSI continues to inspire and empower me to pursue meaningful work as we walk through the coming years together. I look forward to walking with you.