RMPA 2027 Invited Speakers

Invited Diversity Speaker

Lisa M. Diamond is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at the University of Utah, and past-president of the International Academy for Sex Research.  She received her Ph.D. in Human Development from Cornell University in 1999, and has spent nearly 3 decades studying the development and expression of gender and sexuality across the life course.  Her current work focuses on social safety (unconditional social connection, protection, and belonging) as a primary driver of health and well-being among LGBTQ+ individuals and their loved ones. Dr. Diamond is best known for her pioneering research on sexual fluidity, which describes the capacity for individuals to experience unexpected shifts in sexual identity and expression over time.  Her 2008 book, Sexual Fluidity, published by Harvard University Press, has been awarded the Distinguished Book Award from the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Study of LGBTQ Issues. Dr. Diamond is also co-editor of the first-ever APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology, published in 2014, and is a fellow of two divisions of the APA.  She has published over 150 articles and book chapters, and has been invited to present her research at over 200 national and international Universities and conferences. Her 2019 Ted Talk has been viewed over 700,000 times.  Dr. Diamond has received awards for her work from the Developmental Psychology and LGBT Psychology Divisions of the APA, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the International Association for Relationship Research, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.  Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the W.T. Grant Foundation, the Templeton Foundation, the American Psychological Foundation, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, and the Huntsman Mental Health Institute. 

For more information about Dr. Diamond, go to her website.

Talk Title and Abstract:

In Harm’s Way: How the Events of 2025 Have Affected LGBTQ+ Health

Immediately after taking office in 2025, the current administration established an unprecedented number of policies hostile to LGBTQ+ populations: restricting the rights and social legitimacy of transgender individuals, curtailing youth access to gender-affirming medical care, terminating federal research and data collection on sexual and gender diversity, and restricting open discussion of sexual and gender diversity in educational settings. These events pose a greater threat to LGBTQ+ health than previous state-level hostile policies, because of their scope, speed, and scale, and because they serve to institutionalize animus toward transgender people into federal law. We present brand new data on the health consequences of these historic events.  In November of 2025 we launched the OUT Community Survey, an unfunded national study assessing how the lives and health of LGBTQ+ individuals and families have changed since Inauguration Day.  In the presentation, I’ll review striking findings on post-election changes in structural circumstances, stressful life events, mental and physical health, and minority stress exposure.  These findings show that the election was a “before and after” moment for the LGBTQ+ community, the effects of which may reverberate for decades.  Yet the findings also reveal a bright spot: Across all domains, the most effective buffer against post-election effects was safe and supportive social ties.   I conclude the presentation with a call to action for immediately amplifying opportunities for nurturant social connection among LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities, during this precarious historical moment.

Gardner Memorial Lecture

Jake is a primatologist keenly interested in a broad range of species, with experience innovating methods to study behavior in sanctuary, zoo, and wild settings. His academic background in biological anthropology and comparative psychology have resulted in research on great ape social behavior, cognition, culture, welfare, conservation, and the exciting intersections of these topics. Jake is also committed to providing inclusive educational opportunities to those from underrepresented backgrounds in the sciences.

Early in his career at Central Washington University, Jake spent time in Panama rehabilitating confiscated pet monkeys and later conducted research at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in Washington state. In graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis, Jake’s research involved developing new approaches to study and compare wild chimpanzees (at the Congo-Apes Project, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo) with groups living in zoo and sanctuary settings (at the Saint Louis Zoo and Save the Chimps sanctuary). He has studied the fission-fusion social dynamics of chimpanzees and intergroup relationships of wild western lowland gorillas and been involved in several projects related to the social roles, social learning, and social cognition of apes. As a postdoctoral scientist at the University of Zurich, Jake coordinated the detailed video analysis for a large collaborative project focused on the developmental origins of culture in humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas.

Jake is an active collaborator with the Congo-Apes Project. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the Council of Professionals for the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance.

For more information about Dr. Funkhouser, to go to his website.

Talk Title and Abstract:

Forms and Functions of Social Roles, Integration, and Belonging Across Great Ape Societies

Social roles are ubiquitous in human societies, allowing individuals with different skills, relationships, and responsibilities to collectively construct their social worlds. Yet the evolutionary origins of social roles, and their influence on social integration and belonging, remain poorly understood. In this talk, I draw on research with wild and captive chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas to examine the diverse forms and functions of social roles across great ape societies. Longitudinal behavioral observations and social network analyses reveal how individual choices, context-specific relationships, and flexible patterns of association shape both individual social niches and broader community structure. These studies illustrate how particular individuals can promote social cohesion, intervene in conflicts, and contribute to community stability. Evidence that chimpanzees anticipate the actions of skilled social partners and form joint commitments during social activities further suggests that apes recognize and respond to the roles of others. Together, this work advances our understanding of the evolutionary history of social roles as well as how roles and social integration may contribute to individual wellbeing. I conclude by considering how ongoing longitudinal behavioral monitoring and touchscreen research at Lincoln Park Zoo can deepen our understanding of the cognitive and social processes underlying roles and belonging across great ape societies.

Portenier-Wertheimer Teaching Conference Keynote Speaker

Sue Frantz taught psychology for 33 years at community colleges in the Midwest, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest. She is a past president of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and currently serves as its executive director. Frantz is a recipient of the Charles L. Brewer Award, APA’s highest teaching honor, and in 2026 she joined the list of 53 other Distinguished Members of Psi Chi. She is a co-author of textbooks on introductory psychology, social psychology, and the pedagogy of psychology. She is affiliate faculty at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, where she lives with her wife and two dachshunds. See more about her work at suefrantz.com.

Talk Title and Abstract:

Intro Psych Matters: The Next Edition of What Our Neighbors Need to Know

In a previous presentation, I provided examples of content that could be removed from and added to the Intro Psych course, using what our neighbors need to know as a guide. In this update to that presentation, I will discuss why so many Intro Psych textbooks have become encyclopedic and how to counter that trend. Several new examples of what we should consider excluding from and including in the course will be provided.

More to Come!

We have some great speakers lined up, and we are currently getting information from them about their talk titles and abstracts. Check back here for the full list!