SHOP
LOGIN
Committees
ACER

Living Our Values (LOV) Committee

Mission Statement

The Living Our Values Committee (LOV) has three primary aims: (1) to expand RSA membership and create a welcoming environment where every member is valued and supported; (2) to strengthen the scientific program by encouraging research that reflects the full spectrum of human populations and experiences; (3) to champion professional development and opportunity for members across the full range of backgrounds and identities, including sex, age, ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socioeconomic status, and physical or cognitive ability.

Click to learn more:

Aim 1: To expand RSA membership and foster a welcoming and respectful environment where all members can thrive

  • The LOV Assessment Core will conduct ongoing evaluations of characteristics of Annual Meeting attendees and presenters, as well as needs assessments and feedback on our RSA offerings to ensure we are prioritizing members' voices and experiences in identifying opportunities for growth
  • The LOV 3R Core will continue to promote representation across a range of backgrounds in RSA leadership positions and governance
  • The LOV 3R Core will work to identify and recruit promising researchers with varied life experiences and perspectives to join the Society.
  • The LOV Community core will coordinate RSA activities and initiatives that sustain and grow a respectful, affirming, and supportive community
  • Strengthen the organization's commitment to engaging and supporting members at all career stages and from all backgrounds

Aim 2: To advance the breadth and excellence of research presented at the Annual Meeting by ensuring diverse perspectives and populations are represented

  • Soliciting RSA attendee feedback and review the RSA conference program to review the range of research topics, populations, and methodologies represented at the Annual Meeting to identify gaps and opportunities for future RSA meetings
  • Actively encourage submission of research that reflects the full spectrum of human and animal population attributes
  • Collaborate with the program committee to promote scientific presentations that ensure representation across presenters and advance understanding across varied communities and contexts
  • Share resources and best practices that support community-engaged, inclusive, rigorous, and generalizable scientific inquiry
  • Recognize and elevate research that expands the field's understanding of alcohol-related issues across and within diverse populations

Aim 3: To support the career development of members from varied backgrounds

  • Organize dedicated professional development events at the RSA Annual Meeting
  • Facilitate networking and mentoring connections across career stages, research areas, and institutions
  • Provide mentorship through workshops, informal mentoring relationships, and structured enrichment activities
  • Recognize the research excellence and potential of early career scientists through the Nadia Chaudhri Rising Scholar Award and the Undergraduate Distinguished Travel Award
  • Support researchers whose work advances health outcomes across diverse populations and centers community voices that have historically been excluded from research

Meet the Committee

Sarah Pedersen, PhD

Chair

University of Pittsburgh

Guadalupe Bacio, PhD

Member

Pomona College

Delisa Brown

Member

Medical University of South Carolina

Jessica Canning, PhD

PostDoc Member

University of Washington

Suzanne de la Monte, MD,MPH

Member

Rhode Island Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Ian Gizer, PhD

Member

University of Missouri

Angela Haeny, PhD

Member

Yale School of Medicine

Angela Henricks, PhD

Member

Washington State University

John Hernandez, PhD

Member

Brown University

Amber Jarnecke, PhD

Member

Medical University of South Carolina

Margaret Martinetti, PhD

Member

The College of New Jersey

Prosper N'Gouemo, PhD

Member

Howard University College of Medicine

Monserrat Orozco, BS

Student Member

University of New Mexico

Claudia Padula, PhD

Member

Stanford University School of Medicine and VA Palo Alto Healthcare System

Devanshi Seth, BSc,MPH,MSc,PhD

Member

Edith Collins Centre, Sydney Local Health District

Andrea Spadoni, PhD

Member

University of California, San Diego / VA San Diego Healthcare System

Karen Szumlinski, DPhil

Member

University of California Santa Barbara

Hayley Treloar Padovano, PhD

Member

Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies

Christine Walther, PhD

Member

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Rose Marie Ward, PhD

Member

University of Cincinnati

Expectations:

  • Committee members are expected to be active contributors to the LOV mission. They demonstrate commitment through actions in our committee meetings and at the RSA Annual Meeting.
  • We hold ourselves accountable to sharing ideas, working on meaningful changes to support current and future RSA Members of all backgrounds and lived experiences, and actively listening to others to continue to grow individually and as a committee.
  • Committee Members will work in partnership with other RSA Committees to carry out initiatives aligned with the LOV Committee’s goals of increasing engagement and strengthening representation throughout the society.

Committee Composition:

  • The RSA Membership Committee will work with the Chair of the LOV Committee to help ensure a robust committee makeup with respect to career stage, discipline, gender,race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and age, among other characteristics.
  • Student membership is encouraged, and the LOV committee shall include at least one pre- and one post-doctoral trainee. Trainee members may rotate on and off the committee in less than four years, depending on when they transition to a new career stage.

Term Lengths:

  • Members are selected and appointed by the Chair for a 4-year term, with the option of one consecutive re-appointment for a second 4-year term. Members will rotate off the Committee at the end of their term, unless they submit a written request to serve another 4-year term and this request is supported by the Chair, or unless they respond positively to a request by the Chair to continue for another term.
  • To preserve continuity and continued infusion of new ideas, rotations will be staggered so that no more than 25% of the Committee changes each year.