This article begins by contextualizing specialization and board certification of psychologists, with attention paid to relevant definitions and expectations of other health care professionals. A brief history of specialization and board certification in professional psychology is offered. The benefits of board certification through the American Board of Professional Psychology are highlighted. Consideration is then given to the primary reasons for psychologists working in academic health sciences centers to specialize in the current health care climate and to obtain board certification as a mark of such specialization.

Objective To determine the effectiveness of the Metropolitan Atlanta Community Adolescent Rapid Testing Initiative (MACARTI) intervention relative to standard of care (SOC), in achieving early diagnosis, linkage and retention among HIV-infected youth ages 18-24 years. Design MACARTI was a pilot single-center, prospective, non-randomized study Methods MACARTI combined non-traditional venue HIV testing, motivational interviewing and case management. We collected demographic, clinical variables and calculated linkage and appointment adherence rates. We obtained SOC data from an adolescent HIV clinic. Longitudinal data were analyzed using inverse propensity-treatment weighted linear growth models; medians, interquartile ranges (IQR), means and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are provided. Results MACARTI screened 435 participants and identified 49 (11.3%) HIV infections. The SOC arm enrolled 49 new HIV-infected individuals. The 98 participants, (49 in each arm) were: 85% male; 91% Black; mean age=21 years (SD:1.8). Overall, 63% were linked within three months of diagnosis; linkage was higher for MACARTI compared with SOC (96% vs. 57%, p<0.001). Median linkage time for MACARTI participants compared to SOC was 0.39 (IQR:0.20-0.72) vs. 1.77 (IQR:1.12-12.65) months (p<0.001). MACARTI appointment adherence was higher than SOC (86.1% vs. 77.2%, p=0.018). In weight-adjusted models, mean CD4+T-cell counts increased and mean HIV-1 RNA levels decreased in both arms over 12 months, but the differences were more pronounced in the MACARTI arm. Conclusions MACARTI successfully identified and linked HIV-infected youth in Atlanta. MACARTI may serve as an effective linkage and care model for clinics serving HIV-infected youth.