Residents, Students Network With Mentors

Some 40 psychiatrist mentors, 35 psychiatry residents, and 18 medical students gathered at the Minority Mentors Orientation Breakfast in May at APA's 2009 annual meeting in San Francisco. The breakfast, now in its 13th year, is hosted by APA's National Minority Mentors Network. The network supports and nurtures minority psychiatrists who are in training. The network is supported by APA's Office of Minority and National Affairs (OMNA).

“This was another successful networking opportunity for our residents and students to break bread with veteran psychiatrists and alumni of the minority fellowships,” Marilyn King, assistant director of OMNA's Minority Fellowships Program, said in a note of appreciation sent to all participants after the meeting.

The event serves as an extra orientation to the annual meeting's myriad sessions and activities for these young psychiatrists and even some medical students. They also learn much about the rewards and challenges of being a psychiatrist from a volunteer mentor network of experienced clinicians.

Toi Harris, M.D., director of the Texas Regional Psychiatry Minority Mentor Network, reformatted this year's event in which a PowerPoint presentation and a bingo game debuted. The bingo game, replete with prizes, is designed to increase interaction between mentors and mentees. Harris is an assistant professor of psychiatry and director of education and diversity in Baylor's Department of Psychiatry.

The next minority mentoring activities will be held during APA's Institute on Psychiatric Services in New York City in October and APA's 2010 annual meeting in New Orleans next May. ▪