APA Lifers Plan Active Schedule at Annual Meeting

The Lifers of APA welcomes all eligible APA members to join the organization and attend the activities that it has planned for APA's 2011 annual meeting in Honolulu. (A schedule appears below.)

The mission of the APA Lifers is to assist in APA's work to further the quality of patient care and advance the future of psychiatric research and services; engage in related charitable, educational and/or social endeavors in psychiatry; and bring into closer fellowship interaction among APA's distinguished life members, distinguished life fellows, distinguished fellows, and life associate members.

The officers of the Lifers are Stephen Scheiber, M.D., president; Paul Wick, M.D., vice president; Bernard Katz, M.D., treasurer; Maria Lymberis, M.D., secretary, and Sheila Hafter Gray, M.D., past president.

Friday, May 13

5:30 p.m.: The Assembly Caucus will meet at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in the Iolani Suite at 7 p.m. Discussions on new initiatives and timely topics will be led by the Lifers' Assembly liaison, Bert Warren, M.D.

Sunday, May 15

1 p.m.-3 p.m.: The Lifers Executive Committee will meet. In addition to the officers and Warren, the committee members include Pierre Loebel, M.D., a member of the Membership Committee; Irvin Cohen, M.D., chair of the Awards Committee; Norman Clemens, M.D., chair of the Bylaws Committee; Herbert Peyser, M.D., chair of the Legislation and Policy Committee; Philip Margolis, M.D., chair and editor of the Lifers newsletter, Lifersline; and Arthur Meyerson, M.D., associate newsletter editor. Other committees chaired by officers include Sheila Hafter Gray, M.D., chair of the Annual Meeting Program Committee, Nominating Committee, and Practice Guidelines Response Team; Bernard Katz, M.D., chair of the Finance Committee; and Paul Wick, M.D., chair of the Membership Committee. The Lifers thrives through members' participation on the committees. Members interested in serving on a committee are encouraged to contact Scheiber.

Tuesday, May 17

7 a.m.: The workshop "How May Military Leaders Optimize Mental Health Services to Serve Members?" will be held in Room 327 at the Hawaii Convention Center.

9:30 a.m.: The Lifers annual business meeting will be held at the Sheraton Waikiki'Iao Needle/Akaka Falls Room. APA President Carol Bernstein, M.D., will be the guest speaker. Among the topics to be discussed will be the Berson Award and how the award committee should be guided in its work. Nada Stotland, M.D., will discuss how Lifers interested in becoming mentors for existing APA programs can be linked with these programs. Wick will talk about membership initiatives and how other organizations such as the AMA have organized activities for senior members. Pierre Loebel, M.D., will speak about linkages with the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry. Peyser will discuss retirement issues, and Margolis will speak about future editions of Lifersline.

7 p.m.: The annual Lifers reception will take place at the Ala Moana Hotel in the Plumeria Room. In addition to providing lots of time to socialize with colleagues and friends, the reception is an opportunity to meet new and aspiring members of the Lifers. The Berson Award will be presented.

Other News

Lifersline is now available on the Web; it is linked to the site of the American Psychiatric Foundation at <www.psychfoundation.org/News/Publications.aspx> under "Lifers" and is available two to three times a year. Past issues of the newsletter are also posted on the Web site. One of the newsletter's newest features is Joel Yager, M.D.'s book reviews. In memoriam submissions, such as the one for Gerald Flamm, M.D., are encouraged.

In addition to the workshop that the Lifers will present in Hawaii, the Lifers will be presenting a workshop at APA's Institute on Psychiatric Services in San Francisco in October, according to Hafter Gray, M.D. More information will appear in a future issue.

The executive committee voted to have the membership year run from January to December. Dues are $50 a year. A membership information form can be accessed at the Web site of the American Psychiatric Foundation at <www.psychfoundation.org>.

The Lifers play a vital role in supporting the work of its parent organization, APA. Those who are interested in joining should send a check for $50 to Linda Bueno, director of industry relations at the American Psychiatric Foundation, 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1825, Arlington, VA 22209-3901.

More information is available by contacting Bueno at LBueno{at}psych.org. Tax-deductible contributions are also welcome.