The new deadline for paying APA membership dues is now June 30. If you have not paid your dues by that date, your membership will automatically expire (unless you are enrolled in the APA Scheduled Payment Plan). Don’t let your membership inadvertently expire! Renew online at https://myaccount.psych.org/APACustomizations/Payorders/tabid/155/Default.aspx or by phone at (888) 357-7924, or enroll in the APA Scheduled Payment Plan at www.psych.org/Resources/Membership/EnrollmentFormsApplications/Scheduled-Payment-Plan-Form.aspx?FT=.pdf to pay your membership dues automatically by credit card in monthly, quarterly, biannual, or annual installments. There is no charge for participation in this plan.

APA is seeking nominations for its 2013 Jeanne Spurlock Minority Fellowship Achievement Award. This award recognizes the outstanding achievements of alumnae and alumni of the APA minority fellowships and encourages continued involvement with residents and medical students in the program. (A list of past fellows is posted at www.psych.org/Resources/OMNA/MFP.aspx.) The award will be presented at the minority fellows and alumni reception at APA’s 2013 annual meeting in San Francisco. The deadline for nominations is April 30. Complete details are posted at www.psych.org/Resources/OMNA/MFP/Jeanne-Spurlock-Achievement-Award.aspx. More information is available by contacting Marilyn King at (703) 907-8653 or mking@psych.org.

APA has developed a free self-assessment activity to help annual meeting registrants create an individualized schedule of sessions to attend at APA’s annual meeting in Philadelphia and meet a Maintenance of Certification requirement. Attendees can answer 100 multiple-choice questions in a wide area of psychiatric knowledge to identify potential areas for improvement and receive performance comparison with peers who take the test. Attendees then have the opportunity to select sessions at APA’s annual meeting in Philadelphia that fill identified gaps in their knowledge. Participants can earn up to 8 hours of AMA/PRA Category 1 Credit and fulfill the self-assessment component of Maintenance of Certification. The annual meeting self-assessment is hosted in APA’s learning management system at www.apaeducation.org. Please note: APA member registrants will be enrolled in the course on a rolling basis, based on the date of registration. The first registrants were notified of their enrollment last month, by e-mail from educme@psych.org; subsequent registrants will receive notification on a biweekly basis thereafter.

APA’s Executive Committee discussed and praised the recent New York Times series of articles by Benedict Carey, which profiled people who are functioning normally despite severe mental illness and have chosen to speak out about their struggles. The name of the series was “Lives Restored.” APA President John Oldham, M.D., conveyed the committee’s sentiments to Carey, who expressed his gratitude. The series can be accessed at www.nytimes.com/interactive/science/lives-restored-series.html.

In the January-February issue, Academic Psychiatry introduced a new manuscript format that features peer-reviewed “mini-papers”—conceptual or empirical contributions to the literature that generate further scholarly work. Although brief, Snap Shots include all of the traditional elements of an original article: summary, introduction, literature review, rationale for the work, and a discussion of the implication of the findings. Unique to Snap Shots is the opportunity to share work that possesses characteristics such as pilot data, single-site or site-specific context, or small sample size. Parameters for Snap Shot submissions include a maximum of 1,000 total words, including a 50 to 75 word summary, no more than five to six references, and no more than one figure or table. To obtain further information or discuss a potential submission, contact Michelle Goldsmith, M.D., and Glendon Tait, M.D., via the journal’s editorial office at acadpsych@gmail.com.

APA has approved new procedures for advancing members-in-training to general member status upon completion of residency training. The advancement to general membership will be automatic based on the training completion date originally provided in the member’s application. Instead of submitting documentation (for example, copy of license and training certificate), the members will be asked only to verify that they meet the requirements for general member status by signing a verification form/e-mail. When members-in-training advance to general member status, they become early career psychiatrists (ECPs) of APA. ECPs are APA general members who are within their first seven years after completion of training (residency/fellowship). Helpful career development information for ECPs can be accessed at www.psych.org/Resources/EarlyCareerPsychiatrists.aspx.

Here’s an opportunity for board-certified psychiatrists experienced in residency training and administration to consider offering their expertise to their field. Nominations are now being sought by APA for appointment to the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for psychiatry. The term begins July 1, 2013. These appointments are for three years, renewable once. The deadline to submit nominations is March 16. Nomination requirements and further information are posted at http://bit.ly/wIWl3h.

Here’s information that you may want to share with your patients. The National Institutes of Health has created a new Web site, NIH Clinical Research Trials and You, at www.nih.gov/health/clinical-trials, to help health care professionals and the public learn more about clinical trials. Visitors to the Web site will find information about the basics of clinical trial participation, explanations from researchers, and links on how to search for a trial or find a matching trial. Health care professionals can read about evidence-based strategies for talking with patients about trials and find other educational materials.

Members-in-training (MITs) now have access to a free online subscription to Psychiatric Services. To activate your account, go to Psychiatric Services at ps.psychiatryonline.org and use your APA member username and password. To retrieve or update your username and password, go to Members Corner on APA’s Web site at www.psych.org/MainMenu/MembersCorner.aspx. This free subscription is just one of the educational benefits that APA offers you. Another valuable resource is the AJP Residents’ Journal at http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/residents_journal.aspx.