Hard work has been second nature for me starting at an early age. A
combination of scholarship money and four years of work/study efforts helped
pay for college, and loans and hospital jobs paid the bills for medical
school.
During the period I attended the University of Alabama Medical School,
psychiatry was not held in high regard. When revealing a desire to be a
psychiatrist, I was told "psychiatry is what you do when you don't want
to hurt someone." That was not the case at Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, where I became chief resident.
I was hired as a faculty member at the University of Louisville School of
Medicine, and after several formative years running the Outpatient Clinic at
the University of Louisville Hospital, I went into private practice. I have
been a teacher of medical students and residents over the years and now am a
clinical associate professor.
I divide my day seeing both inpatients and outpatients and in the past have
had work experiences including five years as a director of an inpatient unit,
a chemical dependency group leader with ASAM certification, and even for a
time the director of a mental health management group. Seeing a significant
geriatric population, I am certified with added qualifications in geriatric
psychiatry.
I met my wife when we were both crisis-center volunteers in my third year
in medical school. She is obviously a saint to still love and care for me for
31 years, and we have three terrific children whose various needs are still a
priority.
I am an active volunteer in the community and on several boards including
the Kentucky Mental Health Association. I teach Tai Chi to seniors twice
weekly and am also a hospice volunteer.
It is an honor to be a candidate for recorder of the Assembly, a wonderful
institution I have served for 18 years with passion and dedication. As an Area
representative, I have been privileged to guide Area activities, and as the
chair of the Committee on Planning, I have facilitated decisions ranging from
the smallest Assembly details to long-range-planning issues. Continuous
innovation and improvement, asking tough questions, consensus building, and
mutual respect have been hallmarks of both leadership roles. Because this is a
critical time in our profession, I have been actively working with Assembly
leadership and the APA Board on scope-of-practice issues and equitable access
to psychiatric care. I continue to fight aggressively any interference in our
practicing the best quality medicine possible. By authoring a number of action
papers with those in other Areas and founding the Assembly District Branch
Best Practices Award, I have proven my commitment for sharing information and
inclusiveness. I am a true believer in the collective wisdom of the Assembly
and how our diversity and energy effectively represent membership.
The recorder of the Assembly performs not just bookkeeping functions but
also tracks action papers. Action papers are the lifeblood of what we do, and
when an author spends time and energy in its crafting, he or she deserves to
have it follow its proper procedure to the end. As the author of action papers
who at times saw them "disappear," I am determined to make sure
that does not happen.
In my full-time private practice it has gotten tougher to practice the kind
of medicine I was originally trained to do. In recent years my income has
decreased while my expenses have increased. The people and procedures that
require time away from direct patient care keep multiplying. The people who
want to do what we do through legislation without medical school or residency
training also keep multiplying. It is easy to be frustrated, even infuriated;
even worse, many people become discouraged. Often they say, "I'll just
practice the best medicine I can, and things will work out." We in the
Assembly know that won't work. Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt
that a small group of thoughtful and committed people could change the world;
indeed they are the only ones who ever have." To me, that group of
thoughtful, committed people is the Assembly, and particularly when we partner
with others in APA, along with other professional organizations and
patient-advocacy groups, we have made a tremendous difference in patient care
and improved the quality of psychiatric practice.
In the years that I have been on the Assembly Executive Committee and chair
of the Committee on Planning, I have done my best to help the Assembly and
everyone attending accomplish goals and move forward. Now, though, I ask for
your vote to continue to work with you and for you for the good of our
patients and our profession. Thank you.