Thank You
I want to thank you for the opportunity to have served over this past year as president of APA. It has been one of the great and defining experiences of my life, which I will always treasure and remember. I’m deeply grateful for having had the chance to advocate on behalf of our profession, our science, and especially individuals who are burdened with mental disorders.
One of the things that most struck me about serving as president is that I was not speaking for myself but speaking on behalf of APA, which, because of our umbrella role for psychiatry, means at times speaking for our field. And indeed, others see APA and its president as the voice of psychiatry. Early in my presidency, I became aware of the critical role that we play in both federal and state legislative efforts as well as with the executive branch and various national research and regulatory institutions.
While some are skeptical of our motivation to achieve improved care for our patients, when I traveled around the country, I rarely experienced such skepticism in person. Instead what I found were wonderful psychiatrists, practicing in all manner of settings, many unheralded or not publicly known, and great research and academic institutions that are not only defining our fundamental understanding of clinical neuroscience but are often the critical safety-net institutions caring for those most in need. I have also had the privilege of meeting with patients and families who told me that they want a renewed commitment to basic and clinical science in psychiatric disorders, access to high-quality treatments, an end to insurance discrimination, and effective pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic care delivered in a collaborative environment with other physicians.
We have been active as an organization this past year in addressing many of the longer-term issues facing patients, the field of psychiatry, and APA itself. Among them:
A strategic planning committee of the Board was launched last July whose work led to one of the most far-reaching, intensive member surveys that has ever been conducted by APA, and the response was overwhelming. The survey findings confirmed members’ strong concerns about the very substantial changes that health care reform is bringing in American health care and the need for APA to lead in this area and support members through the transition. Along with advocacy in general, there was strong support for psychiatry’s education and research missions and the need for a greater focus on diversity. In addition, there was recognition that we need to focus, as we increasingly have, on communicating with the public, policymakers, and our members.
Several ad hoc work groups of the Board were appointed during my term on these issues: health care reform, residency training and, education, real estate.
While recent presidential columns have focused on the recommendations produced by the first two work groups, our work on real estate is still under way. Chaired by our treasurer, Frank Brown, the Work Group on Real Estate was tasked with investigating whether we should lease or buy a new building by the end of 2017, when our current lease expires at our Arlington headquarters. The work group, which has been ably assisted by theAPA administration, external consultants, and the leadership of our CEO and medical director, also considered how we can best diversify our investments, preserve our capital, and achieve the best operating results for APA. While the Board has supported the purchase of real estate in the District of Columbia, at the time this was written, we had not yet finalized arrangements for APA’s future home.
In addition to these efforts, last year the Ad Hoc Work Group on Minority and Underrepresented Groups’ Issues reported to the Board. Many of its recommendations were adopted by the Board or referred to the Assembly and district branches/state associations for review and implementation. As I already noted, diversity issues are an ongoing focus of APA’s strategic plan.
There was also a major focus on advocacy and partnerships this past year:
APA worked hard to achieve the passage of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, whose goal is to reduce the high risk of suicide among veterans.
APA took stronger and more focused stances on legislation to reform this country’s mental health system. In particular, we worked and continue to work closely with Rep. Tim Murphy and formally announced our support for the bipartisan Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act as the vehicle for comprehensive mental health reform. Not a day goes by when we are not confronted by the lack of investment in hospital and emergency services and the great levels of medical and psychiatric comorbidity that our patients experience.
Under the aegis of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, we convened a diverse group of faith-based leaders to work on ways to better support and educate clergy on the nature of psychiatric illness. We are continuing in these efforts to reduce stigma and improve access to care; one of the products of this collaboration is an updated resource guide on mental illness for faith leaders.
It has become clear to me that APA, despite the criticism that we sometimes engender, is held in high esteem by members of Congress, policymakers, and psychiatric leaders throughout the world. The work we have done in fighting for justice and equity in access to mental health care and leading the world in translational and clinical neuroscience is impressive and deeply important to many people who suffer—not just here but internationally as well.
I want to thank you again for the honor of allowing me to serve. I know APA is in outstanding hands and well positioned to continue its important work for many years to come. ■
