APA Announces Candidate Changes for President-Elect

There has been a change in the lineup of candidates running for president-elect in APA’s 2019 election. Philip Muskin, M.D., M.A., APA’s current secretary, has withdrawn his candidacy. Appearing on the ballot for that race will be Jeffrey Geller, M.D., M.P.H., of Worcester, Mass., and Theresa Miskimen, M.D., of Piscataway, N.J.

Geller is a professor at UMASS Medical School and medical director of a 290-bed public psychiatric hospital. He has served in the Assembly and on components for 26 years and on the Board of Trustees for 11 years. He has been an on-site consultant to 26 states. He’s received the Human Rights Award and Profiles in Courage Award from APA. He sees inpatients and outpatients daily.

Miskimen, a professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is vice president at Rutgers UBHC, one of the largest providers of mental health and addiction services in the country. An APA member for nearly three decades, she has served the organization, Assembly, and Board of Trustees in many positions including DB president and speaker of the Assembly and received various recognitions including the Women’s Advocate Award.

In comments to Psychiatric News, Muskin said that the reason for his withdrawal is that he came to realize, as APA’s secretary, that serving the Association as an elected officer is a major time and service commitment. After experiencing the loss of a beloved sister and the birth of his first grandchild, he said that his most important priority at this time is his family.

“Working with APA has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional life. Much of the work I have done over the past years has been via conference calls, emails, and work by me alone. A trustee must be at meetings as the responsibilities are different. When my sister Alies was in home hospice, I had the freedom to change times with patients and be with her during her final months. Were I to win the election, I realized that freedom to be the grandfather I want to be would be lost. I have an agenda that I believe will make significant changes for our field, but I cannot ignore that a commitment to APA would prevent me from fulfilling my responsibilities as a grandfather for the first years of her life.

“I hope my colleagues understand this decision, and I apologize for any disruption in the APA election process. I plan to remain active in APA as our organization depends upon the commitment of the membership to achieve our goals.”

Candidates for Other Races

The position of secretary, which has a two-year term, is up for election this cycle. Vying for the post are Jeffrey Akaka, M.D., of Honolulu; Sandra DeJong, M.D., M.Sc., of Needham Heights, Mass.; and Ramaswamy Viswanathan, M.D., D.M.Sc., of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Facing off in the race for M/UR trustee are Rahn Bailey, M.D., of League City, Tex., and Robert Cabaj, M.D., of San Francisco. This position is for a three-year term.

Two of APA’s seven geographic Areas will vote for a trustee in this cycle. Only members within each Area may vote for their respective Area trustee. Area trustees hold three-year terms.

There are three candidates in the race for Area 3 trustee: Kenneth Certa, M.D., of Philadelphia; Barry Herman, M.D., M.M.M., of Philadelphia; and Roger Peele, M.D., of Rockville, Md.

Competing for Area 6 trustee are Barbara Weissman, M.D., of San Mateo, Calif., and Melinda Young, M.D., of Lafayette, Calif.

The candidates for resident-fellow trustee-elect are Lisa Harding, M.D., a PGY-3 resident at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita; Daniel Hart, M.D., a PGY-3 resident at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; and Michael Mensah, M.D., M.P.H., a PGY-2 resident at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical Center Program.

The nominations were put forth by APA’s Nominating Committee, chaired by Immediate Past President Anita Everett, M.D., and announced last month. While the slate is considered public, it is not official until the Board of Trustees approves it at its meeting next month. All of the winning candidates will take office at the close of the 2019 APA Annual Meeting in May in San Francisco.

All members for whom APA has a valid email address on file will receive an electronic ballot. Other members will receive a paper ballot along with instructions on how to vote online. All candidates as well as their supporters are strongly urged to review APA’s recently updated Election Guidelines.

Voting will begin on January 2, 2019, at 5 a.m. ET and end on January 31, 2019, at 12:59 p.m. ET. ■