Meet the Candidates for APA’s 2022 Election
Abstract
Candidates must follow new campaign rules that are meant to level the playing field for all candidates.
There are 15 candidates vying for national and Area office in APA’s 2022 election. At right are their names, photos, and the offices for which they are running.
The campaigning rules that candidates must follow are different from those for previous elections. In December 2020, the Board of Trustees voted to launch a two-year pilot campaign plan for candidates to start with the 2022 election. Under the new rules, all campaigning is prohibited except through APA-managed activities and other activities as the APA Elections Committee may permit.
The changes are meant to level the playing field for all candidates and ensure that APA’s leadership reflects the diversity of the APA membership and thus includes candidates who are from minority and underrepresented groups. The new process was recommended by the APA Presidential Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry, appointed by then-President Jeffrey Geller, M.D., M.P.H.
These are among the approved APA-managed campaign activities:
APA’s election website is the centralized location for all election and candidate-related information.
Schedule for ‘Meet the Candidates’ Town Halls
APA members will have an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates and ask questions in a series of virtual town halls. Below is the schedule. For members who can’t attend the town halls, they will be archived on the APA election website around the third week of December.
President-elect, treasurer, and trustee-at-large: December 13
Area 3 trustee (elected by Area 3 members): December 14
Area 6 trustee (elected by Area 6 members): December 15
Resident-fellow member (RFM) trustee-elect (elected by RFMs): December 16
The town halls will be moderated by the chair and members of the Elections Committee. Candidate presentations of five to seven minutes will be followed by a question-and-answer session that includes questions from the committee and APA members. To attend the town halls, please register at psychiatry.org/election.
“Meet the Candidates” town halls will be held in mid-December. These one-hour sessions are open to all APA members. Sessions will be recorded and posted on the APA election website for viewing by members who are unable to participate in the live sessions.
By early December, all voting members should have received an APA election newsletter that contains the candidates’ platforms and biographical statements.
No other forms of campaigning are permitted, such as letters, phone calls, emails, and messages on APA listservs by or on behalf of candidates. Sanctions for violations are included in the new guidelines.
All voting will be by electronic ballot. Beginning January 3, ballots will be emailed to eligible voting members with a valid address on file with APA; members may also go to psychiatry.org/election and use their member login information to access their electronic ballot.
Paper ballots will be mailed only to eligible voting members who request them by contacting the APA Election Office through January 10 at [email protected].
The deadline for online voting is Monday, January 31, at 11:59 p.m. ET, and paper ballots must be postmarked by that deadline.
If you have any questions, contact the APA Election Office at [email protected]. ■
