Media Sessions

I heard recently with bitter surprise some rumors that, due to perhaps financial constraints, APA is eliminating media sessions from the annual meeting beginning in 2003. In discussions with my colleagues, we agree that this decision will result in taking away part of the fun and excitement of the meeting. Some of the most memorable experiences of many participants at previous meetings came from media sessions.

Psychiatry had always been at the frontier between science and art. What makes our specialty so beautiful and distinguishes it from other medical professions is the broad spectrum of perspectives from which it addresses the human mental existence. The media sessions provide one of those perspectives.

APA needs to stay responsive to members’ needs. Colleagues of mine who are APA members-in-training are deciding whether to continue as full members of APA. If they feel that decisions like the one to drop media sessions are being made without their input, I fear that some will be less likely to continue as members.

We need to be proactive about this issue. When we go to California next year, let’s think San Francisco most of the time. But let’s stay abstract and not forget: Hollywood should be part of California too.

Editor’s note: APA’s Annual Meetings Department reports that while it is true that media sessions will not be presented at the 2003 annual meeting, the Scientific Program Committee is continuing to research options for reviving the format. However, the committee would like to encourage potential presenters to utilize the existing formats and think of creative ways to integrate media presentations into the scientific program.