As a member of APA Assembly for more than 20 years and working extensively on committees, legislative function, and leadership, I am committed to promoting productive and respectful relationships with Assembly leadership and the Board to all parts of our organization and at all times.
My personal background in adult and child psychiatry, psychiatric education as a Clinical Professor at the University of California Irvine, clinical research, extensive APA organizational experience, including special projects, leadership activities, and over three decades of private practice in the community are key to making me uniquely qualified to represent all of us in advancing, supporting, and defending our practice, principles, science, and profession.
My Focus On:
Science
Competent/Compassionate Treatment
Member Connection
Access to Care for the Community
Support Members in Practice in all Settings
Priorities
- Encourage Access to Care at all levels of practice. As Affordable Care Act and Accountable Care Organizations evolve, assure that quality treatment is delivered and practitioners’ and patients’ interests are protected.
- Continue to fight against encroachment of non-physicians upon our practice of psychiatry. I have fought for patient safety in California for two decades resisting encroachment on several levels including prescribing. As President I will defend our specific competencies and emphasize all that we have to offer to patients. We also need to evaluate models of care and effective integrated practice models that will demonstrate our social responsibility while assuring patient safety.
- Continue work toward full parity, elimination of formulary restrictions, and creative models of integration with primary care.
- I understand our members’ frustration, burdens upon them, and irritation with the current MOC process. I am opposed to the current MOC process as it exists now and to the burden it places on members. As APA President, I will assure a fair, rational, practitioner acceptable process for indicating currency in knowledge and competence. I support either an acceptable dialogue with ABPN or seeking an alternative process that is empirically validated and free from conflict of interest both from the specialty organization and the outside examining agency. We need an evolving project to achieve this ambitious goal and hope our patients will be the beneficiaries.
- Continue to promote equitable member representation in governance throughout APA.
- Encourage increase in research and treatment of women’s mental health issues.
- Assure that concerns of women psychiatrists are addressed.
- The education and clinical training for Residents and Fellows in the next decade must emphasize the critical role of the psychiatrist in expanded medical and community settings. Understanding of integrated and community coordinated treatment in partnership with related health professionals will be essential. In all areas promoting access to care, quality diagnosis and treatment, and patient safety will be paramount.
- Utilize an APA based personalized homepage to enhance APA membership connection and involvement in areas of organizational, educational, and community interest.
- Encourage DSM-5 use and modification to reflect the symptoms of psychiatric disorders and diagnostic concerns of clinicians. Collaborate with NIMH to transition from categorical to research based diagnoses.
- Work toward a productive relationship with Pharma that promotes research for new products, understanding our principal of patient safety over marketing interests. Discourage direct marketing of medications to the public.
- Continue open communication between APA Board of Trustees, the Assembly and all Councils and Committees.
- Continue integration and streamlining of APA activities and functions.
- Expand utilization of information technologies to promote public interest which will assist our efforts to increase funding for psychiatric research. As APA President, I will work toward greater connection between APA, our membership, NIMH, and the general public.
APA Experience
- APA Assembly: Area 6 Representative, California, 2010-2014
- APA Scientific Program Committee, 2010-current
- APA Commission on Psychotherapy, 1998-2005
- Orange County District Branch Assembly Representative, 1985-2005
- APA Founding Member Steering Committee on Practice Guidelines, 1990-1996
- Past President Orange County Psychiatric Society, California
- Chair Ad Hoc Committee Managed Care (Assembly)
- Chair Reference Committee-Scientific Basis Of Profession (Assembly)
- Committee on Codes and Reimbursements
- APA Membership Committee
- APA Council on Children and Families
- Chair, APA Caucus Psychiatrists Treating Eating Disorders
- Caucus on Psychotherapy by Psychiatrists
- APA Quality Assurance and Improvement Committee
American Psychiatric Association
- APA Assembly: Area 6 Representative, California, 2010-2014
- APA Scientific Program Committee, 2010-current
- APA Commission on Psychotherapy, 1998-2005
- Orange County District Branch Assembly Representative, 1985-2005
- APA Founding Member Steering Committee on Practice Guidelines, 1990-1996
- Past President Orange County Psychiatric Society, California
- Chair Ad Hoc Committee Managed Care (Assembly)
- Chair Reference Committee-Scientific Basis Of Profession (Assembly)
- Committee on Codes and Reimbursements
- APA Membership Committee
- APA Council on Children and Families
- Chair, APA Caucus Psychiatrists Treating Eating Disorders
- Caucus on Psychotherapy by Psychiatrists
- APA Quality Assurance and Improvement Committee