Vivian B. Pender, M.D., 148th President, 2021–2022

It is my great pleasure and distinct honor to stand here tonight to introduce my friend, colleague, and the 148th President of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Vivian Pender.

I had known Dr. Pender for several years before joining the Board of Trustees in 2015, where she was serving as Area Trustee for New York, a position she held from 2014 to 2020. A Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA, she is a Special Advisor for the APA to the UN, where she represents APA and has chaired the NGO Committees on the Status of Women and Mental Health. I had the honor of watching her in this role several years ago and can tell you that she represents us well in that international body. She has produced four documentaries of conferences she organized at the United Nations on mental health, human rights, human trafficking, and intergenerational transmission of violence.

A clinical professor of psychiatry at the Weill Cornell Medical College and a training and supervising psychoanalyst at Columbia University, she has mentored and taught students, residents, and fellows for 35 years. She has published numerous articles and book chapters and is currently working on two books. In 2015, she founded the nonprofit, Healthcare Against Trafficking, to promote education and advocacy in health care. She is active in many professional organizations, including the American and International Psychoanalytic Associations, American College of Psychoanalysts, Association of Women Psychiatrists, and the American Medical Association.

Her presidency has been highlighted by her work to exert APA’s leadership to influence changes in mental health systems nationally and globally and impact efforts to address structural racism and social determinants of mental health. I believe this impact will be felt going forward as we continue to use our collective experiences and voices to advocate for a mentally healthy nation for all.

The proud mother of four and grandmother to six, she is a recipient of numerous awards, including the APA’s Human Rights Award. Please join me in welcoming to the podium, APA President Dr. Vivian Pender!