Gillison Aims to Expand Reach of APA Foundation
The executive director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation brings extensive private and nonprofit sector experience to his new job.
Daniel Gillison is a rarity in Washington, D.C.: a native who works in (or at least just across the Potomac River from) the city of his birth.
Dan Gillison, who became the executive director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation in June, is overseeing a strategic planning process to set goals for the Foundation's work for the next three to five years.
Aaron Levin
Gillison came to APA in June as the new executive director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF), the arm of APA that supports public education on mental illness and psychiatry, professional education of APA members, and research. He is building on a platform developed by his predecessor, Paul Burke, who retired in June after 10 years as head of the APAF. “I saw the move as an opportunity to give back and make a difference,” he told Psychiatric News.
Gillison took a circuitous route to the APAF. He attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., on a tennis scholarship, studying political science, international relations, and communications. His first job out of college was a three-year stint as a reporter/cameraman for a Baton Rouge television station.
From there he moved on to a career with Xerox in sales, human relations, and business development. He later worked for Sprint before shifting into the nonprofit world at the National Association of Counties.
“We believe Dan’s track record and enthusiasm will go a long way in promoting the programs and mission of the Foundation,” said APAF Chair Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A. “Our members and the public will see a revitalized foundation in 2017. I am looking forward to seeing what he and his team will accomplish in the coming year.”
One of his primary goals since coming to the APAF is increasing awareness and knowledge of the APAF among APA members. He and his staff have created a series of one-page information sheets to tell the stories of its four primary programs: The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, Typical or Troubled, the Stepping Up Initiative, and the Judges Leadership Initiative.
The APAF also supports awards and fellowships that have served as the launching pad for numerous careers in psychiatry.
“We want our members to know what the foundation is doing in their neighborhoods, whether that is in schools, the workplace, or faith-based organizations,” he said. “We want them to become advocates for the foundation’s work.”
The APAF is responsible for 12 programs, 23 awards, and eight fellowships. Among them:
•
Typical or Troubled trains teachers, coaches, and other school personnel to recognize the symptoms of mental illness in adolescents.
•
The Stepping Up Initiative is creating a long-term movement to reduce the overrepresentation in American jails of people with mental illness.
•
The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health reaches 10,000 companies to reduce stigma and ensure access to mental health care.
•
The Judges’ and Psychiatrists’ Leadership Initiative trains criminal court judges to understand the symptoms of mental illness in the defendants who appear before them.
The APAF also seeks to raise awareness among the public about the importance of mental health in general and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness while increasing the Foundation’s funding to support these efforts, he said.
For that reason, he wants to add to the $2.3 million donated in 2016, diversify the APAF’s fundraising base, and increase the percentage of APA members who contribute.
“We’re appreciative of the members who have given and hope to add to their numbers,” he said.
In August, the Foundation hired a strategic planning firm to study its mission and current activities and help develop goals for the next three to five years.
The plan will be presented to the APAF Board of Directors at its February 16, 2017, meeting.
Gillison and his staff are already planning a big splash for APA’s 2017 Annual Meeting in San Diego. Next year will mark the APAF’s 25th anniversary, an event to be marked by a gala at San Diego’s Wine and Culinary Institute. ■
The website of the APAF is www.americanpsychiatricfoundation.org/.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
History
Published online: 9 December 2016
Published in print: December 3, 2016 – December 16, 2016
Keywords
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Export Citations
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.
There are no citations for this item
View Options
View options
Get Access
Login options
Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.
Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens loginNot a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).