APA’s Innovation Zone Meets Silicon Valley

Although it is a mere babe compared with its parent organization, APA’s Mental Health Innovation Zone (MHIZ) is also celebrating an important milestone this year—its fifth anniversary. In that short time, it has grown from one afternoon session to a multi-day meeting within a meeting celebrating technology and innovation. And what a fitting place to be to mark its anniversary—San Francisco and Silicon Valley, America’s heart of innovation, design, and entrepreneurship.

As with past editions, the MHIZ will feature a main stage for panel discussions, brainstorming sessions, product demonstrations, and other events over four days. In between the programming, attendees can enjoy the comfortable lounge area and strike up a conversation with some of their fellow innovators. Attendees can also visit booths from companies involved in digital mental health and learn more about their newest products; scheduled booths include Pear Therapeutics, Takeda, and Otsuka. And for those who want a little fun and mayhem, the Robot Wars that were a “smash hit” at last year’s Annual Meeting will be held again this year. Once you start watching, it’s hard to tear yourself away!

Among the centerpieces of this year’s MHIZ will be an APA booth and presentation related to the organization’s recently awarded $14.2 million grant to expand and improve care to people with serious mental illness (SMI) (see page 21). This project will enable those who treat patients with SMI—including physicians, psychologists, nurses, and peer support specialists—to receive support via a web portal or app. Those interested in learning more about or participating in the project, known as the Clinical Support System for Serious Mental Illness (CSS-SMI), should stop by.

The other main event of the MHIZ will be the Innovation Lab, APA’s “Shark Tank”-style contest. Seven finalist teams will pitch their creative ventures for improving—or perhaps even redefining—mental health care to a panel of business and health care experts. After receiving feedback, the finalists will work with innovation leaders to strengthen their proposals, after which the teams will present their revised pitches to the panel and the audience. Multiple prizes will be at stake, including the Grand Prize, which this year is $10,000. The application deadline is March 17, so there is still time to submit pitches (see sidebar).

Innovation Lab participants will not be the only potential prize winners, however. Nina Taylor, M.A., deputy director of APA’s Division of Education, told Psychiatric News that there will be audience raffles and giveaways held throughout the four days.

The full MHIZ schedule is still being finalized, and updates will be posted on social media (follow #MHIZ and #APA2019 on Twitter), Taylor added. ■

The Innovation Zone will be open from May 18 to May 21. The Innovation Lab will take place on Sunday, May 19, from noon to 5 p.m. More information on the Innovation Zone can be accessed here.