Candidate for President-Elect
About the Candidate
Life Fellow, 1963
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APA Vice President, 2000-
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APA Trustee-at-Large, 1997-2000
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Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Resident Training, Adult Psychiatric Outpatient Department, Los Angeles County General Hospital/University of Southern California School of Medicine, 1980-
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Private Practice, 1962-
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APA Committee on the Practice of Psychotherapy, 1986-92
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APA Commission on Public Policy, Litigation, and Advocacy, 2001-
Candidate’s Views
A United America—A United Profession
On a Tuesday morning in September, our lives changed. There is no hysteria or panic. The mood is sorrowful, angry, and purposeful. Americans stand united, working to create order out of the rubble. Psychiatrists, with grit and determination, have rallied on the streets, in clinics, and in the workplace, treating trauma, comforting grief and loss. We psychiatrists are united in our response to this tragedy. The importance of APA issues pales when measured against the destruction and sudden death of thousands of human beings. Setting aside my heartache, I will tell you of my plans to strengthen APA.
I am running for president-elect with the courage to take on the hard tasks that confront American psychiatry. Leading APA is a bold undertaking at a time of budget constraints, an evolving process of programmatic cutbacks, and membership problems. As trustee-at-large and then your vice president, I am deeply experienced and creative in finding solutions for difficult realities. I have played a leadership role in major initiatives. My experience will allow me to assume the responsibilities of president without a need for on-the-job training. I am optimistic, vigorous, and undaunted by new challenges.
Who am I? APA vice president and clinical professor at Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Hospital, a public sector academic institution, where I teach medical students and residents. As director of residency education in the OPD, I have preserved a training program integrating the best in clinical psychiatry, psychopharmacology, neuroscience, and psychotherapy. My private practice of dynamic psychiatry, informed by psychoanalytic training, is central to my professional life.
Attention Must Be Paid:
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Patient Protection: Managed care is failing; inequities in the system beleaguer our patients and hurt our members. We demand accountability, an end to reimbursement discrimination, with patient privacy preserved and treatment tailored to the needs of each individual patient.
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Name Change—American Psychiatric Medical Association: Fiscal decision makers are carving psychiatry out of the House of Medicine. We are psychiatric physicians. The name change will underscore this reality as well as remind the public that we alone in the mental health field are qualified to prescribe medication.
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Outreach to Business: I will strengthen our outreach to business, educating decision makers that it is imperative to increase mental health benefits and make effective treatment available to the workforce.
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Promoting the Bio-psycho-social Model in Psychiatric Education: We must support research funding and preserve teaching and reimbursement of the psychotherapies.
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Increased Communication With District Branches: I am committed to increasing communication with district branches. As president, the officers, trustees, and senior staff will make their presence felt in the field.
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Attention to Our Members: Members are our lifeblood. With improvement in our Information Systems, a resurgent effort must be made to recruit and retain members.
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Increased Public Access to Psychiatric Care: The Los Angeles County Jail has the largest psychiatric population in the country, emblematic of a national emergency. Funds must be diverted from the penal system to access public and private services, especially for the seriously mentally ill.
A strong APA will preserve the best in science and treatment, and will strive for equitable reimbursement for our patients. Education and research will advance our professional knowledge base and enhance our vision for the future. I am passionately convinced that our APA can and should unite psychiatry to provide all of us with an effective and lifelong professional home.
Primary Loci of Work and Sources of Income
Work: 50%—Director of residency education in the Adult Psychiatric Department, Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center
50%—Private Practice
Income: 40%—Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
60%—Private practice
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Published online: 7 December 2001
Published in print: December 7, 2001
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