CANDIDATES FOR MEMBER-IN-TRAINING TRUSTEE-ELECT: Melinda Fierros, M.D.

I am truly honored and humbled to be nominated to represent my fellow residents. APA, and psychiatry in general, have many hurdles to overcome in the near future. Some of them are old and familiar foes, such as the stigma attached with mental illness and the disparity of mental health care across cultural groups; while others are newer, complex issues, like those regarding prescribing rights and patient safety. As an entity, the American Psychiatric Association has won many hard fought battles in these and multiple other arenas, and the future holds countless more battles, as funding for mental health resources becomes ever more scant while the need for such precious resources multiplies, seemingly exponentially. As your representative, I promise to never forget that I have been elected as a servant to my fellow colleagues; as such, I will strive to protect your interests—whether it be increased patient access to mental health care or protected prescribing rights, I will make our opinion and needs heard.

As a medical student in Texas applying for a psychiatry residency, I came face to face with shrinking mental health resources, as deliberation had begun regarding shutting down the mental health state hospital. As a military psychiatry resident in Ohio, I have come to discover that holes in the mental health safety net exist across the country, as well as in the military world, and I have struggled alongside my patients, as we endeavor to combat mental illness with the limited resources available to us. I promise that as your MITTE, I will always advocate for our patients, not only because it is in their best interest, but because I understand this struggle that residents frequently face when trying to treat underprivileged populations.

My experience as a military resident has been one of empowerment, and I find that I have become a better leader and follower since my commissioning. I am not afraid to ask questions, and I am not afraid to have my ideas shot down. I believe that as a member of any team, it is my job to brainstorm and to encourage my colleagues to do the same; I have found that the best solutions are born as amalgamations of several ideas. If elected, I will keep you informed of the issues as they become apparent to me, and I will always solicit your thoughts and desires so that I can best represent your interests, as well as work to increase APA resources available to residents as we make the journey down our chosen career path.

My overall leadership experience has taught me that there are some things without which your endeavor is sure to fail; one of these is communication. Communication within an organization is vital to the furtherment of its cause, a job that APA does very well. Communication across organizations, however, is also vital in procuring resources unbeknownst to the organization. I believe that APA can grow in strength if it coordinates its efforts with other organizations, such as AACAP, the AMA, the U.S. government, NMHA, etc. Coordination and communication trickles down from the first administrative meeting. As the APAMITTE/MITT, this will be the focus of my labors, for the furtherment of APA and its ultimate cause, our patients.

In summary, as your member-in-training trustee: