Candidates for Treasurer: Paul Summergrad, M.D.
Publication: Psychiatric News
It is an honor to be nominated to run for treasurer of APA. APA must be able to represent the best of American psychiatry with its diverse clinical, academic, and public-sector communities. APA has to be healthy so it can speak effectively for our practitioners, outstanding science, and our patients. However, APA continues to face difficult financial circumstances affecting our component structure and the Assembly. As a result of my leadership and academic experience as the chair of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and chair of the Tufts Medical Center Physicians Organization, a large multispecialty physician practice, it would be a privilege to work as part of the APA leadership team to advocate for our profession and our patients while ensuring APA's fiscal health. This can best be achieved by having the input of, as well as clearly communicating to, our membership, regarding decisions that will impact our mission.
At APA, I have served on the Finance and Budget Committee, the Council on Medical Education, and the Steering Committee on Practice Guidelines and in the Assembly. During my term as president of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, we passed our first state parity legislation and actively fought managed care. I have learned a great deal about the district branch and state associations, which are the bedrock of a successful APA.
I have had extensive clinical and academic leadership roles beginning as chief of Inpatient Psychiatric Services at the Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as senior leadership positions in the Partners HealthCare System. In my current positions, I also have major board leadership roles and have served as the spokesperson for our physicians and medical center in highly public and sensitive payer negotiations. I am formally trained as a psychiatrist, internist, and psychoanalyst with particular expertise in patients having combined complex medical and psychiatric illness. I have been active clinically and without interruption for over 30 years.
APA needs at this time to focus on those issues that most affect our members and patients and are consistent with our mission and financial health:
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Improving the practice environment for psychiatrists: Fair reimbursement for psychiatrists, like all other physicians, under health care reform and the medical home.
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Protection of psychiatric scope of practice. We are physicians who daily care for patients with combined medical and psychiatric illness in all treatment settings. Others cannot replace what we do.
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Clear and frequent communication to and from our membership: The strategic and fiscal plans of APA must be clear to our members.
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District branch and state associations as partners with APA: Many of the issues that affect practice, reimbursement, and public-sector psychiatry can be resolved only at the local level.
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Stronger links with academic psychiatry: Their critical clinical, research, and training missions need aggressive support.
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Combating stigma: We need to counteract the malignant effects of stigma on our patients and profession with a vigorous and proud defense.
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Diversity: We need to fully embrace our diverse membership for what it is: a great strategic asset and a reflection of what is best about our field.
Primary Professional Activities and Sources of Income
Professional Activities
95%—Chairman, Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine, Tufts Medical Center
70%—Administrative
10%—Teaching
10%—Research
10%—Clinical care
5%—Consulting, honoraria: communications, software and forensics, royalties, lectures
Income
95%—Tufts Medical Center Physicians Organization
5%—Consulting and honoraria: communications, software, forensics, royalties, lectures
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Published online: 4 December 2009
Published in print: December 4, 2009
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