APA's Hidden Gem: The IPS

From October 14 to 17, Boston will be the setting for APA's 2010 APA Institute on Psychiatric Services (IPS). For many members, the IPS is APA's “hidden gem.” Formerly known as the Institute on Hospital and Community Psychiatry, the IPS is a more attractive meeting for many psychiatrists (especially trainees) than APA's annual meeting because of its smaller size and more interactive sessions.

Another plus is that the meeting is held in one hotel (this year it is the Boston Marriott Copley Plaza), and sessions are scheduled to avoid overlapping as much as possible. Also, there is a variety of formats so that material can be presented in the most appropriate setting and allow for interaction among participants.

This year's theme is “Leadership in Discovery and Service: 21st Century Psychiatry,” which echoes the theme I have chosen for my 2011 annual meeting, “Transforming Mental Health Through Leadership, Discovery, and Collaboration.”

The IPS's Scientific Program Committee is being chaired by Dr. Anita Everett, section director of Community and General Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. In the July 16 issue of Psychiatric News, she discussed the importance of the leadership theme. “Being a leader in psychiatry requires being a master clinician as well as being knowledgeable about the context in which we practice. This year's program is designed to convey knowledge and skills to support the leaders and future leaders in our field. Our goal is to make each attendee feel rejuvenated, recharged, and ready to reengage in the practice of psychiatry.”

The seeds of leadership need to be planted early—during residency—and one way that I am learning about the needs of our youngest members has been through a series of town hall meetings that I began during my president-elect year. I am holding another town hall meeting at this year's IPS on Saturday, October 16, from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. for residents and fellows. In these discussions, I am collecting information that will help APA ensure that it is responding to the needs of these important members on whom the future of our field rests.

A highlight of this year's IPS is the keynote speaker at the Opening Session—Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., the Dalio Family Professor in Mood Disorders and co-director of the Mood Disorders Center at Johns Hopkins University. Jamison, author of the best-sellers An Unquiet Mind and Manic Depressive Illness: Bipolar Disorders and Recurrent Depression, is one of this country's most respected researchers on manic-depressive illness.

Registration includes admission to many of the half-day and full-day immersion courses targeted at psychiatrists in clinical practice. These include “Contemporary Issues in Emergency Psychiatry,” chaired by Scott Zeller, M.D.; “Early Interventions in Psychosis” (this is a major topic under discussion for DSM-5), chaired by Ken Duckworth, M.D.; “Boston All Stars Psychopharmacology,” chaired by Donald Goff, M.D.; and “Culturally Appropriate Assessment,” organized by Russell Lim, M.D.

Regardless of the setting in which we practice, mastery of the clinical concepts in these courses will enhance the quality of care our patients receive and will provide attendees with the tools to develop strategies for lifelong learning.

Workshops will focus on a variety of other clinically important topics. Petros Levounis, M.D., will lead the workshop “Advances in the Pharmacotherapy of Alcohol Dependence,” Silvia Olarte, M.D., will lead the workshop “Using Psychodynamic Understanding to Improve Patient Care,” and Neal Stolar, M.D., will lead the workshop “CBT for the Treatment of Schizophrenia.” Thomas Gutheil will address the critical concepts of “Boundary Issues in Clinical Practice.”

On the health policy front, APA members can learn some of the ways in which health care reform is going to impact their patients and their practices in the lecture “Health Care Reform and Mental Health.” It will be presented by Nicholas Meyers, M.D., director of APA's Department of Government Relations. Nick was among the APA staff and members who fought hard on Capitol Hill for provisions in the new health care reform law to benefit people with mental illness.

“Motivational interviewing” has received much coverage in the lay press and has increasingly been used in the treatment of substance abuse and other addictive disorders. Steven Cole, M.D., will be running a workshop on this technique, which is particularly useful for patients who are more refractory to treatment and resistant to change. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will provide toolkits on the latest information on evidence-based services.

I have attended the IPS regularly since I joined APA. What makes the meeting unique is the opportunity to network and collaborate with colleagues from around the country in a more intimate, collegial setting. The meeting has historically been attractive to psychiatry residents and fellows not only because of its practical clinical focus but also because of its smaller size, which is more conducive to meeting and interacting personally with both clinical and scientific leaders in our field. As medicine in the United States increasingly relies on teamwork to treat “the total patient,” the legacy of community psychiatry with its focus on the interdisciplinary team to manage patient care has led the way in highlighting collaboration throughout all of psychiatry.

I hope to see you in Boston. Look for more information on the IPS in future issues, and remember that you can save on fees by registering by September 24.