MITs Get a Home Away From Home

Members-in-training (MITs) attending APA’s annual meeting in San Francisco will experience something new—a meeting centered around them. The annual meeting is the showcase of APA every year, but can be daunting for younger members who have yet to experience all the meeting has to offer. For many younger members, the meeting can seem impersonal, and they find it challenging to connect with other MITs. Sessions geared toward younger members are often conflicting and set in different locations, and it’s hard to find a place within the large convention hall to call “home.” Additionally, many younger members want a chance to meet and network with national leaders and potential mentors.

After experiencing these frustrations last year, APA’s MIT leadership, with the help of APA staff, undertook a project to consolidate opportunities for MITs in one place throughout the meeting. Called the MIT Center, this room will host many of the MIT-specific sessions throughout the meeting and serve as a place for congregating and networking.

In addition to holding lectures ranging from career navigation to DSM-5 topics, the MIT Center will provide access to leaders in different fields of psychiatry and facilitate networking with other MITs through its open drop-in policy and casual feel between sessions.

The MIT Center, which will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., will be centrally located in the Moscone Convention Center in Room 110. Most of the center’s schedule appears below; a complete schedule is posted at http://www.psychiatry.org/residents and will be available on site. There also will be information on social and networking events at the center and out on the town.

Make sure to drop by and participate in sessions just for you, update your connections, and find out what APA can do for you! ■