Seminar for Chief Residents Inspires Future Leaders

Last fall, more than 60 chief residents of psychiatry programs from across the United States and Canada traveled to Armonk, N.Y., for a weekend of self-revelation and the development of strategies to resolve leadership dilemmas during their year as chief as well as throughout their career as part of the Chief Residents Leadership Conference (CRLC).

The CRLC—once known as the Tarrytown Leadership Conference due to its former location in Tarrytown, N.Y.—began in 1972 and has continued annually since that time. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 halted the conference for the first time in almost 50 years. That meant residents and the faculty who co-led small and large group sessions during the conference had an especially intense feeling of connection with peers from other programs, CRLC Program Director and former APA President Bruce Schwartz, M.D., told Psychiatric News. “The residents and faculty were happy to end our social distancing. I think part of the success of the meeting was due to the fact that attendees could meet in person and share the experience,” he said.

Others agreed.

“One thing that COVID-19 halted was any interaction between residency programs,” Peter Spyrou, M.D., told Psychiatric News. Spyrou is chief resident of consultation-liaison psychiatry at the Montefiore Medical Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “I especially enjoyed speaking with my peers from other NYC psychiatry residency programs.”

Spyrou noted that the conference taught him to balance the concerns of administrators and residents simultaneously—helping both to feel heard and understood. “I also realized that most residency programs are in some degree of flux, and that as chief resident, it is important to be flexible,” he noted.

Schwartz noted that there was a great deal of praise for the conference from chief residents, who shared that they had gained unique perspectives and received constructive feedback from peers. Among the anonymous feedback provided, one chief resident wrote that the group sessions “really encouraged me to think about my leadership style and be more self-aware, allowing me to be more adaptable.”

Because the COVID-19 pandemic had slowed but not ended, both the CRLC leadership and conference center followed safety measures to protect meeting attendees—for instance, the conference center installed new HVAC systems for improved air circulation and doubled the size of some of the conference rooms.

Faculty ran large and small group sessions with slightly fewer chief residents than in previous years, and as the weather was sunny and warm, some of the groups met outside without masks, according to Schwartz.

“Once again, as I facilitated the group sessions and witnessed the chief residents gain tremendous insight over the course of the weekend, I have great confidence in the next generation of leaders in psychiatry,” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., told Psychiatric News.

APA President-elect Rebecca W. Brendel, M.D., J.D., who also served on the CRLC faculty, noted that “without question, the conference is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for chief residents as they take on leadership roles in our profession. As faculty, we experience the gift of learning alongside the residents and reflecting on our own leadership and accomplishments.” ■

More information about the Chief Residents Leadership Conference is posted here.