Mental Health Innovation Zone Returns to San Francisco

After a three-year hiatus, APA’s Mental Health Innovation Zone (MHIZ) will return as an in-person component of the Annual Meeting this year. Fittingly, the grand return will be in San Francisco, the northern tip of Silicon Valley and the host of APA’s last in-person MHIZ, in 2019.

The MHIZ—a lounge-like space adjacent to the Exhibit Hall—will bring together innovators and entrepreneurs to explore the future of mental health care. The centerpiece will be the main stage, which will host 8 to 10 hours of panel sessions from experts in both academia and industry over the course of the meeting. Though final details are being hashed out, past presentations that took place in the MHIZ have included hands-on demonstrations of virtual reality programs and discussions on how social media is impacting mental health care.

There will also be two competitions at this year’s event. In addition to the Psychiatry Innovation Lab, where up and coming entrepreneurs pitch their ideas for improving or disrupting mental health care, the MHIZ will host APA’s MindGames. This Jeopardy-style trivia contest will feature three teams of psychiatry residents vying for bragging rights. Here are this year’s finalists:

Between the planned sessions, attendees can strike up a conversation with some of their fellow tech enthusiasts, visit the SMI Adviser station to learn more about educational opportunities offered through this program, or just relax. (Attendees are also encouraged to check out the Exhibit Hall, which will feature a Mind & Body Pavilion with a massage therapist, painting, and board games.)

Updates on the MHIZ’s programming and information about past events can be found here. ■

MindGames will be held on Sunday, May 21, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Psychiatry Innovation Lab will be held on Monday, May 22, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.