The APA Foundation’s Melvin Sabshin, M.D., Library and Archives has launched a new exhibit highlighting the Hispanic community’s contributions to American psychiatry. “Líderes Audaces: Hispanic Pioneers in American Psychiatry,” which debuted on September 17 in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, is presented in both English and Spanish, and available to view in person at APA headquarters in Washington, D.C., or online through early 2025.
The exhibit illuminates the origins of the APA Task Force on Mental Health of Spanish-Speaking People in the U.S., founded in 1970, followed by the Committee of Hispanic Psychiatrists six years later. In 1975, APA established the Simon Bolivar Award to raise awareness of the mental health goals and challenges of Hispanic and Latino individuals; the award is presented annually to a prominent member who advocates for Hispanic mental health through their practice.
Many former winners of the Simon Bolivar Award—some of whom have hailed from Spain and Latin America—are featured in “Líderes Audaces.” “Receiving the Simon Bolivar Award is an incomparable highlight in my 30-year professional career,” said Bernardo Ng, M.D., the 2024 winner of the award and the founding president of the Mexican Consortium of Neuropsychopharmacology. “I have learned that the rule among Hispanic patients is the persistent presence of comorbidities. Therefore, I propose to colleagues who care for Latino patients to consider that ‘psychiatry should never give up on medicine.’”
In addition to sharing the stories of Hispanic trailblazers in American psychiatry, the library exhibit features artifacts from their integration into the field—including a 1964 newsletter on Spanish-speaking psychiatrists in the United States and a metal tray commemorating a joint meeting of APA and the Mexican Society of Neurology and Psychiatry, also in 1964.
“Líderes Audaces” is part of the APA Foundation’s commitment to advocating for Hispanic mental health, which will also include hosting a Hispanic/Latino Executive Leadership Forum at APA headquarters on October 11. Topics to be discussed include the reduction of mental health stigma among Hispanic communities, the APA Foundation’s Mental Health Care Works campaign, and the Foundation’s collaboration with other Hispanic stakeholders within the House of Medicine. This event will also feature APA President-Elect Theresa M. Miskimen-Rivera, M.D., who in 2025 will become the second Latina president in APA history.
“Our Hispanic colleagues have been instrumental in guiding our understanding of the social determinants of mental health and how they can be balanced with expanded access to care,” said Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq., executive director of the APA Foundation. “The APA Foundation’s Library and Archives exhibits serve as a powerful reminder that every community has a role to play in the advancement of psychiatry and mental health awareness.” ■
