Candidate for Member-in-Training Trustee-Elect

We face many challenges as we care for our patients in an era of declining resources and growing demand for our services. Managed care and excessive service requirements are drastically affecting our ability to maintain the best possible training environment for residents as well as undermining our capacity to provide optimal care for patients. Reimbursement, service needs, patient care, and resident learning are not mutually exclusive. They require our comprehensive attention and action. We need the continued advocacy of APA for resident education to benefit our patients and the future of psychiatry.

In seeking the position of MIT trustee-elect, I ask for your support and your vote to pursue the following objectives:

My background: In the early 1990s I worked as a health and education economist for programs in Latin America while on staff at the World Bank. I loved working on international health policy, but the intensity of this work left almost no time for community volunteerism and direct service. This created a void for me and led to a re-evaluation of my circumstances and priorities. I returned to grass-roots service, working in community clinics in Chile on a Fulbright Scholarship while applying to medical school. I attended UCSF for my medical degree and completed my internship at the county hospital in Oakland, Calif. Currently, I am a third-year resident in the MGH/McLean psychiatry program. Additional past experiences include co-leading a homeless men’s support group throughout medical school, translating for doctors in Latino clinics, screening for mental health problems among kids in community pediatric clinics, and volunteering as an EMT with the local ambulance service.

I would be very privileged and honored to represent you on APA’s Board of Trustees. If I can clarify my views or you would like to share your perspectives, please e-mail me at [email protected]. I welcome your questions and input.