Candidate for Member-in-Training Trustee-Elect

Why me?

Fair question. There are many residents who could ably serve on the Board of Trustees. But I possess a unique combination of skills and experiences that I will bring to the Board.

I took a circuitous path to medicine and psychiatry, and this has given me the opportunity to assume leadership positions in a variety of settings. As the managing editor of a daily college newspaper, I had to work with and find common ground among student leaders, faculty, and the university administration. During my time with the Army, I coordinated medical logistical support for humanitarian missions in Honduras. I also set up and ran a residency fair while serving as vice president of my AMA student chapter during my second year of medical school.

My work with the AMA and the Minnesota Medical Association educated me to the issues surrounding organized medicine. I also observed the opportunities and challenges of connecting our profession with the community at a grassroots level. In particular, while serving on the state preventative medicine and public health committee during the debate regarding disbursement of the tobacco settlement funds, I saw how professional activism is essential if our patients’ needs are to be heard amid the din of competing public interests. My current involvement with the Iowa Psychiatric Society has given me exposure to mental health issues—the campaign to grant psychologists prescribing privileges, equitable Medicaid reimbursement, equal insurance coverage for psychiatric illnesses, and so on—that are all too relevant at the national level.

Harnessing the recent advances in technology to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of psychiatrists is a specific interest of mine. I am working with my department to implement an initiative to provide our residents with handheld computers and evaluate the most effective use of this technology. The intent is to publish our findings when the one year study is completed. I hope to use the forum of my position to encourage other residency programs, psychiatry groups, and individuals to undertake similar initiatives. Specifically, I intend to establish a “Blog,” or Web-based online journal, to keep in contact with both members-in-training and established psychiatrists. This journal can be accessed through the APA Web site or my Web site at http://www.kuzma.org.

My leadership skills have been recognized during my residency as well. A fourth-year resident who has demonstrated leadership and administrative skills traditionally fills the role of chief resident. However, given my background and my performance thus far in the residency program, I was selected to serve as the chief resident during my third year of residency.

My experiences, training, and aspirations will offer a unique voice to the Board of Trustees, one that I believe will be an asset in accomplishing its mandate. If you have any questions about my background or my candidacy, please check my candidacy Web site or e-mail me at [email protected].

70%—University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

30%—VA Hospital, Iowa City

100%—Resident stipend at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics