Special Sessions Designed for Residents, Young Investigators

A special track of sessions focusing on health services research has been planned for APA's 2006 Institute on Psychiatric Services, which is being held October 5 to 8 in New York City.

The goal of the new track is to highlight the implications of recent research findings on health services for psychiatric practice, introduce psychiatry residents to the field of health services research, and update clinicians on innovative and practical approaches for improving mental health care.

The track will benefit public-sector psychiatrists and those working in systems of care. Among the offerings are two symposia, two lectures, and special programming for residents and young investigators.

The track begins on Thursday, October 5, with the symposium“ Monitoring Depression Severity: Clinical Applications in Psychiatry.” Presenters will update clinicians on the systematic management of depression using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). A simple quantitative instrument, the PHQ-9 holds significant promise for improving the treatment of depression by equipping physicians with a standardized tool for monitoring severity.

On Friday, October 6, Mark Olfson, M.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, will present the lecture “Antidepressant Medication and Suicidality.” He will provide a clinical update of the latest research findings on this controversial issue.

Later that day, Olfson will be one of the participants in the “Meet the Experts Luncheon,” a special event for psychiatry residents only.

On Saturday, October 7, the Health Services Research Breakfast will be held. The breakfast is designed to give psychiatry residents and young investigators an opportunity to interact with senior investigators in the health services research field. The recipients of the Health Services Research Early Career Award and Senior Scholar award will be recognized at the breakfast. Attendance at the breakfast is limited to preregistered psychiatry residents and young investigators.

Following the breakfast, the Division of Services and Intervention Research (DSIR) of the National Institute of Mental Health is sponsoring a symposium on the institute's major clinical-trial studies. Presenters will review the studies' scope, methodologies, and latest findings, with emphasis on the implications for psychiatric practice and research. These studies include the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE), Sequential Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR^*D), Treatment of Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS), and Systematic Treatment Enhancement for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD).

The session will be chaired by DSIR Director Philip Wang, M.D. Among the presenters are, for CATIE, Jeffrey Lieberman, M.D., chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons; for STAR^*D, A. John Rush, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Southwestern Medical Center; for TADS, Benedetto Vitiello, chief of Child and Adolescent Treatment and Preventive Intervention Branch at DSIR; and for STEP-BD, Gary Sachs, M.D., director of the Bipolar Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The Health Services Research Track will conclude on Sunday morning, October 8, with the lecture “Disparities in Mental Health Care: What Does Research Tell Us?,” presented by Annelle Primm, M.D., M.P.H., director of APA's Office of Minority/National Affairs. She will provide an update and overview on disparities in mental health care and treatment for minority populations.

If you would like more information about the track, please contact me by phone at (703) 907-8623 or by e-mail at [email protected].▪