CANDIDATE FOR MEMBER-IN-TRAINING TRUSTEE-ELECT : Kayla Pope, M.D., J.D.

I am a child and adolescent psychiatry research fellow, training at Children's National Medical Center and the National Institute of Mental Health. My path to psychiatry has been a nontraditional one. I began my professional life as an attorney and mediator, specializing in family law. The greatest sense of achievement I derived from that work was the time I spent advocating for children in abuse and neglect cases and juvenile delinquency proceedings. It was through this work that I discovered my true passion, advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves. I began to take classes and conduct research in the area of child development and, through this work, came to realize my professional calling.

I attended medical school at George Washington University and then completed my adult psychiatry training at the University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt. It was in medical school that I first became involved in organized medicine and developed an appreciation for the impact trainees can have when we pursue an issue with a unified voice. My first involvement was with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, where I worked on developing ways to increase the number of child and adolescent psychiatrists to address the critical shortage. As a medical student, I was able to bring the trainee perspective to our discussions and helped to create solutions that would address the needs of medical students.

During residency, I was fortunate in befriending a child psychiatrist who encouraged me to become involved in the American Medical Association. Though hesitant at first, I have come to value this experience perhaps more than any of the other activities in which I have become involved. The Resident and Fellow Section of the AMA is the great melting pot of trainees, who are passionate, dedicated, and committed. Through my work with the AMA, I was again reminded of the importance of working in a unified way with the diverse voices in medicine. With this body, I have helped develop policy to maintain the quality of residency education and training, increase trainees' awareness of what to expect from training, and address quality-of-life issues during residency, including providing affordable child care.

Through my professional and organizational experiences, I have honed my skills as an advocate and have learned how to bring together people to create consensus and accomplish goals. If elected by my fellow trainees, I would use these skills to make your voice heard. I would want to hear your ideas, but will share with you what my priorities are:

We can accomplish great things if we have the courage to dream and the resolve to bring our ideas to fruition.