Candidate for 2026 Treasurer

Biography

Dr. Gia Merlo is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a committed leader within the organization. She is the Founding Chair of the APA Caucus on Lifestyle Psychiatry, Chair of the 2025 APA Workgroup on Lifestyle Psychiatry, and a member of the APA Scientific Program Committee, and was honored with the APA Presidential Commendation Award in 2025.

With a longstanding dedication to advancing the APA’s mission, Merlo has worked to both expand the concepts of medical professionalism and integrate evidence-based lifestyle approaches into psychiatry/nursing/medicine. Her work in the field of medical professionalism encompasses concepts such as spirituality, physician well-being, communication, and organizational issues, including the challenges faced by aging physicians. In lifestyle interventions, her work focuses on the bidirectional relationship between physical and mental health, the role of social determinants, and the application of behavioral medicine principles in psychiatric practice.

Merlo is an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). She is the past Chair of ACLM’s Mental and Behavioral Health Member Interest Group and has contributed to both the 3rd and 4th editions of ACLM’s Board Review Course. In 2025, she received ACLM’s Health System/Agency Special Recognition Award.

She is the author of four academic books, including Lifestyle Psychiatry: Through the Lens of Behavioral Medicine (2023), which redefines the field by incorporating social and psychological dimensions of care. Her most recent work, Restack: A New Approach to Dismantle the Blocks Holding You Back, translates these ideas for a broader audience, promoting psychological flexibility and self-compassion.

Merlo brings to the APA Board nearly 30 years of experience in medical education, professional development, and clinician mental health. She has served on multiple nonprofit boards and remains deeply committed to advancing psychiatric leadership, innovation, and care through service to the APA.

As a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Merlo sees patients at NYU Langone Health’s Faculty Group Practice. She has nearly 30 years of experience in medical education, professional development, and clinician mental health. She has served on multiple nonprofit boards and especially enjoys helping to mentor the next generation of psychiatrists.

Education

• M.Ed., Master of Education in the Health Professions, Research Track, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
• M.B.A., Executive MBA Program, Fox School of Business, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Adult Psychiatry Residency, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• M.D., Nagarjuna University, India

Awards and Honors

• Presidential Commendation Award, American Psychiatric Association
• Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
• Fellow, American College of Lifestyle Medicine
• Master Teacher Fellow, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
• Houston Women’s Magazine, Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of 2018
• Favorite Professor Award, Rice University Scholar Athletes
• American Psychoanalytic Association Fellow