WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bruce J. Schwartz, M.D., began his one-year term as President of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) at the conclusion of the APA Annual Meeting in San Francisco on May 22. At the same time Jeffrey Geller, M.D., M.P.H., began his term as APA President-elect.
Schwartz is Professor, Deputy Chair and Clinical Director of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA and has served numerous leadership roles, including Treasurer of the APA and member of the Board of Directors of the APA Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Vibrant Emotional Health (formerly the Mental Health Association of NYC) and chairs their Professional Advisory Board. He is a past Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Psychotherapy.
In his address at the Annual Meeting on May 18, Schwartz outlined several areas of focus for his year as APA president:
- Increasing access to mental health care
- Advancing members' knowledge to ensure they continue to provide the highest quality care
- Continuing to turn the tide on stigma and discrimination around mental illness
"I look forward to working with the APA members and administration, partners and other stakeholders to advance the profession of psychiatry, to address issues of stigma and discrimination, and to advocate for better care of our patients," Schwartz said. "As we take time this year to look back and reflect on the 175 years of APA history, it's also an opportunity to look ahead at what we can accomplish as APA continues to evolve and change."
Other successful APA leadership candidates who took office at the close of the APA Annual Meeting include:
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association, founded in 1844, is the oldest medical association in the country. The APA is also the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 38,500 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses. APAs vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information please visit www.psychiatry.org.