APA Elects Dr. Bruce Schwartz as President-Elect

Feb 09, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) have chosen Bruce J. Schwartz, M.D., as its next president-elect. The results were released today but are not official until the APA Board of Directors confirms the election at its March meeting.

Schwartz is the Deputy Chairman and a Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He has served numerous leadership roles at APA, including currently as the Treasurer of the APA and chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Investment Oversight Committee, Finance and Budget Committee and Board of the APA Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Association of NYC and was the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Psychotherapy from 2012 to 2017.

"Too many Americans with mental illness are untreated because of stigma and discrimination," Schwartz said. “The APA needs to take the lead advocating for them. We can do that by championing collaborative care, telepsychiatry and other innovative delivery methods. I am excited about this opportunity to lead the APA and work with our members to advocate for better care.”.

"Congratulations to Bruce Schwartz and the other candidates on their election! I look forward to working with everyone in the coming years to advance psychiatric practice and continue elevating the APA as a leader in mental health," said APA President Anita Everett, M.D.

Among Schwartz’s priorities as APA president, when he assumes that role in May 2019, are:

• Mandate parity benefit - Aggressively pursue psychiatric care as a mandated benefit in any alternatives to the Affordable Care Act.
• Enhance reimbursement - Advocate for enhanced reimbursement for psychiatric treatments and the collaborative and integrated care CPT codes.
• Fight unsafe prescribing - Develop a more effective strategy and action plan to fight unsafe prescribing.
• Find affordable solutions - Find practical and affordable solutions to maintenance of certification requirements.
• Improve education - Develop additional performance in practice and educational modules and support the patient registry (PsychPRO) as an APA benefit.
• Fund new training positions - Pressure Congress to fund new residency and fellowship training positions.
• Enhance funding - Advocate for enhanced funding of psychiatric / neuroscience research and anti-stigma campaigns.

Schwartz's term as president-elect of the APA, once confirmed by the board, will begin this May at the conclusion of the APA Annual Meeting in New York City, when current President-Elect Altha Stewart, M.D., begins her one-year term as president.

Other successful APA leadership candidates who will take office after the APA Annual Meeting in May 2018 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 37,800 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and research of mental illnesses. APA’s vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information please visit www.psychiatry.org.

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