By Dr. Badr Ratnakaran
Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion SOM
Roanoke, VA
The 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) was held in San Francisco, California, May 20-24.
The APA president, Dr. Rebecca Brendal, discussed the efforts of the APA during her presidential year in creating a roadmap for the future of psychiatry and addressing unprecedented opportunities in patient care including; addressing loneliness, increasing residency slots in psychiatry, advancing the DSM and clinical practice guidelines in the management of psychiatric disorders. Actress and activist Miss Ashley Judd, provided the keynote address during the opening session and spoke about her life as an advocate for treating mental illness and substance use disorders.
The incoming president of the APA, Dr. Petros Levonis, presented his vision for this presidential term on addiction treatment and the need for collaborating with other specialties for it. The main guest for the Convocation of Distinguished Fellows of the APA was Miss Beth Macy, author of Dopesick. She also discussed her experiences on writing about the opioid addiction crises in the USA and how Medication-Assisted treatment is lifesaving for patients.
Dr. Robert L. Trestman, the chair of the APA Council on Healthcare Systems and Financing and the Department of Psychiatry, Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, had served as the Chair of the Presidential Work Group on the Future of Psychiatry and presented their recommendations during the meeting. Dr. Trestman was awarded the Presidential Award by the APA President, Dr. Rebecca Brendal, for his work for the APA.
Many residents and psychiatrists from Virginia presented their scholarly work with posters and sessions during the meeting. I presented two sessions on climate change and mental of health of older adults, and ageism against older adults.
The 2024 Annual meeting of the APA is scheduled to be held in New York May 4-8, 2024.
