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Meetings

The Institute of Psychiatric Services
The Institute is held each fall in a different geographic location from where the Annual Meeting is held that year. It is a four-and one-half-day, interdisciplinary forum that is open to all APA members and to employees of all psychiatric and related health and educational facilities and agencies. The program often centers around a main theme that is developed by the Scientific Program Committee chairperson and reflected through lectures by leading experts in the field (including an address by the current APA president), full day sessions, industry-supported symposia, multimedia sessions, lectures, workshops, symposia, poster sessions, and CME courses and other formats where there are opportunities to discuss problems, programs and trends. Participants include senior staff from psychiatric facilities and agencies across the United States, Canada, and other countries. Visit our meetings page for information about the current IPS. 

Assembly Meeting
This meeting will provide an excellent opportunity to discuss and debate crucial issues facing psychiatry and our association as well as provide an opportunity for you to meet and network with your colleagues nationwide. Check the Assembly website for more information. 

What happens at the Assembly?
The whole Assembly gathers, which is about 300+ people, and we are seated according to Areas, and there is a top dais with the Chairpersons of each area, the trustees, the president and other executive officials, and of course the speaker. We meet in Plenary sessions, which include the whole Assembly. There will be the opening one Friday afternoon, then one on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  After the plenary sessions there usually are Area Council caucuses. We gather together in a room, usually with light refreshments provided, and debate what is coming up, what we might be bringing up, and sometimes we are "lobbied" such as by candidates for senior positions, or occasionally by people from other Areas wanting to 'push' an action paper or issue of theirs. The other addition is that many people from each of the Areas get appointed to what are called Reference Committees, which look over new Action Papers and attempt to evaluate them, sometimes suggesting major revisions, if necessary. This will then be brought to the Assembly plenary, and the author (s) of the paper will be given the choice to go ahead (which is risky if it has already been viewed negatively by the Reference Committee) or to withdraw it and have another go at it in the months before the next assembly. There are also various awards, eulogies if people who were well-known have died, and sometimes presentations by APA staff people or others on interesting issues.
     Adapted with permission from Joseph Berger, MD  

APA Annual Meeting
The APA Annual Meeting includes a business meeting, an annual forum, the scientific program, meetings of the Board and Assembly, and meetings of some councils and components of the APA. Functions include an opening ceremony with the presidential address and response and convocation of fellows. Check the meeting website for all the events organized for ECPs by ECPs.