When the Board of Trustees concluded that APA Annual Meeting could not be held due to travel and large-gathering restrictions in Philadelphia associated with the outbreak of COVID-19, it was a painful, but correct decision. Many of our members depend on the Annual Meeting to earn their CME credits, hone their clinical skills, learn about the latest in groundbreaking research, and network with friends and colleagues from all over the world.

In light of the health risks associated with this outbreak, and with many of our members at home caring for patients or involved in the public health response, we wanted to provide a digital alternative that would give members a chance to earn the CME credits they need and to learn about the latest research in psychiatry. With that in mind, APA is hosting a spring Virtual Highlights Meeting – a two-day, online program with an amazing group of presenters, at no cost to participants.

The free, live, online meeting will take place Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, starting at noon each day. Virtual attendees will be able to earn up to 10 AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credits™ and 8 hours of MOC Part 2 Self-Assessment Credit. Registration for the Spring Highlights Meeting opens on April 17.

Sessions include a presentation on physician leadership during times of crisis from Dr. Patrice Harris, President of the AMA; remarks from APA leadership; updates from directors of federal mental health agencies; presentations on emerging clinical topics and the rapidly changing practice of psychiatry; and more. You can learn more about the program and speakers at psychiatry.org/SpringHighlights.

I have to give my thanks and appreciation to Dr. Tristan Gorrindo and all of the APA staff who worked tirelessly to create this digital alternative to the in-person Annual Meeting. Their effort and adaptability in a crisis really demonstrate just what a wonderful organization APA is.

This has been a challenging start to the year for all of us, but I believe that better times are ahead for our patients and our profession. Over the course of these past two years while I served as President-elect and then President, I have remained optimistic for our future, especially when I have seen people come together to work toward a common goal.

We’ve seen bipartisan decisions to fund research about gun violence, something we and other physicians had backed for a very long time. We’ve seen strong funding for minority fellowships, for the National Institute of Mental Health, NIDA, NIAA AND SAMHSA, and we’ve seen H.R. 6 pass, which made strong steps to combat the opioid epidemic.

No matter what happens over the course of this summer and in November, APA and my successors in leadership, and our membership at large must continue to make advocacy and educating our lawmakers a priority, and we must take advantage of bipartisan agreement whenever we can.

Meanwhile, I hope you’ll join me in participating in the Virtual Highlights Meeting, where some of the finest minds in our profession will share their knowledge and experience with us and help plot a course for the future of psychiatry.