Innovate. Collaborate. Motivate: Charting the future of mental health was our theme for the 2023 APA Annual Meeting. It also serves as the perfect template to share highlights in our newsletter this quarter.
Innovate. Let’s start with the Annual Meeting: there were several innovative DDHE-hosted sessions that focused on topics like LGBTQ+ gender-affirming care, social and political determinants of mental health, rural residence and mental health inequities, and many more. I hope you enjoy the recaps.
Collaborate. July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and APA is collaborating with community organizations to bring more awareness to mental health inequities facing our young people of color. In addition to the 5K event and community mental health fair, we will host our first mental health youth summit in partnership with Washington, D.C.'s Marion Barry Youth Leadership Institute and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health.
Motivate. I’m sure you will be motivated by the inspiring words shared by our mental health equity champion, Dr. Dionne Hart. She shares inspiring personal stories about how and why she became involved in organized medicine.
Charting the Future of Mental Health. And how can we talk about the future of mental health without highlighting our psychiatry fellows? We will share with you the fascinating capstone projects presented by our SAMHSA fellows during the Annual Meeting.
We hope this update serves to inform you, our members, of APA’s collective work to #AchieveMentalHealthEquity.
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together” - Desmond Tutu
Regina James, M.D.,
Chief, Division of Diversity & Health Equity,
Deputy Medical Director,
American Psychiatric Association
Mental Health Equity Spotlight: Dionne Hart, M.D.
Dr. Hart is board certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine and licensed in both Illinois and Minnesota. She is also an adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry at Mayo Clinic and medical director of Care from the Heart.
2023 MOORE Equity in Mental Health 5K on Saturday, June 29
Run, walk, and roll with us in person or virtually at the 3rd Annual APA Moore Equity in Mental Health 5K and help us reach our fundraising goal of $100,000. All proceeds benefit the APA Foundation MOORE Equity in Mental Health Community Grants Program, which supports community organizations promoting mental health for young people of color.
Join a 5K Fundraising Team
Each of the seven APA Minority and Underrepresented (M/UR) Caucuses has created a fundraising team and we encourage you to join the Caucuses and their efforts or create a team for your own District Branch.
Meet the 2023 MOORE Equity in Mental Health Grand Marshal: Jay Barnett
Jay Barnett is a former pro football player turned Mental Health Therapist with KBJ Coaching, renowned for his expertise in personal development, holistic well-being, finding your voice, and healing. With a unique perspective shaped by his athletic background, Jay empowers individuals and organizations to overcome obstacles, heal from past traumas, and achieve optimal mental health. We're looking forward to his energy and expertise in-person on race day, and at our other MOORE Equity in Mental Health Initiative events throughout July!
Diversity and Health Equity at the 2023 APA Annual Meeting
APA/APAF SAMHSA Minority Fellows at the 2023 Annual Meeting
During APA’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco, APA/APAF’s SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program(MFP) fellows had an opportunity to present their work during the 2nd Annual SAMHSA MFP Poster Session.
Translating Between the Social and Political Determinants of Health
In their 2023 APA Annual Meeting session, Eric Rafla-Yuan, M.D., Mandar Jadhav, M.D., and Devika Bhushan, M.D., shared their policy and advocacy expertise on making an upstream impact to address inequities in health outcomes.
Creating Spanish/English Networks to Support Mental Health of Hispanic/Latinx Communities
“You are an agent of change,” emphasized Tatiana Falcone, M.D., a panelist on the 2023 APA Annual Meeting session “Creating Spanish/English Networks to Support Mental Health of Hispanic/Latinx Communities.”
The Intersection of Mental Health, Policing and Race in a Crisis Response
In their 2023 APA Annual Meeting Session, Drs. Dionne Hart, Mathew Goldman, and Mrs. Taun Hall discussed the impact of law enforcement involvement in mental health crisis response situations.
The Cumulative Effect of Rural Residence, Mental Health Care Disparities and Communities of Color
“Don’t sleep on a rural setting.” This poignant comment came from an audience member at the 2023 APA Annual Meeting session, “The Cumulative Effect of Rural Residence, Mental Health Care Disparities and Communities of Color.”
LGBT Primary Care and Gender Affirming Care for Children and Adolescents
In her 2023 APA Annual Meeting session “LGBT Primary Care and Gender Affirming Care for Children and Adolescents,” Dr. Shamieka Dixon provided a comprehensive look at gender-affirming care for youths and what that entails not only for young patients, but also for their families and caregivers.
Standardizing Outcomes with APA’s PsychPRO Data Registry
For psychiatrists, quality improvement in a field without objective concrete data can be a challenge. PsychPRO, APA’s national mental health registry was launched seven years ago to bridge the gap between quantifying standardized outcomes and measuring improvement in quality of care.
Culture Corner: The Impact of Film and Poetry on Mental Health with Fiona Fonseca, M.D., M.S.
Dr. Fiona Fonseca is a consultation-liaison psychiatry fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Their current fellowship focuses on transgender medicine and reproductive psychiatry. They have a special interest in cultural psychiatry, psychotherapy, medical ethics, physician well-being, and advocacy.