Washington D.C, Sept. 2, 2022 — The Sozosei Foundation recently awarded the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF) a two-year, $230,000 grant in support of the American Psychiatric Association/APAF Diversity Leadership Fellowships. These fellowships provide professional development opportunities to psychiatry residents from diverse backgrounds and residents who are committed to serving minority and vulnerable populations.

APA/APAF Diversity Leadership Fellows receive mentorship at multiple levels throughout APA; attend professional courses and workshops at APA meetings and more broadly within the medical profession; and attain leadership experience serving on councils, committees and workgroups. They also establish relationships and peer-mentorship with a diverse group of resident fellows with similar career interests and goals, and most have historically gone on to hold prominent leadership positions within the field of community psychiatry.

The Sozosei Foundation believes an opportunity exists to make measurable progress to decriminalize mental illness and eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for diagnosis and treatment by increasing access to mental health care in communities. The APA/APAF Diversity Leadership Fellows Program, anchored in community psychiatry and service, will help advance those efforts.

"The American Psychiatric Association Foundation has an impressive history of innovative, approaches to solving the nation's most pressing mental health issues. We are honored to partner with APAF and to learn alongside them through their thoughtful work," said Melissa M. Beck, Esq., executive director of the Sozosei Foundation.

"We are grateful to the Sozosei Foundation for understanding the importance of a diverse leadership to the future of psychiatry and the immeasurable benefits of culturally competent care," said APAF Executive Director Rawle Andrews, Jr., Esq. "Sozosei’s mission is well-aligned with our vision of a mentally healthy nation for all, and these grants will enhance the professional lives of many future leaders in the medical profession."

More information on the APA/APAF Diversity Leadership Fellowship.

About the Sozosei Foundation

The Sozosei Foundation is a philanthropic arm of Otsuka. The Foundation's primary focus is to eliminate the use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness by improving access to mental health care in communities. In addition to our primary focus on the decriminalization of mental illness, the Sozosei Foundation also supports efforts to build resilient, healthy, and vibrant communities in Stockton, California; City of Baltimore, Maryland; and Camden, Newark, Patterson, and Trenton, New Jersey, and engages in disaster relief and recovery in places where Otsuka has a presence globally.

American Psychiatric Association Foundation

The American Psychiatric Association Foundation is the philanthropic and educational arm of APA. The APA Foundation promotes awareness of mental illnesses and the effectiveness of treatment, the importance of early intervention, access to care, and the need for high-quality services and treatment through a combination of public and professional education, research, research training, grants, and awards.

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 37,000 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.