Psychiatry is facing multiple challenges. Our survival as a field is at stake. To meet these challenges, we have to clearly focus on who we are, what we do, stay united and determined and single-mindedly pursue our mission: quality psychiatric care for our patients and their families. We have to embrace CHANGE and INNOVATION.

We have to learn to lead the change, instead of passively following it. It is not enough to uncompromisingly fight to expose every abusive/corrupt system of care "by all means necessary". We have to demonstrate that we, the owners of psychiatric knowledge, are indispensable and that when we participate in the design, management and delivery of patient care in a variety of systems and settings, ethical quality patient care is achieved. We cannot do this alone. We have to work with others.

APA is here to assist the owners of psychiatric knowledge, our members, in accomplishing this mission. APA has to first demonstrate, to its members, its capacity to learn to lead the change in the new millennium by implementing the much talked about and widely anticipated re-structuring. The APA Board has to work closely with the Assembly and our new Medical Director in order to accomplish this task. This is a tall order, but half measures will not do. We need leadership with wisdom and courage at the APA Board. My 26 years of experience as a solo private practitioner, teacher, educator and consultant to various institutions, along with my leadership in various organizations and at all APA levels for the last 23 years will be of use at this historic time.