A. PERSPECTIVE

In my view, the APA restructuring process has been on-going for almost seven years. Phase One was the transition to the new Medical Director. Phase Two involved the identification of major functional problems throughout APA, the establishment of performance standards and accountability and the development of the Strategic Goals and Priorities as restructuring guides. Currently, we are in Phase III. For the first time in APA's history, we are doing budgeting consistent with APA's priorities. All aspects of APA from the central office (where the bulk of APA's budget is spent) to the member-leadership structures (the Assembly, Board of Trustees and APA components) will be affected. The stakes are very high. Our survival hinges on our building a new APA to better serve our members' needs, ensure uncompromised quality service for our patients through excellence in education, training and research and provide powerful advocacy for patients and our profession

B. MY QUALIFICATIONS

• foreign born and US educated
• comprehensively trained (Child/Adolescent Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst and Forensic Psychiatrist)
• intimate knowledge of practice as solo practitioner
• excellence in teaching the bio-psycho-social model in psychotherapy
• intimate knowledge of stressors of marriage and parenthood as wife and mother of three sons
• over two decades of service to APA at DB/Area and Assembly/Board with demonstrated commitment, ability to work with others and effectiveness in constructive activism for change in ethics, legislative and public affairs
• worked on Phase I of APA restructuring on the APA Board, as your Trustee-at-Large, ensuring a successful transition to the new APA Medical Director
• worked on Phase II and now on Phase III restructuring APA as your Treasurer

C. MY VALUES

• named plaintiff in the Holsten et al. v. Greenspring antirust suit, fighting for fairness for clinicians and quality care for our patients
• legislative, public-relations, regulatory and litigation initiatives for manage care accountability
• protect psychiatric scope of practice
• real parity (including substance abuse and psychotherapy)
• confidentiality and privacy of medical records
• genuine patient choice of health plans and physicians
• health care options, including point of service, medical savings accounts and private contracting
• freedom for direct negotiation by individual professionals and groups on fees and quality standards of care regardless of system of care
• elimination of discriminatory practices against IMGs
• fight for quality psychiatric training for MITs in all training settings including the military
• expand practice opportunities for MITs, ECPs and board eligible psychiatrists
• ensure that the new Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education assists academic training centers and fosters research opportunities in neuroscience, psychotherapy, the psychiatric needs of children and minorities and the psychiatric aspects of racism and domestic violence
• preserve autonomous clinical decision-making by psychiatrists, regardless of system of care
• insist on realistic payment rates for psychiatric care in all systems of care

D. THE TASKS

As your Treasurer in Phases III and IV, I will ensure

• the fiscal integrity of APA through the APA restructuring and corporate reorganization
• the full integration of all APA publishing operations in one corporate entity while preserving APPI's outstanding track record of excellence in psychiatric publishing
• that APA's major investment in an integrated communication system truly serves APA, its members, DBs/Areas
• that APA's major investment in membership recruitment and retention is a coordinated effort involving DBs/Areas in a new partnership aimed at cost-savings and improved efficiency
• dues reduction as part of APA reorganization
• APA revenue-sharing with DBs as part of the new integrated DB/APA partnership for legislative and public affairs advocacy with strategic force capability
• dues reduction for psychiatrists with multiple subspecialty memberships through organizational cooperation
• efforts for non-dues income generation, consistent with our ethics and values.