I am honored to have been nominated to serve as your APA Secretary. As Immediate Past Speaker of the Assembly and Area 2 Board Trustee from 2002 to 2008, I have had the opportunity to work for you in the APA on the critical issues that affect each of us in our daily work as psychiatrists and to prepare to serve as your Secretary.
We are facing an avalanche of challenges in healthcare from the new world of healthcare reform, to the old issues of lack of access to care for our patients. As a public sector psychiatrist I face daily the shortage of needed psychiatric services, the marginalization of psychiatrists in our systems of care, and the chronically low reimbursement for care we provide. In our offices we are dealing with new electronic communications, new Maintenance of Certification requirements, new coding rules, new insurance exchanges, new roles in integrated care and new training needs for our residents.
The APA can be the “Go To” association that each of us turn to for help with these challenges. The APA is our voice on issues and while it can’t solve all our problems it can advocate in our interest and help us manage and grow with change. Moving ahead the APA needs to be more diverse, more focused on engaging and keeping our younger members, more helpful in where and how we practice and more facile in facing new challenges. In my day job as CEO for the public hospitals in Queens in New York City and in my leadership roles in the APA I have gathered experience in solving challenges, in advocacy and in improving the day to day practice of psychiatrists.
I would be honored to continue to use my skills and experience for the benefit of our members and our patients.
Experience
Sr. Vice President Queens Health Network, New York City Public Hospitals System 2006- present
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Mt. Sinai School of Medicine 2004- present
Speaker of the APA Assembly 2011-2012
Area 2 Trustee APA Board 2002-2008
Legislative Representative NY County District Branch 1998-2009
Professional Activities
80 % Administration Public Sector Hospital System Queens, New York City
10 % Direct Clinical Care Adult Psychiatry
10% Teaching, advocacy and community service
Professional Income
100 % employed NY City Health and Hospitals Corporation
