Donna M. Norris, MD

Candidate for APA President-elect

Dear Colleagues/Friends,

I am honored to be a nominee for President-elect of the American Psychiatric Association and I am asking for your support in this 2007-08 election.

Engaged in the full-time private practice of child, adolescent, adult, and forensic psychiatry and with over thirty years of active APA involvement, I have served as Speaker of the Assembly, Vice Chair of Government Relations, and Chair of the Constitutional Membership Committee. Currently, I am on the Board of Trustees as your Secretary-Treasurer, whose duties include providing clear and accurate records of the Board of Trustees actions and providing transparent financial reports to the membership, the Board and the Assembly. As the APA prepares for the publishing of the DSM-V, the Secretary-Treasurer's role has expanded to include chairing the Board's Ad Hoc Task Force on Disclosures and Interests, which vets all participants in our Association's major scientific work. Additional responsibilities include chairing the Audit Committee, and serving on all financial committees of the Association. Since my introduction to the APA as a resident Falk Fellow, my work and leadership has focused on the areas of advocacy for patients and members, including mentorship for young psychiatrists, advocacy for minority and underrepresented groups, and building stronger alliances with our allied subspecialty organizations. These encompass APA values and goals and are central to our successful work as a profession.

Given the opportunity to become President of the APA, I will continue to work hard and with sustained dedication for the rights of our patients, advocating for our members, and for the future of our Association. We live in a changing world facing many challenges including the reduction in access to care for the mentally ill, and the systematic under funding of services to our patients. We must stand up to those who seek to minimize the science of our profession, intimidate our patients with stigma, and trivialize our medical values to keep the welfare of all of our patients as our highest goal. The next few years will be critical decision-making years for our country as states and now the federal government debate the importance of developing a national system of health care.

This is an important election. Your participation and creative energies are needed to meet these challenges for the future. I ask for your support and look forward to our continued collaborative work on behalf of our patients and the profession.

Best regards,

 Donna M. Norris, M.D.