Title: Message from the Chair
Author:
Section/SPIG: Mental Health
Issue Date:
This year has gone by fast. It seems like just a short time ago that we met in San Francisco. But the APHA cycle goes on, and here we are set to convene again, this time in Washington, D.C. I’m always amazed at how this all comes together – how people consistently come up with great things to present, program chairs get all those abstracts put together in thematic sessions, and a terrific program emerges.
It’s happened again; this year’s program, shepherded by Rani and Majur Desai (to my knowledge the first husband-wife program chairs) looks outstanding. A synopsis of the program is included here, and the full program can be found on the Section Web site. Many thanks to the Desais for their efforts, and to all those who submitted and reviewed abstracts.
Our sessions range from medical comorbidity to terrorism, criminal justice to children’s mental health services, and much in between. New fields of inquiry, such as autism, are the topics of entire sessions. Once again, we’ll all be faced with decisions about which concurrent sessions to pick. One departure from previous years is the elimination of the breakfasts. We will continue to use these time slots, but as we discussed at the Winter meeting, our financial situation is a bit precarious this year, and these breakfasts are VERY expensive. I think most of us can get coffee and bring it to the sessions. We can decide if we really miss the food, and if so, whether we want to reinstitute the breakfasts next year.
Other highlights, including awards ceremonies and the social, are included in this newsletter, described by the various chairs who arranged them. A fun Section social, at a great Chinese restaurant that features what we hear is terrific food and a great atmosphere, will give us a chance to honor this year’s Section Award winner, Past-Chair Janice Cohen, and to catch up with all of our friends and colleagues. Again, thanks to all the people who have worked so hard to make this year’s APHA meeting a success.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all in D.C. We have a number of tasks ahead of us, including a discussion of recruiting, tasks to be undertaken in the coming year, etc., etc. Travel safely!
With best wishes,
Bill Fisher
Section Chair
September 2004