Introduction.
First, and foremost, I wished to express my gratitude to AAP President Dr. Luo, the Council and the Selection Committee – and many, many others. But of course, I had to start with will start with learning objectives…as we are educators and some measurable outcomes should be achieved with even the shortest of activities. The listener (reader) will…
My goals are to share a narrative with slides – not power point slides - that may have meaning for others, to make this applicable for a varied audience, including those with short- and long-term participation in the organization, in early- and advanced-career spots. First, I want to thank others – this always unfortunately falls short and never is as grand as it should be…to the people who make AAP special – that is all of you and more. The time together, shared learning experiences and opportunities to explore psychiatry, medicine and education have led to many remarkable relationships, teaching skills, mentoring work and much more. I have always received more than I have given. In some walks of life, the philosophy is that you cannot keep anything that you do not freely give (away) to others – how true. I could not have been in the ballpark without all of the mentors, but I will start with thanking the
My opening slide (the globe) was chosen to highlight a sense of community, teamwork, and the diversity of our patients, trainees, colleagues and world. I am only beginning on a path to cultural competency through the work of patients, the UC Davis faculty, and other contributors worldwide. My family reflects this in terms of my marriage, kids and our many paths – including mine from a community of less than 1,000 inhabitants in Ohio, to the U. of Cincinnati College of Medicine, California Pacific Medical Center in SF, UC Davis, to USC in LA. My wife, Yvette, is a third-generation Mexican American, works in HR, and is doing a master’s in organizational leadership at St. Mary’s University. The oldest daughter, Sarah, is doing maternal and child health in the Peace Corps and stationed in Madagascar (also visible in the slide). The son, Armani, is in college at Pasadena City College in LA and daughter Lilly is in high school – and a soccer star. Most of the family is in Ohio and Indiana. My path in AAP started when I was told, “Don, you should go to AAP if you want to be a good teacher, ” by Dr. Robert Hales. I volunteered for the Program Committee in 1996, took over workshops in 1997 and served as Chair in 1999 (Vancouver) and 2000 (Santa Fe): Josepha Cheong, Tom Ungar, Michele Pato, Mary Kay Smith, Don Misch and others! From there it went towards serving as an Officer, President, Advisor and Liaison/Ambassador to other organizations. My narrative may have a few suggestions or messages for you. Slide #2 – Cartoon: Aim For Excellence, but we should always be “decent human beings”.
Slide #3 – Image: More Minds Are Better Than One…a depiction of shared ideas, mental models and social networking.
Slide #4 – Cartoon: Humility…a person on a stage for an audition is told “we are looking for someone with talent” – not true, many say, as attitude and hard work often triumph.
Slide #5 – Cartoon: “I am a gladiator but that is just to put food on the table. What I really want to do is teach."
Slide #6 – Image: A Box of chocolates – diverse and lots to choose from – like opportunities as a doctor, teacher and AAP member.
Slide #7 – Image: A Roller Coaster. Suggested DO’S are Service, Integrity and Honesty, and Share the Credit. Don’t: stoop to others’ level when they are not doing well, distort situations, split constituencies, do something that you think is wrong and be too critical.
Slide #8 – Image: Many Question Marks. You are smart, and you answer a lot of questions. You can handle just about any question. But are you asking the ‘right’ question(s)?
Slide #9 – A Pearl in a Shell. Tips for the start of the day: Do one nice thing for you or partner. Tips for the end of the day: “What one person do I want to thank?” or “What one thing will I try to do better?”
Slide #10 – Quote: “Moving Fast is Not the Same as Going Somewhere."
Slide #11 – Image: A Collage of ‘Thank You’s.
Strong Points, Challenges and Needs for Constituencies in AAP
AAP membership has advantages or a pretty clear core identity, smaller size, personal touches with communication, and feasibility of targets in faculty development. One of our challenges is that many folks start as clerkship, service (e.g., psychosomatic), course and/or other project directors and then they move up – sometimes they “have” to attend competing meetings. AAP has become better linked with other psychiatric organizations and national medical education organizations like the AAMC (e.g., MedEdPortal).
All levels of faculty – early and advanced – need “bread and butter” growth in teaching and evaluation (e.g., setting objectives, learning methods and targeting outcomes/evaluation). Specifically, there is a lot of issues with the design and evaluation of a flipped classroom. Instructional technology is also new to some and is a lifelong endeavor for others. Academic scholarship including portfolios and documentation of impact is increasingly important – the growth and maturity of Academic Psychiatry under the direction of Laura Roberts, MD, President of AAP in 2004 – speaks for itself and it has been a significant force in so many regards. Our work with MedEdPortal, portable curricula (the Canadian members and AADPRT lead here), interactive presentations, and networking are stupendous. CVs and e-portfolios help us develop and organize a real educational portfolio – it facilitates peer review, too.
A key long-term initiative has been a faculty development, mentoring and leadership development. Some members have mentors at home, with APA, AADPRT, ADMSEP and/or other organizations (e.g., AAMC). Mentoring is always a standby in our professional organizations AND from an administrative point-of-view, it is efficient. Why? It helps the early-career person with a specific skill or general path and it keeps the advanced-career faculty involved, “included” (aka, valued), and sharp! There are lots of questions: 1) Is it available locally or at a distance? 2) How do we better meet the needs of women, minorities, and new generations? 3) What kind of culture is needed to promote wellness? 4) Should we focus more on transitions – folks to other roles (and who fills their shoes?
In addition to the above topics, personal and professional balance is discussed more as most are better aware of issues for women and minorities, as well as the impact of generational factors in career paths (e.g., X, Millennial). There is more focus wellness, healthy habits and lifestyle. Our group wondered how much we discuss this with medical students in orientation and advising – one school added wellness days for students. For faculty, do we notice when others are dissonant and what do we do? Is there enough peer-, team-, and inter-level support? How do we deal with career obstacles, anxiety, time limitations and get advice from a distance? Saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ correctly is an art and a technical operation. Leadership track or paths become more important to consider – some dilemmas arise for individual vs. department goals; a good sense of dedication to the organization may make choices hard.
Mid-career folks may have to balance psychiatry vs. medicine, educational vs. clinical vs. administrative time, and other dimensions/roles? Some leaders have to really think about curricular vs. student affairs posts and in doing so, affect the overall learning environment, culture, and such in big ways. Advanced-career faculty mentor individuals or groups at home – and at a distance based on common interests or themes (e.g., evaluation processes). Some want to know if, and how to become a dean or assistant provost. Generativity, stewardship and such come into play as per Eriksonian stages.
AAP Bulletin – Spring 2016, Page 2 of 7
