xxAACP Newsletter, Volume 14, Number 2, Spring 2000
In Tribute to Our Departing Board Members
Mickey Silver, the AACP's third President, has served twelve years on the Board: as Representative at Large from 1988-1992, President from 1992-96, and Immediate Past President from 1996-2000. As president of the organization he worked diligently to create a strategic planning process and governance policies for the organization. He began a process of thinking through our priorities so that we could best use our energy and assets as a group of community pychiatrists. Mickey worked diligently as president to represent the AACP in the APA. It was through his efforts that the AACP was recognized as one of the original seven affiliated organizations to sit in the APA Assembly. He developed solid, ethical relationships with industry sponsors and has continued to represent us with industry during the past four years, making them "sit up and take notice." Also in his capacity as Immediate Past President he chaired the Nominating Committee. He is described by fellow Board members as "idealistic and at the same time pragmatic,"; "a voice of caution and common sense when the rest of the board gets carried away with idealistic zeal."
Linda Gochfeld served as the Area III Representative from 1992-96. From 1996 to the present she has been our Vice-President. Linda has been described as "indefatigable and dedicated to promoting the organization." During her tenure as chair of the Membership Committee the organizations's membership has grown from 436 in 1995 to the current number over 650. She has organized the booth for both the APA and IPS, which has brought in many new members and increased our visibility. She "set the standard for how our booth at the meetings can be set up." She has shared her interest and expertise in the psychotherapies through presentations and through her liaison to the APA's Commission on Psychotherapy by Psychiatrists (COPP). She has been particularly involved in the development of the AACP's statements on Psychotherapy in Community Psychiatry and on Psychosocial Rehabilitation.
Besides starting an exciting new job as Medical Director of a statewide community housing program, Linda plans to continue her work in New Jersey as an advocate for community psychiatry and for our patients. She also plans to spend more time with grandchildren and other important people in her life. In parting from the Board, Linda comments that "the AACP is itself a community, and I have seen it grow and prosper but still keep its heart and soul. It's been a great experience on the Board. . . It's amazing how much the AACP has accomplished during my eight years on the Board, and I feel very grateful to have been a part of that."
Kathleen Daly, Area VI Representative for the past 4 years, focused her energy primarily with the training committee and spearheaded the initial community psychiatry training caucus at the IPS meeting in LA in 1998 with Jack Haggerty and Bob Goisman. She worked on the position statement on Mentally Ill Behind Bars and participated in several symposia on the same topic with Jackie Feldman and Fred Osher. Her passionate thoughts about women in community psychiatry and the importance of communication are eloquently revealed in her article on page 5 in this newsletter. Her enthusiasm and candor will be missed on the Board. Her participation on the Board was described as "feisty and energetic. She kept many of us males conscious of our tendencies to be typical males in the board meetings." When asked about her plans after board life, Kathy enthusiastically responds, "I am running for Regional Councilor of the Southern California Psychiatric Society where my experience as a feisty AACP board member will serve me well."
Robert Ronis has served on the Board for the past four years as a Representative at Large, and has provided a critical link for the AACP to national forums pertaining to training in community psychiatry. In his role as training director at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland and as a member of AADPRT, he has had ties to several national psychiatry training forums where he has represented the viewpoints of the AACP. He has provided a liaison for the AACP to AADPRT and has helped us relate to the Residency Review Council. He has been a sensible and thoughtful voice nationally for improved training in community psychiatry and has brought his experience and wisdom to the AACP training committee. Bob will be organizing the 2001 winter AACP Board meeting in conjunction with the very successful "All-Ohio" meeting he organizes annually.
Nael Kilzieh, the Area VII representative for the past three years, has been devoted to the care of individuals with severe and persistent mental illness through his work at the American Lake VA and as an advocate for this group of patients in the state of Washington. He was very involved in the Healthcare Systems committee and contributed to the evolution of that committee into several active work groups examining all aspects of the clincal care of our patients. He chaired the committee charged with reviewing the literature on medical necessity, drafted the AACP statement of the definition of medical necessity, and carried it through to official approval. He has also been active on the Diversity Committee where he has been a major contributor on issues of Arab Americans and International Medical Graduates. He has presented in AACP programs on Arab Americans as a hidden minority. A fellow Board member describes his participation on the Board as "enthusiastic, open-minded and open-hearted".
Thank you to all five of these Board members for your tireless efforts on behalfof the AACP and for your dedication to the work of community psychiatry.
Thanks to all members of the AACP Board for their input.
Back to Spring
2000 Table of Contents