Moving Forward in Medicine & Psychiatry Through the AMP
M. Kevin O'Connor, MD
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

     By now, the warm afterglow of our November 17 meeting in New Orleans has begun to fade as we have all gotten back to the routines of our professional lives. However, as the year 2000 Program Chairman, I would like to convey some thoughts to you about the annual meeting and its future. As in the past, I found this year's meeting in New Orleans to be a very positive experience. Ned Cassem's scatological excoriation of the muddle-headed thinking and profiteering which have become all too common in today's medicine was memorable. It was both disturbing in that things have gotten this bad and encouraging in that someone of Ned's stature has not lost his capacity for outrage. The roundtable discussions in the afternoon case presentations were all productive experiences for me. Frank Fernandez deserves the membership's gratitude for the considerable work he did in arranging the program.

     Certainly there is affirmation and encouragement in meeting respected colleagues who are working in the same clinical and academic arenas and experiencing the same trials and tribulations as we are. This is particularly true when the shape and boundaries of one's professional activities are not fully formed. Although it seems self-evident that training in two specialty disciplines uniquely equips each of us to care for patients with combined medical and psychiatric illness, this fact has not been well accepted by the medical profession at large. This "show me the money" skepticism of our profession is not all bad. It is a safeguard against the premature acceptance of ineffective or inefficient methods or models of care. Where do we go from here? How can we sustain the sense of common purpose and collegiality that attendance at our one-day meeting provides? How can we enjoy the same robust growth in our membership and influence that organizations such as the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry or the American Neuropsychiatric Association have experienced? Comparing ourselves to these organizations may not be entirely fair because of the differences in size and scope, but at the same time, it does not hurt to examine the structure of such robust organizations to see what we can learn and use. To me, at least, the vitality of these organizations rests squarely on the clinical investigatory efforts they are making. Their meetings are replete with presentations of original data generated by clinical studies performed by their members. It is clear to me that we need to do more of this. Our organization needs to stimulate and sponsor such activities. It is only through these that we will demonstrate our intellectual commitment to expanding the knowledge base necessary to provide excellent care to patients with combined medical and psychiatric disorders. The definitive randomized study demonstrating the superiority of medical psychiatry unit treatment waits to be done!

     Another area of concern which arose in the morning's executive council meeting was the sparse attendance on the part of dual program training directors. We are the only existing organization which can even come close to meeting the needs of this group and the poor attendance probably says something about the degree of relevance that dual training directors attach to our meeting as it is currently constituted. In this vein, the council has decided to make dual training as the principle focus of our year 2000 meeting. Caroline Carney and Lee Tynes, both of whom are dual training directors, have agreed to co-chair a down-and-dirty jam session with training directors to discern their common problems, solutions, and accomplishments. In addition, Dr. Daniel Winsted, who is Chairman of Psychiatry at Wane University, has agreed to be our keynote speaker and will make as his subject the future of dual training programs in psychiatry.

     I want each member to know that we are open to suggestions about how the organization can be invigorated and your participation? How can you contribute? Please be in touch with us. It is my hope that we can we sustain activity through the course of the year via various venues such as the e-mail system and our newsletter. The council wants to hear from you. The organization needs your energy and creativity.

Return to Table of Contents