Fall 2002, Vol. 10, No. 1

Letter from the President

By Ronald Schouten, MD, JD
Boston, MA

Dear Colleagues:

It has been awhile since our last Bulletin, but I am pleased to report that the field of organizational and occupational psychiatry has continued to grow, and AOOP has been an active part of that. The American Psychiatric Association's Committee on APA/Business Relationships has worked to increase the business community's awareness of mental health issues, and psychiatry's awareness of the needs and concerns of business in this area. Several AOOP members, including Len Sperry, Past President Jeffrey Kahn, and current Treasurer Bob Gordon, have served as members of the Committee.

One product of the Committee's work was the establishment of the National Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, of which AOOP is a member. In April 2002, the Partnership sponsored a conference entitled "Disaster, Terror, and Trauma in the Workplace: What Did We Know Before 9/11 and What Have We Learned Since Then?" I was privileged to represent AOOP and to speak at this conference. Following the conference, the Partnership developed a brochure designed for distribution to businesses: "When Disaster Strikes: Managing Mental Health in the Workplace." You can find out more about the Partnership and download the brochure at www.workplacementalhealth.org.

AOOP will be a co-sponsor for the 8th World Congress of the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation. The Congress will be held in New York City from August 3-5. AOOP members will be entitled to a $25.00 discount on the registration fee and are encouraged to submit proposals for presentations. Information on WAPR and the Congress can be found at www.wapr.net.

Organizational and occupational psychiatry is attracting attention in other parts of the world, as well. In December, the Japanese Society of Organizational and Occupational Psychiatry will hold its first meeting. Satoru Shima, MD, PhD, a friend and colleague to a number of us, has played a key role in forming that organization. We are hoping to have Dr. Shima join us at our meeting in 2004 and look forward to collaborations with our Japanese colleagues and psychiatrists throughout the world. The AOOP Board believes that international collaboration and direct professional contact is important to us as an organization, and as individuals. To that end, we have modified our membership fees in an effort to attract more international members.

As January approaches, I hope that you have had an opportunity to review the program for our Annual Meeting and the two Pre-conference Workshops. We are excited to offer the programs chaired by Steven Pflanz, Don Williams, Sandy Cohen, and Steve Heidel. These courses represent an expansion of our initiative to develop a curriculum basic to OOP and lower the barriers to entry into the field. If you haven't received your brochure, please contact us by email (staff@aoop.org) or review it on our website (www.aoop.org).

Finally, with this issue, AOOP will change how we distribute the Bulletin. Advances in web publishing allow us to deliver the Bulletin electronically in a reader-friendly format to those of you with email addresses. Electronic delivery is more efficient and allows us to provide more up to date information more economically. You will be receiving a reminder about electronic distribution with your membership renewal and a request for your email address.

Please send us your comments and suggestions for the Bulletin and the Annual Meeting. We encourage contributions for the Bulletin and suggestions for speakers and topics. I am looking forward to seeing you January 17-19 in Washington, DC.

Ronald Schouten, MD, JD
President, AOOP
Director, Law and Psychiatry Service/Charlesbank Corporate Health, Massachusetts General Hospital
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

 
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