|
|
In this edition of the Pennsylvania Psychiatrist you will find:
- Message from the PaPS President, Dr. Fischer
- Executive Committee and PaPS Council
- Upcoming PaPS Events
- Update: Government Relations
- Why I Got Involved In The APA
- Members Corner
- Opinion/Editorial
- Industry News and Other Resources
| | |
Kavita Fischer, MD, DFAPA
PaPS President
Dear Doctors,
This month, as part of Area 3, our elected Assembly Representatives, Caucus Leaders, and their designated proxies will convene outside Washington, D.C. to actively participate in the governance and policy-making processes of the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
You may be wondering—what is the APA Assembly? The APA Assembly is composed of seven councils, each representing a distinct region. The Area Councils serve as a vital link between the APA Assembly and the District Branches, providing a regional structure that supports collaboration and communication. (Map of APA Assembly Areas and District Branches). Our District Branch belongs to Area 3, which encompasses the Middle Atlantic region, including the Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. Psychiatric Societies. We are proud to have Dr. Mary Anne Albaugh serving as Deputy Representative for Area 3 along with Dr. Constance Dunlap who is the Area 3 Representative.
| | |
Kavita Fischer, MD, DFAPA
President
| |  | |
Mark Matta, DO, DFAPA
President Elect
| | | |
Indranil Chakrabarti, MD, FAPA
Vice President
| | | Aileen Oandasan, MD, FAPA Treasurer | | | Christine Marchionni, MD, DFAPA Secretary | | | |
Irakli Mania, MD, DFAPA
Immediate Past President
| | | |
Meet your 2025-2026 District Executive Council members. Their abbreviated bios are listed here.
Click here for the full PaPS Council member listing.
| | |
Kenneth Certa, MD, DLFAPA
Our legislature has still not been able to fix on a budget for the commonwealth, now nearly four months overdue. It is hard to say just why the sides are so dug in, but there are a few possibilities:
1. The shutdown of the federal government, with its real world consequences, has made the state's problems look fairly minor.
2. As always, there are divergent views between the two political parties, and factions in them, at work. The budget is significantly bigger this year; does it needs further trimming? There are political maneuverings with an eye to future elections, which can include Senate/House members attempting to strengthen or impair the perception of the governor’s effectiveness through agreement/disagreement with his proposals.
3. The lack of public push-back has been notable, and until pressure builds there is not much incentive to do anything.
It is likely that once school districts begin complaining loudly (as some already have) that the lack of state money is casting doubt on a return to classes after the winter break, there is likely to be enough pressure to break the deadlock.
| |
CALL TO ACTION
Breaking News: Just this week Senator Gene Yaw circulated a co-sponsorship memo to members of the state senate, announcing his intention to introduce a psychology prescribing bill in the senate. Please contact your state senator asking that they not cosponsor this. https://www.palegis.us/senate/members
| | |
Robert Tessier, MD, MPH
PaPS Early Career Psychiatrist Representative
Robert Tessier is a psychiatrist in Pittsburgh. He completed his residency and concurrent Public Service Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). His interests include addiction psychiatry, public policy, and resident education. He works for UPMC, primarily at the Center for Psychiatric and Chemical Dependency Services. He is serving as the Early Career Psychiatrist Representative on the PaPS Council, and also as a member of the Government Relations Committee and the newly formed Membership Engagement Committee.
Practicing psychiatry can feel lonely sometimes, even though we spend most of our day talking to patients. If we let ourselves become isolated, we end up swimming in the middle of the ocean – striving valiantly against a tide that threatens to drown us when we tire. During medical school and residency, I felt an incredible connection with my fellow trainees. But that community was hyper-local, and we were so focused on the immediate task of becoming psychiatrists that it was easy to lose track of the bigger picture.
| | |
APA Advocacy Day
Kirklan Kathe, MD
Dr. Kirklan Kathe, MD, is a fellow in forensic psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his psychiatry residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he was a chief resident. Dr. Kathe became involved with the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society through the State Government Relations Committee and by leading the PaPS Philadelphia Chapter Resident Committee. He now serves as the Resident-Fellow Member Representative on the PaPS Executive Council. His professional interests include medical education, LGBTQ+ mental health, forensic psychiatry, and mental health advocacy.
On a bright morning that felt like the last breath of summer, I joined more than a hundred and eighty psychiatrists walking toward Capitol Hill to advocate for mental health. Despite a government shutdown, the American Psychiatric Association’s Federal Advocacy Conference pressed on, and it was our biggest ever.
Along with almost half of our conference, I was there for my first time. I was pleased to see Pennsylvania had one of the largest groups in the country, enough to organize into multiple advocacy teams. Conference participants are grouped by location, with each team meeting their own representatives and supporting colleagues from neighboring districts in meetings throughout the day. Within my group, the range of experience was remarkable with trainees, residency directors, and national APA leaders all working side by side toward a shared purpose.
| | Philadelphia 2025 Addiction Symposium
October 4th 2025 | | Left to Right: Drs. William Jangro, and Keriann Shalvoy, Addiction Committee Co-Chairs and Event Organizers, and Dr. Heather John, President of the Philadelphia Chapter | | |
Philadelphia Addiction Symposium Highlights
Dustin Heller, DO
The Philadelphia Chapter of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society’s annual Addiction Symposium was a hybrid event consisting of virtual and in-person expert speakers on a range of topics related to addiction psychiatry. The symposium was hosted by the Sydney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was sponsored by AliveCor.
The morning opened with a fascinating presentation on toxicology testing by Dr. Carl Selavka, PhD, D-ABFT-FT, ABC-GKE, who is the Forensic Director for the Atlantic Diagnostic Laboratories Headquarters Labs and Director of the ADL-Milford Satellite Lab. Dr. Selavka spoke on the details and specifics behind substance use testing and recent updates in the world of toxicology. The second talk of the morning was given by Dr. Kelly O'Donnell, a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine and Director of Clinical Training at the NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine. Dr. O'Donnell offered insights into the prospective developments of psilocybin as a potential treatment for alcohol use disorder and where the current research stands regarding its practice. The final talk of the morning was given by Dr. Kyle Kampman, an addiction psychiatry trained psychiatrist and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kampman spoke on the potential role of GLP-1 receptor agonists in substance use disorders.
| |
Pittsburgh 2025 Resident Research & Awards Night
October 14th 2025 | | Left to Right: Drs. Mayank Gupta, Aileen Oandasan, Nicola Gray, Luke Swider, Kavita Fischer, Tania Kannadan, Gary Swanson. | | |
Pittsburgh Chapter Hosts Resident Research & Awards Night
More than 50 chapter members and guests attended the October 14 Pittsburgh Chapter Resident Research & Awards Night at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful fall evening to wander through the Tropical Forest while viewing ten resident research posters and learning about new products and services from our nine industry partners.
Lifetime Achievement awards were presented to Drs. Janice Forster, Maher Ayyash, Barry Fisher, Timothy Mitzel and Jack Mannheimer. Drs. Robert Tessier and Luke Swider were honored as Early Career Psychiatrists. 2025 is the first year to honor mid career members; Drs. Mayank Gupta and Aileen Oandasan received this recognition.
| | |
Philadelphia Chapter RFM Networking Night
October 29th 2025
| | The PaPS Philadelphia Chapter sponsored an October RFM Networking Gathering at SPIN in downtown Philadelphia. Ping-pong, good food and drink! | | |
Dr. Mercedes Agudo
Psychiatry: The Relevance of Improving Access to Healthcare for Acutely Mentally Ill and Those with Longstanding Mental Illness [Research Article]
Mercedes E. Agudo, MD, LFAPA, DFAACAP, ScM is a psychiatrist with a subspecialty in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. She has vast clinical experience providing psychiatric treatment to both children and adults. Dr. Agudo is currently providing inpatient psychiatric services to patients who are involuntarily committed to a state hospital- helping them to achieve their life goals, to rehabilitate and to eventually function outside of a hospital setting. Dr. Agudo has a Master of Science in Healthcare Leadership from Brown University School of Professional Studies. Dr. Agudo is a Life Fellow of American Psychiatric Association, Distinguished Fellow of American Academy Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and a Fellow of Philippine Psychiatric Association. Dr. Agudo is active in both AACAP and APA and currently serves on the APA’s Caucus on Global Health Committee.
Abstract
Background: There is currently a national mental health crisis due to the lack of access to mental health care. Objectives: 1. To study the different factors that contribute to lack of access to psychiatric treatment. 2. To compare each factor by ranking them according to their relevance in contributing to the lack of access to health care and national mental health crisis as perceived by psychiatrist respondents to a brief survey. 3. To analyze results, discuss implications, and provide recommendations. Methods: Seven factors contributing to lack of access to psychiatric treatment are identified from a review of literature, educational materials, and clinical practice. A cross-sectional survey of psychiatrists in US practice is conducted from July to December 2023 by convenient sampling. Recruitment is done in person and via email, US postal mail, and telephone. Forty-eight respondents rated these factors in a Likert scale and ranked them, taking 15 minutes to complete each survey. Quantitative data are analyzed descriptively, and qualitative data are analyzed deductively by identifying the themes from respondents’
narratives.
| |
This opinion piece originally appeared in the Erie Times-News on Oct. 3, 2025 is reprinted with permission of the author. (Please note that it references an event which took place on Oct. 7, 2025). | |
Mary Anne Albaugh
Your Turn
Teen suicide is not inevitable, how we can help Erie youth who are in pain | Opinion
We recently observed Suicide Prevention Month, a time to remember the lives we've lost, support those who are struggling and recommit to building a future where young people can thrive. As a psychiatrist who has worked with children, adolescents and their families in Erie for more than three decades, I can tell you this plainly: too many of our children are suffering in silence until the pain becomes unbearable.
Suicide is now one of the leading causes of death among teenagers. In Pennsylvania, nearly 1 in 4 students report prolonged sadness or hopelessness, and about 1 in 6 have seriously considered suicide. Behind those numbers are children distracted by overwhelming anxiety, withdrawing under the weight of depression, and too often only reaching out for help once in crisis. Families arrive in the emergency room desperate, while schools, hospitals and communities are already stretched thin. This is not how a caring society should respond to young people in pain.
| | Industry News and Other Resources | | Join the PaPS Member Facebook Group | | |
The PaPS Social Media and Communications Committee is reaching out to invite you to join our private Facebook group, Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society, a professional online community created exclusively for Pennsylvania psychiatrists. The group is designed to facilitate the exchange of clinical insights, discuss the latest developments in psychiatry, and support peer-to-peer collaboration in a respectful and enriching environment.
If you’re interested in connecting with fellow psychiatrists, sharing knowledge, and staying up to date on relevant discussions and resources, we would be delighted to have you join us.
To join the group:
Click the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/papsmembers or you can search for the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society group in the Facebook search. You can also use the QR code below to be directed to the group.
Participation is entirely voluntary and the group is moderated to ensure it remains a constructive and professional space.
| Please feel free to reach out to Cathy Thompson at cthompson@nextwavegroup.net if you have any questions.
We look forward to welcoming you to the community. | | |
Hoot, What, Where: PRMS’ Network Newsletter Q3 2025
From risk management and claims advice to risk alerts, PRMS news, and events, this quarterly newsletter delivers news, practical tips, and key updates in the field of psychiatry to help keep your members, their patients, and their practices safe. The current issue of “Hoot, What, Where” from PRMS includes articles on topics ranging from medical record requests to split treatment. Please feel free to share this risk management resource.
| | |
|
Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society
574E Richie Highway, #271, Severna Park, MD 21146
Phone: 800-422-2900 | Fax: 410-544- 4640
|
| | | |
