Candidates forArea5 Trustee

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Back to table of contents Previous article Next article INFORMATION ON THE CANDIDATESFull AccessCandidates for Area 5 TrusteeMary Helen Davis, M.D., Mary Helen DavisSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Distinguished Fellow (Member Since 1984)Published Online:3 Dec 2004https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.39.23.00390051b Private Practice, Integrative Psychiatry, 2001-; University of Louisville School of Medicine: Faculty, 1988-; Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, 2001-Deputy Representative, Kentucky Psychiatric Medical Association, APA Assembly, 1999-APA Committee on Public Affairs: Chair, 2002-03; Member, 1998-2003Kentucky Psychiatric Medical Association: President, 1999-2000; Executive Council, 1992-Medical School Admissions Committee, 1992-Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure, 2003-I am honored to run as a candidate of Area 5 to the Board of Trustees. My professional experience includes 14 years in academic institutions, followed by private practice and multiple years of advocacy for the public sector. I have decades of service in my county and state medical associations as well as the Kentucky Psychiatric Medical Association and APA. I have been involved in public and legislative affairs on the local, state, and national levels. I have worked with coalitions to obtain parity and preserve mental health funding and have fought against stringent formulary restrictions in our state Medicaid system. I have debated the president of the Kentucky Trial Lawyers Association on the topic of tort reform, while chairing the legislative committee. I have mentored psychiatrists into leadership positions within our state medical association, ensuring a psychiatric voice within the house of medicine. I have served as chair of the Committee on Public Affairs for APA, as well as serving on the Committee on Advocacy and Litigation Funding. I have been privileged to be a member of the Work Group to Actuate the Vision Statement, a component assigned to identify objectives and strategies to guide APA in our efforts to advocate for a quality mental health system. I have looked at this service as a professional duty that will preserve a profession I love and protect the needs of the patient group we treat. We are facing challenging times in medicine, the ranks of the uninsured are growing, and health insurance is skyrocketing, while funds continue to be cut and constantly threatened particularly for the most vulnerable in our society. It is critical that in addition to strong leadership we have active, informed, and growing membership in our professional organization.If elected to the Board, the priorities I would like to continue to advocate for include:Promoting the importance and efficacy of both APA membership and active involvement in APA across the professional life span, from student to retiree.Improving communication of Board activity to the Assembly, district branch, and all sectors of psychiatric practice, including members in training, women, and minorities, and represent the voice and concerns of these groups to the Board.Protection of patient safety, especially through preserving scope-of-practice issues including psychotherapy while defending against the erosion and invasion of psychiatry by psychologist-prescribing initiatives.Connecting through Coalition—Our relationships and ties to the advocacy community are critical to achieving the best for our patients as well as our profession.The characteristics I will bring to the Board include unbridled energy and enthusiasm; a solid work ethic and can-do attitude; and experience in advocacy, media communications, and public policy derived from over 12 years of active-duty service in organized medicine and in our APA.I would appreciate your vote; our patients and profession need your active participation in advocacy efforts.Primary Professional Activities and Sources of IncomeProfessional Activities80%—Ambulatory private practice: clinical care, integrative psychiatry10%—Committee work: School of Medicine, Board of Medical Licensure, county and state medical associations10%—Teaching, advocacy work: community, mental health coalition, KPMAIncome90%—Private practice10%—Consultant/speaking ISSUES NewArchived