Levounis Named APA President Elect

American Psychiatric Association (APA) members have elected Petros Levounis, MD, MA, as the next president-elect. Although the results for all positions were released, they are not official until the APA Board of Trustees confirms them at the March meeting.

“I am honored and grateful to have been elected by my fellow members to help lead the APA. I look forward to helping build APA’s leadership role in mental health both within American medicine and in collaboration with our colleagues across the world,” Levounis said in the press statement.

Levounis is professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and associate dean for professional development at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Additionally, he is the chief of service at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. Levounis has authored several books, such as Technological Addictions; he shared some insights with Psychiatric Times^TM in 2021 in the video, “Technological Addictions: The New Frontier in Addiction Psychiatry.”

This is not Levounis’ first time in leadership. He has held several leadership positions within APA, serves on the Psychiatric News Editorial Advisory Board, has served as vice chairperson of the APA Publishing Editorial Board, and is a member and vice chairperson of the Council on Addiction. Additionally, he has served on the boards of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Back in 2017, he was also elected as an honorary member of the World Psychiatric Association.

Levounis already has plans set for when he assumes the role of APA President in May 2023, namely to capitalize on the unique current interest in mental health. His 3 top priorities are:

-Expand the workforce through building more residencies and developing innovative career pathways for young psychiatrists.

-Fight for parity in reimbursement of clinical services on par with other medical specialties.

-Amplify the psychiatrist’s voice on critical social issues, such as systemic racism, homophobia, and climate change.

When asked about how he plans to build out the path for future psychiatrists, Levounis told Psychiatric Times^TM, “We are now looking into offering PhD training for physician-scientists during residency. Also, we would like to further explore 4-year combined residency-fellowship programs in areas of great need such as addiction psychiatry and geriatrics.”

“Dr Levounis’ leadership and commitment will greatly benefit the APA,” said Saul Levin, MD, MPA, the APA CEO and Medical Director. “APA members and the profession of psychiatry will be well-served by his guidance and leadership. I also want to personally congratulate all the winners and to salute the other candidates.”

Reference

1. Petros Levounis, M.D., M.A., Is Named APA President-Elect. American Psychiatric Association. News release. February 15, 2022. https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/petros-levounis-m-d-m-a-is-named-apa-president-elect