Rodrigo A. Munoz, M.D., a private practitioner in San Diego, has emerged victorious by a wide margin in the race to be APA's next president-elect. Collecting 65 percent of the vote, he defeated William H. Ayres, M.D., a private practitioner in San Mateo, Calif.

Munoz, who is also a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego, is an APA vice president and president of the Assembly Caucus of International Medical Graduate Psychiatrists. He will assume his new position at the conclusion of APA's 1997 annual meeting next month in San Diego at the same time that Herbert S. Sacks, M.D., succeeds Harold Eist, M.D., as APA president.

"I am overwhelmed by the results of the election," said Munoz in an interview. "The number of people who voted for me indicate that the current president and president-elect and I are on the right track with regard to our taking a strong stand against managed care, giving APA back to its members, and creating alliances with our patients to permit us to be more effective in providing high-quality care to them. Working together, we will succeed in our mission and in achieving access to needed mental health care."

Munoz noted that the theme he has selected for his presidential year, which begins in May 1998, is "The Clinician." "It is our special knowledge, skills, and attitudes that make us what we are as psychiatric clinicians and enable us to provide the best possible care to patients. We need to pay more attention to these factors and continuously strive to improve them," he said.

Unlike some recent elections, none of the races for officer and trustee positions was close. In the race for vice president, Daniel B. Borenstein, M.D., defeated Arthur T. Meyerson, M.D., with 66 percent of the vote. Borenstein is currently APA's secretary and a private practitioner in Los Angeles. Meyerson is a professor of psychiatry, vice chair, and clinical director of the CMHC, New Jersey Medical School.

Paul S. Appelbaum, M.D., came out on top in the three-way race for secretary. He garnered 56 percent of the vote to defeat Maria T. Lymberis, a trustee-at-large, and Robert J. McDevitt, M.D., Area 4 trustee. Appelbaum is professor and chair of the department of psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts. Appelbaum, who has held numerous APA positions, is currently a member of APA's Committee on the Use of the Litigation Fund.

Marcia Kraft Goin, M.D., won the trustee-at-large race with 63 percent of the vote over Albert C. Gaw, M.D. Goin is a clinical professor of psychiatry and director of residency education in the Psychiatric Outpatient Department, Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center. Gaw is a private practitioner and associate professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.

In the election's second three-way race, Diana L. Dell, M.D., beat out Anand Pandya, M.D., and Ralph Saintfort, M.D., for member-in-training trustee-elect. Dell is a resident in the department of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She is training in psychiatry after a successful career as an obstetrician/gynecologist.

Three Areas elected trustees this year--Areas 1, 4, and 7. In Area 1 Kathleen M. Mogul, M.D., of Newton, Mass., outpolled incumbent Gerald H. Flamm, M.D., of New Haven, Conn., with 59 percent of the vote.

In Area 4 Norman A. Clemens, M.D., of Cleveland, bested Nada Stotland, M.D., of Chicago by garnering 56 percent of the vote.

With 68 percent of the vote, Michael Myers, M.D., of Vancouver, British Columbia, defeated Vit U. Patel, M.D., of Honolulu for the Area 7 trustee slot.

APA members were also asked to vote on an amendment to APA's bylaws changing the deadline for receipt of nominating petitions from November 15 to October 15, or 30 days after APA's Nominating Committee reports its slate of candidates to the Board of Trustees, whichever is later. This change enables APA to shorten the election period by about six weeks, thereby reducing campaign activity and its accompanying time and financial demands. Voters supported the change, by a vote of 69 percent to 31 percent.

(Psychiatric News, April 4, 1997)