January 1, 1999

By Deborah Spitz, M.D.
Chair
APA Subcommittee on Courses

Participants at APA's 1999 annual meeting in Washington, D.C., will be able to choose from 97 continuing medical education courses. (A listing and brief description of these courses will appear in the next issue.) The Subcommittee on Courses is once again offering a broad educational program covering an array of clinical, research, and administrative topics.

Course faculty will present the most up-to-date information and its application to current clinical practice.

CME courses provide an excellent opportunity to deepen essential clinical skills and prepare for the challenges of the future. Acknowledged masters of the craft will help participants refresh their skills in interviewing and conducting psychotherapy. Courses are designed to provide high-quality educational content, be creatively presented, and offer ample opportunity for direct participant-faculty interaction. The quality of audiovisual aids, handouts, and references is carefully evaluated to ensure that they are both relevant and up-to-date.

There will be 20 new courses this year, and they will address such topics as computer-assisted diagnostic interviewing, child and adult psychopharmacology, herbal medicine, neuropsychiatry, forensic psychiatry, behavioral and cognitive psychotherapies, hypnosis, managed care outcomes, and chaos theory.

The introduction of new courses, however, has not been at the expense of past favorites. We are very fortunate to present again the teachings of such leaders in the field as Drs. Coffey, Karasu, Kernberg, Masterson, Markowitz, Post, Resnick, and Shea, among others.

The subcommittee restricts course enrollment to enable as much interaction between faculty and participants as possible.

The members of the Subcommittee on Courses are, in addition to me, Myron L. Belfer, M.D., Howard E. Book, M.D., Andrew J. Cutler, M.D., and Richard G. Dudley, M.D.; the staff CME course coordinator is Vernetta V. Copeland. The subcommittee works hard to evaluate course submissions critically to provide an exceptional educational experience for all.

APA members are reminded to register for the CME courses as early as possible to avoid the disappointment of finding selected courses sold out. I look forward to seeing you in Washington, D.C.

More information on the 1999 Annual Meeting