Steven P. Cuffe, M.D.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is an organization of physicians dedicated to improving the mental health of our nation’s children. Through our research and educational programs, the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and international outreach programs, we also impact the lives of children, and the careers of child psychiatrists, throughout the world. Our Journal is the number one rated child mental health journal in the world. In fact, over the past 5 years it has been the first or second rated journal for all of pediatric medicine (as judged by the impact factor)! This article serves to introduce you to the structure and governance of the AACAP, so you can better understand how to become involved. The AACAP is the single most important organization for child psychiatrists, and it’s free for medical students (and only $60 for residents)! We hope you will choose to join us.
The AACAP, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in 1953. It is a membership based organization, composed of over 7,400 child and adolescent psychiatrists and other interested physicians. Its members actively research, evaluate, diagnose, and treat psychiatric disorders and pride themselves on giving direction to and responding quickly to new developments in mental health care for children and their families.
Mission of the AACAP
Promote mentally healthy children, adolescents and families through research, training, advocacy, prevention, comprehensive diagnosis and treatment, peer support and collaboration.
The AACAP is governed by an elected Council of 16 members. They are the “Board of Directors” of the corporation. The Council decides the direction of the AACAP, approves all policies, practice parameters, and any major new initiative. The Council has the fiduciary responsibility to ensure the AACAP functions well, and is on a sound financial and ethical foundation. Council meets twice a year at the time of the Annual Meeting in October and at the June Council Retreat.
Five members of Council make up the Executive Committee (EC): The President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Chair of the Assembly. The Executive Director of AACAP sits on the Executive committee and the Council as an ex-officio member. The current Executive Director, Virginia Q. “Ginger” Anthony, has been in the position for over 30 years, and has been recently honored by the American Medical Association as the most outstanding Director of a specialty society. We have been incredibly fortunate to have such an outstanding Executive Director. The President, Executive Director and EC manage the AACAP day to day business in between meetings of Council.
Five members of Council are from the Assembly of Regional Organizations. The Assembly is the grass roots organization of the AACAP. The Assembly is comprised of 59 Regional Organizations (ROs) throughout the country. Some ROs encompass entire states, while other states have multiple Regional Organizations. For information about the ROs in your state click on the Regional Organizations button on the left bar of the AACAP Homepage. Each RO elects a delegate to attend the Assembly meetings, which are held twice yearly (one during the Annual Meeting in October, and one held in the Spring). The Assembly meetings give local AACAP members a chance to bring ideas and concerns forward to the national organization. The Chair of the Assembly sits on the Executive Committee of AACAP and is a member of Council. She or he is able to speak clearly to the AACAP Officers about what is happening at the local level. Other members of Council elected by the Assembly are the Assembly Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and two Council representatives elected from the Assembly membership.
Finally, there are 6 members of Council elected by the AACAP membership during national ACAP elections.
AACAP Components include Committees, Work Groups, Task Forces and Steering Committees. These components are appointed by the President and do the bulk of the work of the Academy. Work Groups are, as you might expect, the components that produce the major products of the AACAP. They meet 3-4 times per year, and have clearly defined charges and expectations. The following is a list the Work Groups and their primary charge:
Work Group on Access: This is the newest work group and focuses on AACAP’s national priority of increasing access of children to child psychiatrists. Since child psychiatry is an under-served specialty, many children have no access to appropriate treatment by a child psychiatrist. This group is in the process of soliciting and funding special projects related to improving access to child psychiatrists.
Work Group on Community-Based Systems of Care: The WG seeks to advance the integration of mental health advocacy, service delivery and research within school, social service, juvenile justice, developmental, healthcare and early childcare settings.
Work Group on Consumer Issues: This WG’s primary focus is developing useful and relevant information and products about children and adolescents for two consumer groups-AACAP members and parents/families. AACAP Facts for Families are the major products (find them on the website).
Work Group on Maintenance of Certification: This WG has a goal of developing a self-assessment and lifelong learning component for maintenance of certification that incorporates ABPN and AACAP core competencies in child and adolescent psychiatry.
Work Group on Quality Issues: This WG develops practice parameters that present the best methods for evaluat¬ing and treating children and adolescents who have psychiatric disorders. The primary purpose for these practice parameters is to help child and adolescent psychiatrists provide better care for their patients.
Work Group on Research: This WG is responsible for all issues and matters concerning outcomes research and serves as an advisory group for the AACAP Department of Research, Training and Education and AACAP sponsored research training programs.
Work Group on Training and Education: This WG addresses the issues of child and adolescent psychiatry training by providing resources for new training directors, providing recommendations to other training organizations such as the RRC and AADPRT.
In addition to Work Groups, AACAP has a multitude of committees addressing major issues in child and adolescent psychiatry and child mental health. They are listed on the AACAP website in the Members Only section. Any component can forward resolutions, ideas and initiatives to the EC and Council for action.
The AACAP encourages members to join a committee or other component to get involved in moving our field forward. If you want to be involved, go to the Medical Student and Resident Resources site on the AACAP website for more information.
Steven P. Cuffe, M.D.
HPI Professor and Director
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science
University of South Carolina School of Medicine, and
The William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute
Columbia Behavioral Health System
South Carolina Department of Mental Health
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is an organization of physicians dedicated to improving the mental health of our nation’s children. Through our research and educational programs, the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and international outreach programs, we also impact the lives of children, and the careers of child psychiatrists, throughout the world. Our Journal is the number one rated child mental health journal in the world. In fact, over the past 5 years it has been the first or second rated journal for all of pediatric medicine (as judged by the impact factor)! This article serves to introduce you to the structure and governance of the AACAP, so you can better understand how to become involved. The AACAP is the single most important organization for child psychiatrists, and it’s free for medical students (and only $60 for residents)! We hope you will choose to join us.
The AACAP, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in 1953. It is a membership based organization, composed of over 7,400 child and adolescent psychiatrists and other interested physicians. Its members actively research, evaluate, diagnose, and treat psychiatric disorders and pride themselves on giving direction to and responding quickly to new developments in mental health care for children and their families.
Mission of the AACAP
Promote mentally healthy children, adolescents and families through research, training, advocacy, prevention, comprehensive diagnosis and treatment, peer support and collaboration.
The AACAP is governed by an elected Council of 16 members. They are the “Board of Directors” of the corporation. The Council decides the direction of the AACAP, approves all policies, practice parameters, and any major new initiative. The Council has the fiduciary responsibility to ensure the AACAP functions well, and is on a sound financial and ethical foundation. Council meets twice a year at the time of the Annual Meeting in October and at the June Council Retreat.
Five members of Council make up the Executive Committee (EC): The President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Chair of the Assembly. The Executive Director of AACAP sits on the Executive committee and the Council as an ex-officio member. The current Executive Director, Virginia Q. “Ginger” Anthony, has been in the position for over 30 years, and has been recently honored by the American Medical Association as the most outstanding Director of a specialty society. We have been incredibly fortunate to have such an outstanding Executive Director. The President, Executive Director and EC manage the AACAP day to day business in between meetings of Council.
Five members of Council are from the Assembly of Regional Organizations. The Assembly is the grass roots organization of the AACAP. The Assembly is comprised of 59 Regional Organizations (ROs) throughout the country. Some ROs encompass entire states, while other states have multiple Regional Organizations. For information about the ROs in your state click on the Regional Organizations button on the left bar of the AACAP Homepage. Each RO elects a delegate to attend the Assembly meetings, which are held twice yearly (one during the Annual Meeting in October, and one held in the Spring). The Assembly meetings give local AACAP members a chance to bring ideas and concerns forward to the national organization. The Chair of the Assembly sits on the Executive Committee of AACAP and is a member of Council. She or he is able to speak clearly to the AACAP Officers about what is happening at the local level. Other members of Council elected by the Assembly are the Assembly Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and two Council representatives elected from the Assembly membership.
Finally, there are 6 members of Council elected by the AACAP membership during national ACAP elections.
AACAP Components include Committees, Work Groups, Task Forces and Steering Committees. These components are appointed by the President and do the bulk of the work of the Academy. Work Groups are, as you might expect, the components that produce the major products of the AACAP. They meet 3-4 times per year, and have clearly defined charges and expectations. The following is a list the Work Groups and their primary charge:
Work Group on Access: This is the newest work group and focuses on AACAP’s national priority of increasing access of children to child psychiatrists. Since child psychiatry is an under-served specialty, many children have no access to appropriate treatment by a child psychiatrist. This group is in the process of soliciting and funding special projects related to improving access to child psychiatrists.
Work Group on Community-Based Systems of Care: The WG seeks to advance the integration of mental health advocacy, service delivery and research within school, social service, juvenile justice, developmental, healthcare and early childcare settings.
Work Group on Consumer Issues: This WG’s primary focus is developing useful and relevant information and products about children and adolescents for two consumer groups-AACAP members and parents/families. AACAP Facts for Families are the major products (find them on the website).
Work Group on Maintenance of Certification: This WG has a goal of developing a self-assessment and lifelong learning component for maintenance of certification that incorporates ABPN and AACAP core competencies in child and adolescent psychiatry.
Work Group on Quality Issues: This WG develops practice parameters that present the best methods for evaluat¬ing and treating children and adolescents who have psychiatric disorders. The primary purpose for these practice parameters is to help child and adolescent psychiatrists provide better care for their patients.
Work Group on Research: This WG is responsible for all issues and matters concerning outcomes research and serves as an advisory group for the AACAP Department of Research, Training and Education and AACAP sponsored research training programs.
Work Group on Training and Education: This WG addresses the issues of child and adolescent psychiatry training by providing resources for new training directors, providing recommendations to other training organizations such as the RRC and AADPRT.
In addition to Work Groups, AACAP has a multitude of committees addressing major issues in child and adolescent psychiatry and child mental health. They are listed on the AACAP website in the Members Only section. Any component can forward resolutions, ideas and initiatives to the EC and Council for action.
The AACAP encourages members to join a committee or other component to get involved in moving our field forward. If you want to be involved, go to the Medical Student and Resident Resources site on the AACAP website for more information.
Steven P. Cuffe, M.D.
HPI Professor and Director
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science
University of South Carolina School of Medicine, and
The William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute
Columbia Behavioral Health System
South Carolina Department of Mental Health
