The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) invites and encourages you to be a part of Break the Cycle, a cross country bike ride from Washington state to Washington, DC, starting in the summer of 2017. This project led by Andrés Martin, MD, MPH, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and prominent AACAP member, is an effort to help raise awareness and support for children's mental health.
Children's mental illnesses are real, common, and treatable, yet today in the United States this vulnerable population is caught in a vicious cycle of limited access to care, delayed treatment, and worsening illnesses. It's time to break the cycle!
Check out the fund that Break the Cycle is supporting.
Campaign for America's Kids (CFAK)
The mission of AACAP's Campaign for America's Kids (CFAK) is to support innovative initiatives in advocacy, education, and research that improve access to mental health treatments for all children.
Two initiatives that depend on funding support from CFAK are AACAP's Summer Medical Student Fellowship and AACAP's Pilot Research Awards.
Since 2008, the purpose of the Summer Medical Student Fellowships program is to grow the workforce through mentorship and recruitment programs for medical students. Fellowship recipients explore a career in child and adolescent psychiatry, gain valuable work experience, and meet distinguished child and adolescent psychiatrists. Recipients receive a stipend of $3,500 to work with a child and adolescent psychiatrist mentor for 8-12 weeks on a research project in the field. This initiative impacts access to care to mental health services for children and families.
The AACAP Pilot Research Award for Child Psychiatry Residents and Junior Faculty was started in 1993, and in the more than 22 years since, there have been 161 award recipients.
AACAP Pilot Research Award for Child Psychiatry Residents and Junior Faculty offers $15,000 for child and adolescent psychiatry residents and junior faculty who have an interest in beginning a career in child and adolescent psychiatry research. It was started in 1993, and in the more than 22 years since, there have been 161 pilot award recipients. In a recent survey of past award recipients, 61% believe the Pilot Award was highly valuable in helping them to launch their research career. The most common area of research is ADHD, but, significant research areas also include autism, bipolar, and depression.
