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Guidelines for Election to Fellowship and Distinguished Fellowship in the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society and American Psychiatric Association

The APA's two-tiered fellowship structure includes categories for Fellows and Distinguished Fellows in an effort to extend fellowship designations to more and to younger members. Honorary Fellow status is reserved primarily for non-psychiatrists and psychiatrists who are not APA members.

The criteria to become a Fellow are:

  1. Five consecutive years as an APA member;
  2. Certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Canada's Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, or the American Osteopathic Association;
  3. Three letters of recommendation from APA Fellows.

The second category, that of APA Distinguished Fellow, is a national honor and is awarded to outstanding psychiatrists who have made and continue to make significant contributions in at least five of the areas of achievement listed below. Excellence, beyond competence, is the hallmark of a Distinguished Fellow. The areas covered encompass a wide range of professional and community activities and provide the opportunity of Distinguished Fellowship to members with a broad range of skills and interests.


Required Areas of Achievement

  1. Certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or equivalent certifying board. If certified by another Board, details of the certification standards and process should be submitted so that the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society (PPS) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) might evaluate the equivalence of that certification. Additional credit is given for certification by other medical boards, subspecialty boards, or psychoanalysis, or for a Ph.D. or Masters degree in a related field. Training without certification warrants no additional credit.

  2. Involvement in the work of the District Branch or other components of the APA. Since Distinguished Fellowship is an APA honor, the Committee feels very strongly that participation in this category is extremely important. Length and quality of service, as documented by the supporting letters, are taken into consideration. No credit is given for membership alone in the APA and its district branches and chapters. Elected offices, appointments as chairs or members of national or district branch/chapter components, and special projects earn credit. Presentations at APA meetings are usually considered under teaching activities.

  3. Involvement in other medical and professional organizations. Activities in such organizations as the AMA, state/county medical societies and professional organizations are included under this category. Again, no credit is given for membership alone. Length and quality of service as documented by supporting letters, as well as positions held, determine credit given.

  4. Participation in non-compensated mental health and medical activities of social significance. Activities demonstrating the physician's social responsibility and humanitarian concerns, such as work with disaster victims, mental health patient advocacy groups or with AIDS service organizations are included in this criterion. Letters from individuals (medical or non-medical) directly involved, specifically documenting the type, quality and length of involvement, are extremely important.

  5. Participation in community activities unrelated to income-producing activities. PPS and the APA look for outstanding contributions to the political, religious, charitable, artistic or ethnic life of the community, i.e., contributions unrelated to income-producing activities. Mere membership in, or financial donation to, a community service organization earns no credit. Supporting letters detailing contributions from persons directly involved with these activities are very important in documenting this category.

  6. Clinical contributions. Letters attesting to and detailing exemplary skill, knowledge, diagnostic ability and therapeutic expertise are necessary. This may include work in an individual's customary work settings, as well as public service settings. Service on hospital committees and other medical administrative work may be listed here or under (7) below.

  7. Administrative contributions. In this category, PPS and the APA looks for advancement in administrative positions in institutional, community/public, or private settings, as well as the level of responsibility associated with the position's). Letters giving the specifics, as well as the quality of the nominee's achievements in this area are needed.

  8. Teaching contributions. Teaching in all settings is acceptable. In university settings, advancement in academic rank is taken into consideration, as is the extent and quality of teaching activities in other settings. There should be letters from faculty members, heads of departments or others familiar with the nominee's work. Teaching in non-institutional, non-professional settings should be supported by letters from individuals directly involved. As indicated above, presentations at scientific meetings should be included under this category.

  9. Scientific and scholarly publications. Books (other than privately published), book chapters and articles in refereed journals earn credit in this category. No credit is given for unpublished research. Both number and quality of publications are considered in evaluating this category.


How to Apply for Distinguished Fellowship

PPS members who would like to apply for Distinguished Fellowship or recommend another member for Distinguished Fellowship status in the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society and the American Psychiatric Association should contact the PPS office for application information.

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