Dear Readers,
Sharing that we have updated our newsletter to a streamlined monthly publication! We believe this updated format will better serve your needs as busy physicians. We now have a “Members Corner” where we will feature your creative pursuits (poems, etc.) and/or or your ideas for reducing burnout. We will also publish quarterly a “Why I Got Involved” column which will highlight your specific reasons for maintaining membership and/or pursuing leadership in PaPS. ECPs and Residents encouraged to submit! We welcome your ideas going forward!
Hope Selarnick, MD
Chair, Media and Communications Committee | | In this edition of the Pennsylvania Psychiatrist you will find:
| | |  | Dear Colleagues,
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| Kavita Fischer, MD, DFAPA, PAPS President |
We find ourselves at a pivotal moment for psychiatry. Our healthcare systems are strained. Mental health needs are rising. Our profession is grappling with workforce shortages, burnout, and the ever-evolving landscape of health care delivery. At the same time, we face federal threats to critical program funding and a troubling rise in misinformation that undermines evidence-based medicine.
Yet, within these challenges lies our greatest opportunity —to lead with urgency, to advocate with passion, and to reaffirm our commitment to our patients and to our profession. As a member of the third largest district branch of the APA , I call on every member of our Pennsylvania District Branch —not just to be members of this Society, but to be active participants in its future. Join a PaPS committee. Advocate for your patients. Reach out to your legislator. Engage in chapter activities. Join a webinar. Mentor a colleague. Share your ideas, your energy, and your passion. This is our Society, and its strength lies in our collective commitment to one another and to the individuals we took an oath to serve. We must raise our collective voice to defend evidence-based medicine, protect access to care, and ensure that mental health remains a national priority.
As President, I pledge to lead with transparency, to listen deeply, and to ensure that every voice in our Society feels heard and valued. I want to champion the causes that matter most to us including destigmatization of mental illness, equitable access to mental health care, support for early-career psychiatrists, promotion of effective and high quality care delivery without unnecessary paperwork burden, defending against harmful scope-of-practice expansion, and the destigmatization of mental illness.
During the society retreat last year, I CREATE-d this acronym as a guide based on member input on how to continue strengthening our society and would like to share this with you and will expand on each letter in upcoming newsletters.
Cohesion, communication, collegiality, community, connection
Reduce stigma and increasing access to MH txt
Economic accountability, Ensuring future stability, Enhancing engagement in society,
Enhancing membership value
Advocacy, action
Teaching
Encouraging RFMs and ECPs to become members – they are the future |
Thank you for this incredible honor. I am ready to serve, to learn, and to lead—with gratitude, with humility, and with an open ear.
The future of psychiatry is in our hands.
K. Fischer, MD DFAPA |  |
Congratulations to the 2025-2026
Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society District Branch Council
Kavita Fischer, MD DFAPA
President |
Mark Matta, DO, DFAPA
President Elect |
Indranil Chakrabarti, MD, FAPA
Vice President |
Aileen Oandasan, MD, FAPA
Treasurer |
Christine Marchionni, MD, DFAPA
Secretary |
Irakli Mania, MD, DFAPA, FASAM
Immediate Past President |
The 2025-2026 District Executive Council was installed during the June 7, 2025 Annual Business Meeting. Congratulations to all PAPS' newly elected leadership! Click here for the Executive Councils' abbreviated bios.
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Chapter Events
Philadelphia Chapter
(October 4) 11th Annual Addiction Symposium
(November 15) Annual Awards Reception
(December) Philadelphia Chapter Resident Fellow Member Event
Pittsburgh Chapter
(Fall TBA) Resident Research and Awards Night
|  | Government relations update July 2025:
As I write this, we do not have a state budget, despite the requirement of the state constitution. It is a tough year due to the demands for funding of transportation (SEPTA has a huge deficit, which has caused the agency to draft draconian reductions in service) as well as education (the commonwealth was found to be violating the state constitution in 2023 in the way that schools were funded, creating unfair disparities between rich and poor districts.)
Where the money will come from is as always the challenge, but more so this year. The significant reductions in funding from the federal government for many programs which help with education and transportation complicate these two issues. The many other programs which help the commonwealth meet its obligations are also on the chopping block, and deciding which programs to bolster by state funding is difficult.
We have been working to expand the reach of the Collaborative Care model by asking the state to fund technical assistance centers across the state, as well as providing startup costs for primary care practices. There is a lot of interest in this, particularly in rural areas, but we have not been able so far to overcome the "no new money" posture.
We continue to press the demonstrated savings of this model, as well as the increased access to high quality care. Dr. Hope Selarnick has been spearheading this effort, meeting with legislators and strategizing with our own lobbyist Lois Hagarty as well as folks at Penn, Penn State, and UPMC.
We have been working with OMHSAS and legislators (particularly our good friend Arvind Venkat) around legislation to fix some outdated regulations concerning outpatient psychiatric clinics. Dr. Kathleen Dougherty has been involved with this issue for some time; we are particularly concerned about efforts to blur distinctions between psychiatrists and advanced practice professionals (CRNPs and PAs.) There is a recognized need to remove many of the requirements for in-person services (allowing for telehealth) but we are working to ensure that there is psychiatric time FROM A PSYCHIATRIST for complex patients.
Nothing on other scope of practice fronts at this time. There is not yet a bill for psychologist prescribing.
We have been asked about the practice of some liability insurers to add a surcharge for certain practices: in one case for prescribing medication for addiction treatment. We have heard of potential surcharges for using ketamine or psilocybin assisted therapy. If anyone has any information about such practices we would be very interested in hearing about it; there may be a legislative fix for this.
To return for a moment to the worrisome events in DC: wherever you stand on the political spectrum, the Big Beautiful Bill is an acknowledged problem for medicine. APA issued many Action Alerts asking members to contact their legislators in opposition (as did all other medical specialties and the AMA.) Though we fell short, I hope our PaPS members sign up for and respond to these alerts. It is an important way to demonstrate to Congress the reach of our organization.
Kenneth Certa, MD, DLFAPA |  |
By Christine Marchionni, MD, DFAPA, PaPS Secretary
Dr. Christine Marchionni, Program Director of the St. Luke’s Psychiatric Residency Program. She provides inpatient psychiatric consultation/liaison services at the Anderson Campus, telepsychiatry consulting for the Monroe Campus, and is board-certified in both Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine.
As a psychiatrist, I’ve come to value the importance of both mentorship and professional community. During medical school and residency, I was fortunate to be mentored by Dr. Ken Certa, who instilled in us the belief that clinical care and advocacy are not competing demands—they are equally essential to our work. His example showed me that psychiatrists can and should make time for both.
That lesson guided my decision to become involved with the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Association. The PaPS offers a unique space where early-career psychiatrists can grow, connect, and contribute. It provides access to the latest research, opportunities for mentorship, and a platform to advocate for our patients and our profession. Most importantly, it fosters a sense of belonging in a field that is constantly evolving.
If you’re just starting out in your psychiatric career, I encourage you to take that first step toward involvement. Whether it’s joining a committee, attending a meeting, or simply reaching out to a mentor, PaPS is a place where your voice matters—and where your contributions can help shape the future of mental health care. |  | Let's Talk.... about the importance of PAC
Call to Action: Donate
to PAPS-PAC Today! |
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Click here or use the QR Code
above to donate today |
Our profession is facing more pressure and challenges now than decades ago - vast shortages and adverse regulatory proposals and more.
Sometimes regulations or legislation are often proposed or implemented without knowledge of the full impact they will have on psychiatrists. When this happens we often wonder how and why anyone would propose such a concept; seemingly it makes no sense, and we wonder how in the world are we going to implement that change or what impact it may have on our patients or our ability to practice.
Through legislation, we have the ability to correct, influence, change or help write (or re-write) laws and regulations that can be implemented to improve our profession and patient outcomes. All of this requires working with our senators and representatives. It also involves supporting those who champion our issues to ensure they continue to hold their office. By supporting those favorable to our profession and educating those who do not know our concerns, we can make those necessary changes.
That's where PaPS PAC can help!
PaPS PAC is funded by members just like you, not by dues paid to PA Psychiatric Society. By law, those dues cannot be used to support candidates. PaPS PAC utilizes your donation to provide financial support to candidates for State Senate and the State House for their reelection. PaPS PAC relies on you to make these voluntary contributions to ensure psychiatrists have a seat at the table in the Capitol.
Help us crush our $10,000 fundraising goal and pledge a recurring or one-time donation and
invest in your profession and your fellow PaPS members. Every dollar donated supports
candidates who support our profession and helps us build relation ships with key decision
makers.
Your contribution will set PaPS up for success in this year and the years ahead! Thank you!
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Lately, I’ve been thinking about grief—the kind that doesn’t politely wait its turn.
In less than eight months, I’ve lost my 16-year-old dog and two family members, with a third now teetering at the edge.
These weren’t peripheral losses. They were my daily circle—the people and creatures who grounded my days. The ones I still instinctively reach for.
Professionally, I continue: Work. Show up. Lead. Because that’s what many of us were taught—keep it moving, keep it together, keep it quiet.
Meetings. Reports. Evaluations. Goals.
Meanwhile, I carry a weight most people never see. In medicine and leadership, we’re trained to compartmentalize pain until it fits neatly into some dark corner.
But the truth is: there are seasons when grief outpaces your capacity to process it. And still, we walk forward. Sometimes strong. Sometimes slow. Sometimes just breathing.
If you’re in a season like this: I see you.
And if you’re not, check on your strong colleagues.
The ones who never miss a deadline.
The ones who always seem “fine.”
They may be balancing more than you realize.
Let me say this, especially to those of you who pride yourselves on being stoic, composed, unflinching:
Please choose you.
If only for five minutes.
If only to take a breath that isn’t about holding it all in.
If only to let your own name echo in your chest louder than your responsibilities.
There is no productivity hack for heartbreak.
There is only grace, rest, and choosing not to carry it all alone
—even if “not alone” means a pet, a view, a warm bed, a weighted blanket.
Grief that is unacknowledged doesn’t disappear.
It embeds.
It shows up in sleep, in body pain, in snap decisions, in burnout that feels “random” but isn’t.
You don’t owe the world constant resilience.
You owe yourself one moment—just one—to remember that your humanity is not a liability.
It’s the reason you care, and lead, and serve as deeply as you do.
So, if you’re reading this with a full schedule and a heavy heart:
This is your permission slip.
To be undone.
To take the walk.
To step away.
To feel.
To have the chamomile-lavender tea.
Then come back—on your own terms.
Shared with permission from the author, Corina Freitas, MD, MSc, MBA, FAPA, FAAAFS, CCHP
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Tired of shifting through dozens of industry leaders' emails? PaPS offers all of the latest Industry news from various outlets all in one place just for you!
Check Out the Latest News HERE |
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OCT 6-7: 2025 Federal Advocacy Conference in Washington DC
Tell Congress to Protect Medicaid Now!
As the single largest payer for mental health (MH) and substance use disorder (SUD) services, Medicaid plays a critical role in addressing our nation’s ongoing mental health crisis and increasing access to care. More than 80 million Americans rely on Medicaid to access quality, affordable health care and many could be forced to forego necessary care without coverage under Medicaid. The issue is particularly salient for individuals with MH and SUD conditions, who make up approximately 40% of nonelderly adults on Medicaid.
Congress is considering several policy proposals to cut spending on Medicaid in its budget reconciliation efforts, including ones which would change Medicaid’s financing structure, shift costs to the states, reduce eligibility or benefits, or impose additional barriers to coverage and enrollment.
Tell your member of Congress and Senators to protect Medicaid and oppose damaging proposals to cut funding, reduce benefits or place any barriers to coverage and enrollment. All people, regardless of income, should have access to quality MH and SUD care.
Take Action Now!
Sign Up for APA Advocacy Alerts and Monthly Advocacy Update
Advocacy Alerts give members the opportunity to contact members of Congress to strengthen the voice of psychiatry when critical policy issues arise. Stay up to date on current issues and APA initiatives on Capitol Hill, the Administration, and at the state level with our monthly Advocacy Update Newsletter.
Sign Up for APA Advocacy Alerts Here
Check Out the APA Action Center
Find the latest updates on APA’s activities to support psychiatry and mental health care, as well as opportunities for members to advocate.
This page features active advocacy initiatives, statements from APA leadership, and recent news coverage. As a member, you can engage directly with policymakers through action alerts, ensuring that your voice is heard on issues that matter most to the profession and your patients. Stay informed, get involved, and help shape the future of psychiatry and mental health care in America.
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|  | Join the PaPS Member Facebook Group
The PaPS Social Media and Communications Committee is reaching out to invite you to join our private Facebook group, Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society, a professional online community created exclusively for Pennsylvania psychiatrists. The group is designed to facilitate the exchange of clinical insights, discuss the latest developments in psychiatry, and support peer-to-peer collaboration in a respectful and enriching environment.
If you’re interested in connecting with fellow psychiatrists, sharing knowledge, and staying up to date on relevant discussions and resources, we would be delighted to have you join us.
To join the group:
Click the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/papsmembers or you can search for the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society group in the Facebook search. You can also use the QR code below to be directed to the group.
Participation is entirely voluntary and the group is moderated to ensure it remains a constructive and professional space.
Please feel free to reach out to Bev Dupuis at: bdupuis@nextwavegroup.net if you have any questions. We look forward to welcoming you to the community. |
Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society
574E Ritchie Highway, #271, Severna Park, MD 21146
Phone: 800-422-2900 | Fax: 410-544- 4640 |
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