Why I Got Involved in the APA
by Robert Tessier, MD, MPH
PaPS Early Career Psychiatrist Representative
Robert Tessier is a psychiatrist in Pittsburgh. He completed his residency and concurrent Public Service Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). His interests include addiction psychiatry, public policy, and resident education. He works for UPMC, primarily at the Center for Psychiatric and Chemical Dependency Services. He is serving as the Early Career Psychiatrist Representative on the PaPS Council, and also as a member of the Government Relations Committee and the newly formed Membership Engagement Committee.
Practicing psychiatry can feel lonely sometimes, even though we spend most of our day talking to patients. If we let ourselves become isolated, we end up swimming in the middle of the ocean – striving valiantly against a tide that threatens to drown us when we tire. During medical school and residency, I felt an incredible connection with my fellow trainees. But that community was hyper-local, and we were so focused on the immediate task of becoming psychiatrists that it was easy to lose track of the bigger picture.
I joined the APA and PaPS so that I could be a part of a broader community, connected with trainees, early career psychiatrists, and senior psychiatrists. There are seemingly endless challenges brought against the field of psychiatry, our patients, and the broader mental health of our society. It is our duty as a fellowship to face these challenges, through both clinical care and advocacy. As busy clinicians, the APA and PaPS represent our best chance to effectively advocate for the needs of our patients, our communities, and our field. My work so far with the PaPS Government Relations Committee has been incredibly meaningful to me.
I come from a union family, and I am proud to be a part of the closest thing psychiatrists have to a union. I am honored to have recently started as your Early Career Psychiatrist Representative on the PaPS council and hope to meet as many of you as possible. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have ideas or concerns or just want to connect. I look forward to many years of sharing this wonderful community with you.