AAGP Supporting the Future of a Specialty Through its Scholars Program
It had been cold and rainy in Washington, DC when my colleague, Remy Palmer, RPLU, and I left for the American Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) meeting in Hawaii this past March. Our long plane ride was worth it, not only for the warm weather of Honolulu, but to also catch up with several long-time PRMS clients and make new friends in the field of geriatric psychiatry. The tropical winds were a nice change of pace for us and having the evening reception outside so we could watch the sunset was a stroke of genius by the organizers. We were thrilled to be there, as this year PRMS was the first corporate sponsor to help fund the AAGP Scholars Program for psychiatry residents and medical students. When we were asked for support, we did not hesitate. Not only does this program provide funding for medical students and psychiatry residents to attend the AAGP Annual Meeting, but it also provides a specific educational program geared to trainees during the meeting.
AAGP is faced with meeting the challenge of an expanding population of older Americans and growing the geriatric psychiatric specialty to meet that population’s needs. For over 30 years, PRMS has supported psychiatry on many levels including a focus on residents and initiatives such as the Scholars Program that provides attention to psychiatric specialties. We had the opportunity to meet with the scholars we supported and learned that without our sponsorship they would not have been able to attend the meeting. Other residents commented that the AAGP Scholars Program support and education enhanced their decision to ultimately choose geriatric psychiatry as their specialty.
Next year the theme of the 2019 AAGP meeting will be “Preparing and Partnering for the Future of Geriatric Mental Health.” PRMS will be there once again to support this mission and the future of this specialty. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!
Megan Jones is Head of Strategic Product and Sales Analytics and joined PRMS in 1997.