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CANDIDATES FOR MEMBER-IN-TRAINING TRUSTEE-ELECT

Christian Neal, M.D.

Psychiatry Resident, Palmetto Health/University of South Carolina, 2006- M.D., Meharry Medical College, 2006 M.P.A., School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, University of Memphis, 2002 South Carolina Region 3 Medical Reserve Corps, 2007- Curriculum and Selection Committees, Palmetto Health/University of South Carolina Psychiatry Residency Program, 2006-

Each step that I have taken on my journey toward being a doctor has equipped me with tools that I hope to bring to my American Psychiatric Association. I have served in leadership positions with NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha Inc., organizations founded on tenets of advocacy and activism for persons who are often left voiceless. I have been educated in the field of public administration, gaining insight into the skills of organizational collaboration, team building, and professional and personal ethics. During graduate school, I worked with a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the homeless. I have sat in the chamber of my hometown's city council and played a role in helping quantify effective government. I have been trained at a medical institution founded in order to educate and serve those who are often underrepresented or face discrimination. It has been ingrained within me that the disenfranchised and the voiceless must have representation. The recognition of psychiatric illness continues to grow, faster than the stigma can be dispelled. Many of our patients are the overlooked, the homeless, the forgotten, and the barely tolerated. It is unacceptable for us to be silent and allow our patients to be seen as "less than" or as irritating speed bumps to those "really in need."

I seek to use my time as member-in-training trustee not only as a representative of the needs of members-in-training, but to further enhance the potential that my professional organization has to fuel change and embolden those who desire more for the persons we serve. I seek to serve as one of the faces of diversity within our field, while pushing for continued minority involvement. I seek to use my position to help reignite fires suppressed by the overwhelming realities of modern medical practice. I seek to be the voice of an evolving member-in-training component that will soon inherit the reins of psychiatry.

My goals as member-in-training trustee will be:

• Active involvement in efforts to address stigma, treatment disparities, and minority representation in mental health.
  
• Advocating for enhanced collaborative efforts with grass-roots and community organizations, particularly as it concerns member-in-training involvement.
  
• Advocating for increased member-in-training involvement within APA.
  
• Continued promotion of diversity in APA leadership.
  
• Increasing avenues for advocacy and political action for members-in-training.
  

I look forward for the opportunity to serve as your member-in-training trustee.

Primary Professional Activities And Sources of Income

Professional Activities

• 100%—General psychiatry resident, Palmetto Health Alliance/University of South Carolina Residency Training Program
  

Income

• 100%—Palmetto Health Alliance/University of South Carolina Residency Training Program
  

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