Intended Audience: This educational program is intended for the continuing medical education of psychiatric physician specialists, primary care physicians, other physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians’ assistants, medical trainees, medical students, and mental health allied health professionals such as social workers, psychologists and psychiatric technicians as well as patients and other interested parties.

Format: The sessions will include lectures, workshops and panels followed by question and answer periods.

Overall Objectives:  Following participation in our educational program, participants should be able to: 1] understand and correct misinformation found historically throughout medical literature and training.

Statement of Disclosure: Faculty for the Black Psychiatrists of Americas’ educational programs are required to disclose at the beginning of their presentations any relevant financial relationships with commercial entities or other conflicts of interest.

Disclaimer: The Black Psychiatrists of America are not responsible for injury or illness resulting from the use of medications or modalities discussed during this educational activity.  We do not endorse the use of off-label medication.  All speakers must acknowledge the status of drugs discussed and not approved for patient care.

Need Assessment: The African American youth in our nation are in crisis as regards their mental health.  This is evidenced by growing negative health statistics in many areas that are connected to thinking and behavior.  These statistics are reported in professional literature and public media.  Examples include increasing suicide rates, escalating substance misuse, pre-mature pregnancy, eating disorders and obesity, group delinquency and HIV infection.  We view these problems as directly related to the dysfunctional state of many families of their communities.  We recognize that since the advent of our forced migration to these shores, racist strategies theorized by the likes of Willie Lynch in the late 1700s, enforced with Jim Crow laws in the 19-20^th centuries and continued in the present through institutional racism that permeates all systems that impact these communities.  The vicissitudes of this history include the disintegration of the African slave families and the struggle against undo socio-economic to rebuild families and communities.  Much of the need for this programming was determined from requests by members and prior program evaluations. Based upon information from the addendum on Minority Mental Health to the 1998 report of the U.S. Surgeon General on disparities in Minority Health it has been surmised that lack of cultural competence and racial barriers contribute to these problems.  Health care professionals must be educated in the history and culture of African Americans as well as the psychological, social and political realities in these communities that directly affect their mental and general physical health. We have combined, for these purposes, with The Beal Counseling Associates, Dr. Janice M. Beal, due to her experience in educational programs on treatment of African American families.

Also it is clear that in the 21^st Century technology is driving the practice of medicine in new directions for assessments, diagnosis, treatment, record keeping and other medical practice support.  Our members have indicated in their feedback from conferences and at our meeting that they wish to have more education and updates in these areas.