It is a privilege and honor to accept the nomination to serve as President-Elect of the American Neuropsychiatric Association (ANPA). For more than 20 years, ANPA has been my professional “home” for neuropsychiatric education, networking, and service. As an early-career academic physician, I was fortunate to receive mentoring, career development support, and opportunities to contribute to our association in a variety of roles. These included service as Chair of the ANPA Curriculum Task Force within the Education Committee (2001-2004); Chair of the ANPA Finance and Development Committee (2001-2009); ANPA Councilor (2002-2006); Co-Chair of the Program Committee (2011-2014); and Co-Chair of the Training Task Force (2009-present). Over the last five years, I also have had the good fortune to support our association and our field as Editor of ANPA’s official journal, the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. My work in these and adjacent roles has provided me with opportunities to participate in ANPA’s Advisory Committee calls for many years and to learn well the business of our association, the interests and needs of our members, and the opportunities before our association for continued development and success. By coupling knowledge of and experience in our association to more than a decade of leadership in other non-profit professional societies and organizations, I will endeavor to contribute usefully to the direction and organizational health of ANPA and to return through service the many years of support and professional sustenance I have received from ANPA, its leaders, and its members.

               I am looking forward to working with our members and association leaders to support the core activities of ANPA, including our annual meeting, other educational and networking opportunities, and partnerships and collaborations with allied professional organizations in our field. A particular emphasis area will be further developing our partnerships with the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology and the recently renamed Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry Section of the American Academy of Neurology on the education and certification of practitioners and the accreditation of fellowships in Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry through the United Council for Neurological Subspecialties. Additionally, I look forward to strengthening our partnerships with professional societies representing neuropsychologists and clinical neuroscientists as well as those focused on specific conditions, consumer advocacy issues, and professional practice areas relevant to our members and association. Through these and related efforts, I am confident that our association will continue to thrive and that ANPA will continue to successfully carry out its mission to improve the lives of people with disorders at the interface of psychiatry and neurology.

               Thank you in advance for your consideration and your vote. I look forward to serving ANPA and to connecting with you at our upcoming virtual annual meeting.

David B. Arciniegas, MD, FANPA

Professor and Senior Research Neuropsychiatrist

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

University of New Mexico School of Medicine

Director of Research, Marcus Institute for Brain Health

Clinical Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry

University of Colorado School of Medicine

Editor, Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences