Physician Wellness, Burnout Prevention, and Identity in Psychiatry: APA Annual Meeting Sessions

Frank Clark, MD, a board-certified adult psychiatrist at Prisma Health in Greer, South Carolina, previewed 3 sessions he will lead and participate in at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, organized around the conference theme of empowering the psychiatric workforce.

The first session, which Clark will chair alongside Erakaa Bath, MD; Tiffani Bell, MD, MBA, MPH; Justin Chin, MD; and Ayanna Jordan, MD, is titled "Redefining Joy in Psychiatry." Clark described it as an audience-engaged dialogue exploring how psychiatrists sustain personal wellbeing amid political and social upheaval, emphasizing that protecting one's inner peace is "paramount amidst the chaos" and that joy may be found in pursuits ranging from poetry and music to time with loved ones.¹

The second session, "We Are Psychiatrists, We Are Artists: Cultivating a Career of Artistry and Psychiatry," features Clark alongside Suliman El-Amin, MD, Seeba Anam, MD, and Emily Lafferman, MD. Clark described it as an exploration of the intersection of the arts and humanities with medicine, arguing that psychiatrists are multi-dimensional human beings and that "medicine is an art." He reflected that patients themselves represent layered, multicolored works of art, and expressed hope that attendees would leave the session having reconnected with their identities as artists, not merely clinicians.

The third session addresses institutional belonging and structural racism in psychiatry, with Clark joining Jonathan Shepard, MD—president of the Black Caucus of the APA—and psychiatry resident Joshua Anthony, MD.² Clark framed the panel as "Black men who happen to be psychiatrists" sharing their experiences navigating institutions that may not affirm their worth. The session highlights a monthly wellness group for Black male healthcare professionals, founded by Shepard, designed to provide "a sacred space that fosters healing, that fosters belonging, and that fosters validation."

Dr Clark is an outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health-Upstate and clinical associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville. He served on the American Psychiatric Association’s Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry, and he currently serves as the Diversity and Inclusion section editor and advisory board member for Psychiatric Times.

References

1. Kumar V, Pavitra KS, Bhattacharya R. Creative pursuits for mental health and well-being. Indian J Psychiatry. 2024;66(Suppl 2):S283-S303.

2. Talley RM, Edwards ML, Berlant J, et al. Structural racism and psychiatric practice: a call for sustained change. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2022;210(1):2-5.