Mental health advocacy and policy

The Future of Psychiatry: Challenges and Opportunities for Forensic Psychiatrists

Bruce Gage Annual Lecture in Forensic Mental Health sponsored by the CMHPL

UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds Series

Speaker: Rebecca Weintraub Brendel, MD, JD

February 9, 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic has left Americans in psychological distress, leading them to seek mental health treatment in higher numbers. Yet, amidst this increased demand, shortages abound with long wait times and reports that patients cannot access a psychiatrist. By 2030, the supply of adult psychiatrists is expected to decrease 20%, and even with additional residency slots, the nation will be facing an estimated shortage of more than 12,000 psychiatrists.

This lecture will address:

  • Key challenges for psychiatry
  • The efforts of the American Psychiatric Association to prepare psychiatry for the future
  • How the unique knowledge, expertise, and skills of forensic psychiatrists can contribute to policy and practice solutions

Dr. Brendel works at the intersection of psychiatry, medicine, law, and ethics. She is the director of the Center for Bioethics and the Master of Bioethics Program and associate professor of psychiatry and global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Brendel practices clinical and forensic psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is director of Law and Ethics at the Center for Law, Brain, and Behavior. She is currently in her fifth of a seven-year appointment to the American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. She is also admitted to the Massachusetts Bar. Dr. Brendel is a past president of the American Psychiatric Association (2022–2023).

Your Role in Advancing Evidence-Informed, Behavioral Health Policymaking

Northwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center

Speakers: Jennifer Piel, MD, JD, and Sarah Cusworth Walker, PhD

April 15, 2021

Research and policy experts Sarah Walker, PhD, and Jennifer Piel, MD, JD, share scholarly perspectives and their personal experiences of working in the “research to policy” process, including how to gauge and utilize policymakers’ interests, and the research to date on tested models of evidence-informed policymaking. They discuss the importance of intentionally building relationships to create change at local, state, and national levels, and how to better find and speak to important audiences for effective dissemination of results and findings to increase reach and impact of your work.

Learning objectives:

  • Learn the most common ways research is used and research use is facilitated in policymaking
  • Hear strategies for how to partner and tailor research to increase the likelihood that it will be used by policymakers
  • Be able to craft the first steps for moving research forward for public health impact