Electronic Fall 2026 | Issue 68
An APA Assembly Update from your IL Representatives
By: Arden Barnett, MD and Joshua Nathan, MD
IPS Representatives to the APA Assembly
The last meeting of the APA Assembly was at the May APA Annual Meeting. This summer, Assembly Area 4, the region that includes IPS and stretches from North Dakota to Kansas to Ohio, met virtually. We discussed legislative and other district branch activities, as well as action papers from Area 4 district branch representatives. Area 4 has also been searching for a ECP Deputy Representative.
The fall APA Assembly meeting is scheduled for the 2nd weekend of November. For the 1st time the fall Assembly meeting will be followed by the State Advocacy conference, and several of your representatives’ plan to stay and join the Illinois delegation attending that conference. Your Illinois Assembly representatives this year are Linda Gruenberg, Arden Barnett, Josh Nathan, and Abdi Tinwalla.
Dr. Tinwalla joins as an Assembly representative from Illinois this year, as a continuation of his active service in organized psychiatry in the state. He is a past president of the IPS, who has continued on the Council in that role, as well as continuing to participate on several vital, active committees of the IPS. Welcome, Abdi, to the Assembly!
The resolutions (called action papers in the Assembly) submitted by representatives from other states have been released. A list of these action papers (there are 22) are below:
November 2026 Action Papers:
Paper # Title
Social Media Toolkit: Empowering Members to take a Leading Role in Countering Mental Health Misinformation and Provide Public Clarity on Mental Health Topics
Development of Clinical Resource Modules for Medication Informed Consent
Strengthening Psychotherapy Competency in Psychiatric Training and Clinical Practice
Consideration of Honolulu, Hawaii, as a Future APA Annual Meeting Site
Addressing the Order of Training Limitation to Becoming ABPN Board Certified in Psychiatric Subspecialties
Improving Access to Inpatient Psychiatric Care and Guidance on EMTALA Responsibilities in Psychiatric Emergencies
Improving Recognition and Response to Postpartum Depression and Psychosis
Improving Validity of Professional Practice Evaluation in Psychiatry
APA to Address Harms of Weight Stigma by Creating a Position Statement and Resource Document to Address Concerns
APA to Update its Current Position Statement on Human Trafficking and to Develop a Resource Document on Psychiatric Recognition, Evaluation, Trauma-informed Response, and Advocacy Related to Human Trafficking
Condemning Antisemitism and Supporting the Mental Health and Safety of Jewish Individuals
Advocacy to Require Display of Licensure Level on Name Badge
Federal Collection and Reporting of Civil Commitment Data
Resource Document on Therapeutic Omission of Evidence-Based Pharmacotherapy
Work Group on Potential Mental Health and Substance Use Discrimination in Morals Clauses and Reputational-Harm Provisions
Maintaining the Organizational Relationship with the Forensic Psychiatry Community
Display of M.D./D.O. Degree on All Annual Meeting Identification Badges Issued to Psychiatrists at the APA Annual Meeting
Democracy and the Purposes of the American Psychiatric Association
Adoption of the Delphi Consensus for Guidance in Clozapine Monitoring
Update and Enforce Anti-Discrimination Policy for Exhibitors
Strengthening Communication During Transitions Between Inpatient and Outpatient Psychiatric Care
Advancing Psychiatrist-Led Integration of Community Health Workers into Evidence-Based Mental Health Care Teams
We will find out more about these action papers at the meeting, but if you have any questions about one or want to register your opinion about one, please let us know. As your representatives to the APA, we want to represent you and your views as Illinois psychiatrists. We will update you more on details of the meeting in the winter newsletter.