This year I had the fortune of attending the 2025 APA Annual Meeting in LA. Upon hearing one of our very own Illinois members (and ECP), Dr. Sudhakar Shenoy, was a finalist and would be competing in the MindGames Masters competition, I joined with other IPS members to witness the fun and show our support. For those who don't know, the process of competing in MindGames Masters starts off with an in-depth, 100-question, 90-minute online self-assessment for 8 CME credits. The registrants with the top three scores are then invited to compete in the live competition in May at the Annual Meeting where they have the opportunity to attend an in-person review course and then compete in a live, Jeopardy-style competition the next day.

Those of us in the audience also had an opportunity to test our own knowledge as we watched the competition unfold. While the competition was largely fun and games, all in good spirit, it was intense - with one of the buzzers even going flying at one point during the competition. And then the competition intensified during the final question, with a twist at the end due to some strategic bargaining of points. Overall, an extraordinary end to an extraordinary game!

I had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Vishal Madaan, MD, DFAPA, DFAACAP, APA Chief of Education and Deputy Medical Director: "Mindgames Masters was envisioned as an interactive, engaging learning pathway that aimed to bring in energy, entertainment, fun, and of course, bring forth the competitive spirit from practicing physicians in the US. It adds another layer to the very popular MindGames program for our trainees. Why should residents have all the fun:)?”

I reached out our wonderful game show host, Dr. Eric R. Williams, MD, Associate Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia: "This year's MindGames and MindGames Masters continued the tradition of showcasing the knowledge of our residents, fellows, and members, with a healthy dose of audience learning wrapped up in a package of fun. Those who did not make it missed a treat!"

I also heard from esteemed subspecialty expert in geriatric psychiatry for the MindGames Masters review course, Dr. Rajesh Tampi, MD, MS, DFAPA, DFAAGP; Professor (Tenured) and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Inaugural Bhatia Family Endowed Chair in Psychiatry, Creighton University School of Medicine CHI Health Behavioral Health services Past President, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry: "Designed by Dr. Madaan, Mindgames Masters is a program designed to provide practicing psychiatrists with an opportunity to compete with their peers nationally on knowledge on various topics in psychiatry. It is also a perfect platform for a psychiatrist to showcase their quizzing talent on a national platform and win a beautiful trophy. The program is conducted with great camaraderie to bring forward the best professional etiquettes for a practicing psychiatrists. It is a lot of fun and I would greatly encourage more of my colleagues to participate in this friendly test of knowledge on a national stage."

And, last but not least, I got to speak with our very own MindGames Master from Illinois, Dr. Sudhakar Shenoy, MD, FAPA, ECP Trustee on the APA Board of Trustees: "It was so much fun participating in the competition this year alongside Dr. Vikas Gupta and Dr. Sanjay Chandragiri. Congratulations to Dr. Gupta on your win! Although I was on the hot seat, I felt like a celebrity! I can't wait to participate again next year."