Schedule of Speakers: APA 2026

The 2026 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, taking place in San Francisco (and virtually) May 16-20, is fast approaching! Check out this list of Columbia-affiliated sessions, with faculty participating in 37 sessions over 4.5 days. All sessions are located in the Moscone Convention Center unless the location is marked with an asterisk (*) in the schedule below. Be sure to return to this page for any updates and use the hashtag #APAAM26 for your social media posts during the event.

2026 APA SESSION SPEAKERS AND MODERATORS – MAY 16-20
Saturday, May 16
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Hiding the Broccoli in the Mashed Potatoes: How to Talk About Mental Health Without Talking About Mental Health
Speaker: Mena Mirhom, MD, FAPA
Location: Room 302

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM

Applying Neuroscience to Clinical Care: Approaches Every Psychiatrist Can Use
** Note this is a paid course requiring advance registration
Chair: Melissa Arbuckle, MD, PhD
Location: Room 154

Transgender Psychiatrists Speak: Reflections From Training Patient Care and Professional Practice
Chair: Jack Drescher, MD
Presenter: Jack Pula, MD
Location: Room 202

1:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Mastering the Art and Science of Treating Borderline Personality Disorder
Speaker: Richard Hersh, MD
Location: Room 155

3:45 PM – 5:15 PM

Conduct Disorder: Ethical and Treatment Dilemmas Across Systems of Care
Presenter: Phillip Arellano, MD
Location: Room 206

Involuntary Commitment in Psychiatry: What We Know What We Don’t and What’s at Stake
Discussant: Elizabeth Ford, MD
Location: Room 308

Training the Next Generation: Building the Field of Academic Sports Psychiatry Education
Chair: Mena Mirhom, MD, FAPA
Location: Room 305

Sunday, May 17
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

From Research to Reform: Leveraging Educational Innovation for Advocacy System Change and Workforce Empowerment
Chair: Maria Bodic, MD
Chair: Stephanie Le Melle, MD
Location: Room 210

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Community Connections: From Faith to Healing
Presenter: Victor Pereira-Sanchez, MD, PhD
Location: Room 309

Empowering Trainees in Publishing: Lessons From the American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal
Chair: Sean T Lynch, MD
Location: Room 307

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM

Medications Development for Cannabis and Alcohol Use Disorders
Presenter: Frances Levin, MD
Location: Room 314

Preparing for the Ending of Treatment Unexpected or Expected Because of Psychiatrist or Patient Illness or Death: What You Need to Know
Chair: Robert Michael Kertzner, MD
Presenter: Jennifer Downey, MD
Location: Room 307

The Value of Person-Centered Cultural Assessment in Clinical Practice: Presidential Distinguished Psychiatrist Lecture
Chair: Roberto Lewis-Fernández, MD
Location: Room 310/311

3:45 PM – 5:15 PM

Beyond Psychopharmacology Empowering Psychiatrists to Build an Interventional Practice
Presenter: Yaakov Green, MD, MBA
Location: Room 209

Food Nutrition and Mental Health: Practical Approaches for Nutrition Counseling With Patients
Chair: Michael Compton, MD
Location: Room 314

Guns N’ Roses: Intimate Partner Violence Red Flags and the Law
Presenter: Abhishek Jain, MD
Location: Room 204

Monday, May 18
7:00 AM – 7:45 AM

Experiential: Breath-Body-Mind-1 Practices for Stress Relief and Resilience
Faculty: Richard P Brown, MD
Location: Sierra B, *Marriott Maquis

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Clozapine Monitoring – Life After REMS
Presenter: Temitope Akinade, MD
Presenter: Laura Clarke, MD
Presenter: Nery Diaz, DO
Discussant: Thomas Stroup, MD
Location: Room 209

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM

From Trainee to Changemaker: Experiential Leadership Skills for Psychiatry’s Next Generation
Presenter: German Velez, MD
Location: Room 303

Manfred S. Guttmacher and Isaac Ray Awards: Critical Issues in Forensic Addiction Psychiatry
Presenter: Elie Aoun, MD
Location: Room 105

“Tell Me About Your Use of Chatbots”: A Clinician’s Guide to Integrating AI Use Into the Patient Interview
Presenter: Darja Djordjevic, MD, PhD
Location: Room 211

1:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Herbs Nutrients and More for Disorders of Mood Anxiety Trauma Cognitive Function ADHD and Sexual Function
Chair: Richard P Brown, MD
Location: Room 155

3:45 PM – 5:15 PM

From Goals to Growth: Using Academic Excellence Plans to Empower Residents and Faculty
Presenter: Maria Bodic, MD
Location: Room 214

From Research to Practice: Issues Arising in Psychiatric Patients Who Use Cannabis
Chair: Deborah Hasin, PhD
Presenter: Ofir Livne, MD, MPH
Location: Room 203

Future of the DSM – A Strategic Vision
Presenter: Milton Wainberg, MD
Location: Room 201

Psychiatrists as Co-Designers of Safe AI: A Practicum in Evaluating LLM-Based Chatbots
Chair: Darja Djordjevic, MD, PhD
Location: Room 202

Psychiatry Law and APA: Mental Health Policy In & Out of the Courts
Presenter: Elizabeth Ford, MD
Location: Room 310/311