Advances in Psychiatry

Vivian B. Pender, MD

In May 2021, Vivian B. Pender, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and Lecturer in Psychoanalysis at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeon, will assume the role as President of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Dr. Pender is also a consultant psychiatrist and psychoanalyst to the United Nations and founder of Healthcare Against Trafficking, Inc., working to raise awareness of the role of health care in addressing this public health issue.

An APA Distinguished Life Fellow, Dr. Pender has served in numerous leadership roles at the APA, including as a member of the APA Board of Trustees since 2014, a member of the Finance and Budget Committee, a representative to the APA Assembly, and treasurer of the APA Political Action Committee.

"I am honored that my colleagues in psychiatry have elected me to the APA presidency,” says Dr. Pender. “I believe in the profound value of psychiatry. It is a domain of critical importance that provides a unique and irreplaceable service that psychiatry is inherently capable of providing. I am optimistic about the future of psychiatry and look forward to stewarding the APA as it continues to contribute to the well-being of patients, families, and psychiatrists.”

Among Dr. Pender’s priorities as APA President will be improving access to treatment; insuring parity in reimbursement; increasing advocacy and combatting stigma and discrimination; promoting diversity, inclusion, and social justice; and providing support to early career psychiatrists. She believes that building bridges within the profession and across medicine is crucial to psychiatry, and that the greatest value comes from consensus.

“APA members and the profession of psychiatry will be well served by the leadership of Dr. Pender,” says APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA. “I have known her for years and her dedication and passion for psychiatry will greatly benefit the APA during her tenure.”