December 2020: Year in Review

Executive Editor Michael Roy speaks with American Journal of Psychiatry Editor-in-Chief Ned H. Kalin, M.D., and Deputy Editor Carolyn Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D., about the Journal’s response to COVID-19; strategies to combat racism, social injustice, and health care inequities; research highlights from the past year; and what lies ahead in 2021.

Dr. Kalin is the Hedberg Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, where he also serves as the Director of the Health Emotions Research Institute, and Director of the Lane Neuroimaging Laboratory. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and serves on the APA Council on Research. His work has aimed to understand the brain mechanisms underlying mental disorders.

Dr. Rodriguez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, where she is Director of the Translational Therapeutics Lab. She also serves as an Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Chair for Inclusion and Diversity at Stanford University, and she is a member of the APA Council on Research. In 2019, Dr. Rodriguez was selected as a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, which recognizes outstanding scientists and engineers at the outset of their independent research careers. Her research has looked at finding rapid-acting treatments to relieve the suffering of patients with severe mental illness, including obsessive-compulsive disorder.

What the Journal has done in response to COVID-19 [3:15] How people can stay resilient during this time [8:04] How have racism and social injustice affected mental health care research and access? [12:04] What can mental health professionals do to address health care inequities? [18:56] Steps the Journal is taking to address racism, social injustice, and health care inequities [22:56] Research highlights of 2020 [25:32] Trends in the field of mental health research [29:38] Topics the editors would like to see more of in the Journal [32:50] Advice for early career researchers [34:49] Looking ahead to 2021 [38:05]

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