When I took the helm of the APA Foundation during 2021, the pandemic was well underway. Psychiatrists, along with others across the house of medicine and the allied health professions, were under enormous strain. Many of us were grieving individuals we had lost or experiences we’d missed. And with Zoom fatigue wearing on both children and their parents, the demand for timely, accessible, high-quality mental health care was more urgent than ever. But with months-long waiting lines for psychiatry appointments – and, in certain instances, a lack of culturally competent care when the appointment day finally arrived – too many of our neighbors and community members suffered in silence without reaching out for the help they needed and deserved.
APA President, Theresa Miskimen Rivera, M.D., selected Empowering the Psychiatric Workforce as her presidential initiative, with a specific goal of both sustaining and enhancing the psychiatric workforce. Calling this issue into focus aligns with the mission of the APA Foundation, and we are proud to work towards the goal of matching supply to the demand for mental health care services.
Workforce development has been a priority at the APA Foundation since our Resident Fellowship program was established in 1968. We have been laser focused on recruiting and molding the future leaders of psychiatry ever since. We support psychiatric residents to broaden the scope of their work, commit to equity in mental health care, and develop mental health literacy in communities. APA Foundation Fellows also receive one-one-one mentorship from renowned APA leaders, engage in self-directed advocacy and outreach work, and create career-building connections with APA members and peers.
On World Mental Health Day 2025, I want to share a message of hope for the future of mental health care. Our 2025-26 APA Foundation Fellowships class is 212 leaders strong - the largest class in APA Foundation history. And far from representing one or two points of view, these resident-trainees hail from 32 U.S. states (plus Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia) and 19 countries around world represent a wide range of backgrounds. As alumni of the Fellowships program, these individuals will go on to conduct groundbreaking research, unite disparate stakeholder groups to achieve parity and integrated care, and – perhaps most importantly – engage in compassionate, timely patient care that families and communities desperately need to thrive. These early career physician-psychiatrists are part of the answer to the question being asked in so many homes, schools, houses of worship, locker rooms, and workplaces: “How can we find mental health care from providers who truly understand our experiences and see the whole person behind the diagnosis?”
This work to help create the blueprint for the mental health care we need is deeply important. Our individual and collective obligation to help shape the future of psychiatric practice is even greater. Several of today’s leaders in global psychiatry—including recent APA Presidents and Marketa Wills, M.D., M.B.A., APA’s CEO and Medical Director and Chair of the APA Foundation’s Board of Directors—were once APA Foundation Fellows.
In my tenure leading the APA Foundation, I have already observed an encouraging trend: for three consecutive years, the Fellowship Program has grown to new heights – breaking the record for most applications in program history in 2023, 2024, and 2025. This surge of interest shows me that young psychiatrists recognize how our systems need to change, and they are responding in kind. I believe that in the coming years, our current and future APA Foundation Fellows will be instrumental in further breaking down the barriers of awareness, access, and fear that prevent so many of us from seeking a path to healing and recovery. Our peace, prosperity, and dignity depend on it.
Our 2025-2026 Fellowships application cycle opens on November 1, 2025. Learn more about our program and explore our nine different fellowship offerings today.