We are enthusiastic and energized to announce a lecture/discussion series focusing on “Developing Your Career, Enhancing Your Leadership Skills” and tailored to tend to the interests of Washington DC MITs and ECPs. We respectfully thank St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for hosting our kick off to this historical venture scheduled for Wednesday, January 30^th from 6-8PM!

Five seminars will be held organized into three clusters (see below)—a leadership cluster and a career cluster will each be offered two times culminating on a special cluster offered at the May 2008 APA Annual Meeting this year held in Washington DC. Each seminar is hosted by a DC residency program, will be two hours in length (1hr. for presentation, 1hr. for Q&A), and will allow time for networking and mingling. A dinner buffet will be courtesy of the WPS. Residents will also be provided with an indepth seminar monograph that will serve as a discussion syllabus as well as a potent resource for guidance and opportunities. Faculty and community psychiatrists are encouraged to attend and lend mentorship and support.

This WPS membership development initiative is based on a grant of $5000 recently awarded to the WPS Delegation at Area 3. September 2005, the date of the first Washington, D.C. area gathering of PGY I & II (hosted by the Cosmos Club Health Group and the DC Chapter and led by Drs. Constance Dunlap, Maryam Razavi and Eliot Sorel) marks the commencement of this continued collaborative effort to bring area psychiatry residents together! This WPS Development & Excellence initiative is chaired by Eliot Sorel and Vice Chairs are Drs. Hind Benjelloun, Lisa Catapano, Shanique Cartwright, Maryam Razavi, and Enrico Suardi. Proposed dates and sites are as follows:

·       St. Elizabeth's, Wednesday, January 30th, 6:00-8:00 pm

·       George Washington University, Thursday, March 27th, 4:30-6:30pm

·       Georgetown, Thursday February 21, 6-8 pm

·       Howard, Thursday, April 17th, 11:00 am-1:00 pm

·       Location TBD, Sunday, May 4^th, 2:30pm-3:30pm

We hope and aspire that all the DC area psychiatry residents participate!