NYAPATI R. RAO, MD, MS, CHAIRMAN OF DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES AT THE NASSAU UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER ELECTED MEMBER OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF GROUP FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PSYCHIATRY, IN RECOGNITION OF HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH IN THE U.S.
April 21, 2009
Contact: Shelley Lotenberg
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NYAPATI R. RAO, MD, MS, CHAIRMAN OF DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES AT THE NASSAU UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, ELECTED MEMBER OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF GROUP FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PSYCHIATRY, IN RECOGNITION OF HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH IN THE U.S.
East Meadow, NY….Arthur A. Gianelli, President/EO of the Nassau Health Care Corporation, announced that Nyapati R. Rao, MD, MS, chairman of the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Nassau University Medical Center and professor of clinical psychiatry at SUNY Downstate, was elected to the board of directors of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP) at its meeting in White Plains, NY, on April 18, 2009.
GAP was founded in 1946 by a group of physicians whose wartime experiences brought them to realize the urgency of greater public awareness of the need for new programs in mental health for the people of the United States. Over the ensuing years, GAP has had a tremendous influence in shaping psychiatric thinking, public programs, and clinical practice in mental health. It continues today to pioneer in exploring issues and ideas on the frontiers of psychiatry and in applying psychiatric insights into the general medical, social, and interpersonal problems of our times.
“Congratulations to Dr. Rao on his election to the board of GAP, a national professional and prestigious organization, where he will be influential in working on various issues of importance to society and where he will represent our institution well as an accomplished psychiatrist and leader.” said Gianelli.
Membership in GAP is by invitation only and now comprises some 300 accomplished psychiatrists. Each member belongs to a committee that is working in his or her area of special interest and expertise. The 31 committees meet regularly, select their own topics for exploration, invite participation by expert consultants from other disciplines, collect and evaluate date, and present the resulting work to the entire GAP membership for further and rigorous scrutiny. Some of the standing committees focus on such topics as Community Psychiatry, Culture, Disabilities, International Relations, Human Sexuality, Medical Education and International Medical Graduates which is chaired by Dr. Rao
In accepting the role as a member of the GAP board of directors, Dr. Rao said: “It is an honor and privilege to have been elected by the members of this very prestigious organization that has had enormous influence in the field of psychiatry. I am very appreciative of the support obtained from Mr.Gianelli and Dr. Walerstein, as well as from my department in carrying out these organizational activities.”
Steven J. Walerstein, MD, FACP, NHCC senior vice president for medical affairs and medical director, praised Dr. Rao for his involvement and dedication to national professional organizational work: “We are proud that Dr. Rao will represent our institution well as an accomplished leader in his field,” concluded Dr. Walerstein.