Frank W. Brown, MD
Position/Personal Statement
Candidate for APA Treasurer
The financial integrity of the APA is a primary responsibility of the Treasurer and one
that I am qualified to champion. The objectives that I have for the office of APA
Treasurer are similar to the objectives that I had as the prior chair of the APA Finance &
Budget Committee and as the American College of Psychiatrist’s Chair of the Finance
Committee and then as Treasurer of the College. My objectives focus on maintaining
fiscal strength of the Association, long-term reserve management, maintaining a
transparent budget development process, and monitoring strategic financial operations
that benefit the membership now and into the future.
Nationally, I have been involved with APA in numerous committees including the LongRange Reserve Planning Work Group (chair 2010-2013), Finance and Budget Committee
(Vice Chair 2008-2009 and Chair 2009-2013), Investment Oversight Committee
(Consultant 2009-2013), and Audit Committee (Consultant 2009-2013). These roles
have provided me in-depth knowledge of the financial operations of the APA and the
various committees that provide input into the APA budget. Specifically, my work with
the APA Long-Range Reserve Planning Work Group has provided the opportunity to
explore various options into how to better utilize APA reserves; this has incorporated
strategies on how best to preserve funds for future projects but also has involved
consideration of potential future financial obligations resulting in a recommendation to
the Board on reserving funds for our employee pension plan. The four years that I
chaired the APA Finance and Budget Committee have afforded me the opportunity to
have a strong working knowledge of our operating and capital budget development
process and the multiple interactions of the association that are present that influence its
development.
Positions in The American College of Psychiatrists have included being a member of the
Board of Directors (2004-2007), Chair of the Finance Committee (2005-2010), Treasurer
(2010-2013) and Second Vice-President (2013-2014). My work as the Chair of the
Finance Committee and being Treasurer have afforded me the opportunity to have
developed a skill set that can be used as the APA Treasurer.
Locally, I have been on the faculty of the Emory University School of Medicine since
1989 in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, I have maintained active
involvement in the department with my current role as the Vice-Chairman for Clinical
Affairs. I am a tenured Associate Professor within the Emory School of Medicine. Within
Emory Healthcare, I am the Chief Medical Officer of the Emory Wesley Woods Hospital
and the Chief Quality Officer for the Wesley Woods campus including the long-term
acute care hospital. At Emory, I am involved in over twenty-five active committees that
manage or review clinical operations.
Over the years at Emory, I have maintained an active practice primarily in inpatient
geriatric care. Teaching geriatric psychiatry fellows and psychiatry residents has been a
major component of my work over the years. As an educator, it has been important to
provide the trainees with an exposure to geriatric psychiatry but also to business
fundamentals including practice management and essentials of billing and coding.
I am board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology in Psychiatry and
in Geriatric Psychiatry. Over the years, I have been a member of the ABPN Committee
for Certification and Re-Certification in Geriatric Psychiatry and was an oral board
examiner from 1991 to 2010.
Personally, I am one of the few Native American (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma)
psychiatrists in the APA. In my family, I was the first to attend college and was only the
second to graduate from high school. My father was only able to write his name and died
without being able to read. Education has always been a high priority in my life and one
that I have devoted a significant amount of time and effort. My personal traits are best
characterized as honestly, devotion, and loyalty.
I began my service on APA committees in 1989 and have served in some capacity
(committee member, consultant, corresponding member, council member) continuously
over the last 24 years. I look forward to being able to continue to serve the APA as
Treasurer.
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