In May 2022, Howard Y. Liu, MD, MBA, was appointed as the new Chair of the Council on Communications at the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
Dr. Liu said the Chair of the Council on Communications leads strategic meetings of the members and staff who are assisting the APA with items related to messaging: providing expert statements to the media, launching social media awareness campaigns, reviewing communication briefs and press releases, and otherwise amplifying the voice of organized psychiatry in the international mental health dialogue.
“I was thrilled to serve on the committee the past three years leading the social media subcommittee, so I saw the importance of the council in helping members communicate effectively with the public for advocacy and awareness,” Dr. Liu said. “I’m particularly interested in the professional application of social media to mental health, and there are so many key dialogues where the voices of psychiatrists could be helpful to counteract stigma and misinformation.”
Dr. Liu will serve as the Chair of the Council on Communications for a year, and each appointment is for a one-year term which is renewable by the APA President.
According to the APA website, the Council on Communications collaborates with the Office of Communications and Public Affairs and other APA departments to guide and enhance APA’s many activities in the dynamic field of communications. The council works to transform public attitudes toward psychiatry by establishing an emotional connection between the public and psychiatrists.
Dr. Liu has been the UNMC Department of Psychiatry Chair since 2019. He’s a nationally recognized psychiatrist, educator, workforce expert, social media innovator, and equity advocate. His professional Twitter profile, @DrHowardLiu, has more than 28,000 followers, and he is a frequent expert on national news stories related to mental health.
The mission of the American Psychiatric Association is to promote universal and equitable access to the highest quality care for all people affected by mental disorders, including substance use disorders, to promote psychiatric education and research, to advance and to represent the profession of psychiatry, and to serve the professional needs of its membership.