April 2010

Minutes of the 11th HAPA Annual Meeting were distributed, reviewed and approved with the addition of the following section that was previously omitted:

HAPA Elections: The nominating committee presented the following nominations for the term 2011-2012

President Elect: Philip J. Candilis, M.D
Treasurer: George Fouras, MD
Secretary: Philip J. Candilis, M.D
Councilor for the term 2010-2013: Arthur N. Papas, MD

5/25/10 New Orleans, LA
NOTE: This draft of the 2010 11th HAPA Annual Meeting Minutes was approved by the HAPA executive committee. The Minutes were posted on the HAPA website and will be ratified at the 12th HAPA
Annual Meeting in May 2011 in Hawaii, HA

Members Present: Drs: Cassimatis, Candilis, Kaliore, Matthews-Ferrari, Levounis, Lymberis, Petrides, Zaphiropoulos.

Members Unable to attend: Drs: Agalianos, Alexopoulos, Bouras, Cardasis, Christodoulou, Emmanouel, Kanellopoulou, Latoussakis, Lyketsos, Papas, Stratas, Papadimitriou, Papakostas, Zervas, Latoussakis, Vidalis.

Invited Guest: Bruce Hershfield, MD, APA Assembly Speaker

I) Introductions

HAPA President Dr. Cassimates opened the meeting at 7:15PM welcoming all present and noted our special guest Dr. Hershfield. He thanked the members of the executive committee for their dedication, hard work and personal contributions which has helped keep the organization going thru these difficult times.

II) President’s Report

Dr. Cassimatis asked for a moment of silence in memory of our founding member and HAPA past officer Michael Kalogerakis, MD who died suddenly on March 10th 2010 while on vacation with his wife, Kay, in Florida. He was 83. Among his many accomplishments, he was also Past-President of International Society for Adolescent Psychiatry & Psychology, and a recipient of American Society of Adolescent Psychiatry’s Schonfeld Award.

Dr. Cassimates then announced that there are several changes in the HAPA leadership because of the resignations of the HAPA President Elect and HAPA Treasurer. He made several appointments to fill their terms of office: Dr. Mathews-Ferrari accepted the appointment as HAPA President-Elect, Dr.Fouras accepted the appointment as HAPA Treasurer and Dr Candilis accepted the appointment as HAPA Secretary. He will fill out the last year of Dr. Mathews-Ferrari’s term as Secretary now that she is the President Elect. All three are expected to be re nominated to these offices at the 2011 HAPA Annual meeting and elected to a full three year term. Dr Papadimitriou has finished his term of office as HAPA Councilor. A note of appreciation will be send to him. Dr. Papas was nominated and elected as HAPA Councilor. His term of office is 2010 to 2013.

III) HAPA 10th Annual Meeting Minutes

Dr Lymberis presented the Minutes of the 2009 HAPA annual meeting, the 10th year HAPA Anniversary meeting, which took place in San Francisco, CA. The Minutes were posted on the HAPA Website and copies were provided at this meeting. They were approved as written.

IV) HAPA Treasurer’s Report

In the absence of Dr. Papas, Dr. Lymberis presented the financial report. She noted that during the first 5 to 6 years HAPA had a yearly dues income was around $3,000.00 to $4,000 a year. Thus the dues collected covered the cost of the HAPA annual meeting ($3,000.00 to $4,000.00 per meeting). However, starting in 2006 there was a decrease in attendance at our annual meetings with a corresponding decrease in dues collection.

Dues income 2007: $2,006.00 & Annual meeting expenses: $3,493.55
Dues income 2008: $525.55 & Annual meeting expenses: $2,693.70
Dues income 2009: $850.00 & Annual meeting expenses: $2,675.00

Starting in 2007 HAPA began to run a deficit. Dr. Lymberis paid the cost of the dinners for 2008 and 2009. The HAPA executive committee urged that each member of the executive committee consider making a contribution of $150.00. This was done starting in 2007. The deficits in 2007, 2008 and 2009 were covered by contributions from the members of the executive committee. All HAPA bills were paid in full as of the end of 2009.

After 2008 as the global recession took hold,attendance at HAPA meetings and dues collection became an even bigger problem. In late 2009 the HAPA Executive committee voted to change the format of the HAPA annual meetings starting with this the 2010 HAPA annual meeting. HAPA meetings will continue to be on the Tuesday of the APA’s meeting but the time of the meeting changed to 6:00-8:00PM with a Dutch Treat dinner at 8:30PM at a local restaurant for those who wish to join in after the meeting. This year, 2010, all members in attendance had a very successful, intimate, highly enjoyable dinner in a private room of the hotel restaurant. This helped with bonding as HAPA members got a chance to better know each other. The success of this first meeting with the new time and the Dutch treat dinner reassured everyone that this new HAPA format will be very good for all our future meetings.

As of the time of the 2010 meeting in New Orleans HAPA had no deficit:
Dues income 2010: $225.00 & Annual meeting expenses: $122.17.

During 2010 HAPA also received a special contribution from Stella Lymberis, MD. The HAPA contribution of $250.00 is seed money for the establishment of a fund: “for a Greek American Scholarship Award in Psychiatry in memory of (her grand mother) Styliani Orologa Lymberis to be presented at a HAPA Annual meeting to a deserving female resident for exceptional work during residency”. She and other family members will be contributing to this fund over time.

Dr. Lymberis announced that she is funding the cost of $1,500.00 for the update of the HAPA website. The update has already started and should be completed by the end of 2010.

V) Updates on Psychiatry from Greece

A) Report from Professor Christodoulou by email dated 4/25/10

“One of the main reasons that I will not be coming to New Orleans is that on the same month I have been invited by WHO to give a course on “”Advanced Psychiatry”” to Palestinian physicians. I thought it was politically and substantially correct to accept this challenge and organize a course with the assistance of Prof. Yiannis Giouzepas, Prof. Dimitris Ploumpidis and Prof. Ilias Angelopoulos who will accompany me to Palestine. The Hellenic Psychiatric Association, HAPA, will be the co-organizer with WHO of this event.

You may remember that some years ago, when Lebanon and Israel were almost at war, a group of us visited Tel Aviv and Beirut and managed to persuade the two psychiatric associations to produce anti-war statements. The Palestinian Psychiatric Association received this initiative enthusiastically. This initiative was carried out on behalf of the Institutional Programs on Disasters and on Violence of the WPA but the Hellenic Psychiatric Association played a major role in it. On that occasion I remember Viveca Hashbun, a Palestinian child psychiatrist who took part in the Tel-Aviv conference organized for the above purpose, who spoke and said that she was originally hesitant to come to a scientific meeting in Israel and that what made her decide was that the event was organized by the Greeks.

I am mentioning these activities because they may give you some ideas on how the activities of the HAPA may be shaped in the future. Do you want me to negotiate anything on behalf of HAPA? Would HAPA be interested in undertaking something similar in the future? My opinion has always been that national politics is carried out more efficiently by NGOs rather than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is added value to the scientific benefit that is expected to be derived from this course for the Palestinian colleagues

In the above context, our collaboration with the Cyprus Psychiatric Association and with the Psychiatric Associations of the Balkan countries and especially Serbia are worth considering. With reference to Cyprus, as you may know, the Cyprus Psychiatric Association is organizing its congress from 9 to 12 September this year (2010). How about organizing a symposium there? If you decide to do this, you have to move quickly by writing to Dr Neophytos Papaneophytou, the Cyprus Association President.

B) Report from Professor Vidalis by email dated 5/10/10

“Maria, unfortunately, due to many scientific and executive committments here in Greece I will be unable to participate in the New Orleans HAPAs meeting”. Dr. Vidalis noted that his meeting The 4 Seasons of Psychiatry that took place in Dubronvic . (www.4sp.gr) was a big success: “I had the chance to receive very positive comments about this event and as an example I will share the comments of Professor P. Udomratn, the Vice Chairman of the Federation of Asian Psychiatrists:

“”Dear Prof.Vidalis ,Dr.Bras, and all of speakers,
It was my great pleasure to meet all of you in Dubrovnik last week.
The 4 Seasons of Psychiatry is a meeting that I can not find in any place of the world.
It expands the horizon of my knowledge of psychiatry to neuroradiology, neurology, nanomedicine, complex theory of mathmatics, magnetic encephlography,etc.””

VI) HAPA Scientific Program

Dr Lymberis noted that Dr Zervas send his regrets because he was not able to come to the US. Hopefully he will be able to give his presentation at a future HAPA meeting. Petros Levounis, MD, MA was then introduced. He is the Director of the Addiction Institute of New York and Chief of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at St. Luke’s & Roosevelt Hospitals. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.

Dr Levounis gave a very scholarly and comprehensive presentation on his work with addictions. He noted that addiction is “the archetypical bio-psycho-social-brain disease”. Starting with a fascinating discussion on the history of addictions as illnesses he moved on to the evidence base stemming from 20 years experience in treating addictions. After focusing on the neurobiological, socio-cultural and treatment aspects, he presented his main work on motivation and change. Those who are interested can check out his just published book: “Motivation & Change”. His book is a major contribution. It is especially focused for clinicians interested in helping patients overcome the ravages of their additions. However, his insights and treatment approach is applicable not only to addictions but to a wide spectrum of psychiatric patients. The book is available on and

VII) Adjournment

Dr. Cassimatis closed the meeting at 8:00PM. The next HAPA Annual will be in Hawaii in connection with the APA meeting in May 2011

Respectfully Submitted
Maria T. Lymberis, MD
HAPA Founder & Past President

It is with GREAT Pride & Pleasure that we, in HAPA, announce the publication of two very timely and important psychiatric books
1) “”MOTIVATION & CHANGE”” by one of HAPA’s Founding members: Petros Levounis, MD

Director, The Addiction Institute of New York; Chief, Division of Addiction Psychiatry, The St. Luke’s & Roosevelt Hospitals and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
Dr Levounis gave a terrific presentation at the just complicated 11th HAPA Annual meeting on these topics in New Orleans on 5/25/10. His presentation was very scholarly, comprehensive, informative and clinically relevant. His book which is a major contribution especially for clinicians interested in helping patients overcome the ravages of their additions. His treatment approach is applicable not only to addictions but to a wide spectrum of psychiatric patients.
The book is available on amazon.com and appi.org.