AMA-IMG 2009 Governing Council Candidates
Nyapati R. Rao, MD
East Meadow, N.Y.
Specialty: Psychiatry
Read Dr. Rao's Biosketch (PDF)
Candidate’s Statement:
I am interested in serving as a member of the AMA-IMG Governing Council. I am an IMG from India and I have worked in the U.S. for over 28 years as an educator, administrator and clinician. For 19 years I directed residency-training programs in psychiatry, initially in a community hospital and later in a medical school, before assuming my current position as the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and a professor of clinical psychiatry at a large public sector teaching hospital in Nassau County, NY.
I have published and lectured extensively on issues that IMGs face and have been successful in creating special programs that address IMG needs. For example, at the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training, I organized a mentorship program for IMGs. At the APA, as the chair of its Council on Medical Education and Life Long Learning, I organized a retreat to highlight the positive contributions made by IMGs to psychiatric workforce. In addition, I am the Director of the APA’s “IMG Institute”-- a day-long course for IMG residents in Psychiatry that addresses their educational, and cultural issues. And I am currently the chair of the committee of IMGs at the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry where I published a comprehensive annotated bibliography on IMGs. In recognition of my efforts, the Association for Academic Psychiatry recently honored me as their Educator of the Year. In addition, I will receive the APA’s George Tarjan Award for making substantial contributions to the IMGs issues in May, 2009. I believe that my track record in successfully advocating for IMGs in organizational medicine will be an asset as a member of the Governing Council. If elected, I intend to continue my efforts to highlight IMGs positive contributions, and lower barriers to their successful integration with the mainstream of American medicine.
