Dr. Liu becomes president of ADMSEP

Howard Liu, MD, has begun his one-year term as president of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP). This national group consists of leaders of psychiatric education for first- to fourth-year medical students.

Last year, Dr. Liu was the president-elect of ADMSEP after previously being the organization’s treasurer and secretary/newsletter editor.

“I’ve found incredible collaborators, mentors and trainees in ADMSEP,” Dr. Liu said. “I became a member as a new clerkship director when the leadership team supported our idea to create a free, peer-reviewed clinical simulation library of psychiatry cases for medical educators.The task force began its work in 2010, and now, a decade later, those online cases have been viewed over 151,000 times in 96 countries. It really helped clerkships out during COVID-19 when students could not engage in live patient contact. It is just one example of the spirit of innovation that is the core of the organization.”

The UNMC Department of Psychiatry has had a long history with the organization. Carl Greiner, MD, was president from 2006-2007. In the past two years, the psychiatry department has sent more students, residents and faculty members than any other program. In 2019, 10 members of the UNMC community traveled to Portland, Maine, for the annual Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP) Conference.

As president, Dr. Liu said he has three key goals for his tenure.

Group photo of UNMC ADMSEP attendees at June ADSMEP annual meeting, from top of stairs to lower left: Howard Liu, MD, Linda Love, EdD, Daniel Gih, MD, Jeana Benton, MD, Sheritta Strong, MD, Rebecca Wysoske, MD, Dana Raml, MD, Cindy Chou, MD (UNMC medical school alumnus, now at Pittsburgh for psychiatry residency), Emily Royer, MD (UNMC psychiatry resident), Laura Flores (UNMC MD/PhD student). Attendee Sharon Hammer, MD, not pictured.

“First, the organization will rapidly adapt to COVID-19 and support its members through virtual events if we are unable to have a live meeting this year. Technology in the spirit of free open access medical education is built into the DNA of ADMSEP.

“Second, I want to be proactive in addressing the culture of medical education as we are launching a Diversity Equity Inclusion and Antiracism task force. Its charge will be to ensure that educators have the resources to create a safe and positive learning environment for medical students.

“Finally, I want to strengthen the relationships that make our organization vital. Being proactive about mentoring and networking connections will ensure that new educators have access to diverse leaders in psychiatry education.”

Dr. Liu started with ADMSEP 10 years ago when he became clerkship director for the UNMC Department of Psychiatry. He also has previously served as director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska and assistant vice chancellor for faculty development at UNMC. He was named chair of the UNMC Department of Psychiatry in January 2019 and became a tenured professor of psychiatry this year.