There has always been a need for academic departments of psychiatry to meet the needs of an ever-changing health care climate without sacrificing the quality and integrity of educational and research programs. This was recognized by a small group of psychiatry administrators under the leadership of William Newel and Norman MacLeod when they formed the Administrators in Academic Psychiatry in April of 1985. Their main objective at that time was to provide education and networking opportunities for administrators of psychiatry programs in academic settings that to this day remains the primary reason for AAP's existence.

The health care industry and the marketplace are essentially driving changes that cascade into the educational system. The number of economic influences on educational programs has significantly grown. Developing and maintaining the financial stability and organizational underpinning to provide a sufficiently unique educational experience for those in training in a clinical academic department demands effective and knowledgeable leadership.

Changes in the mental health care delivery system continue to occur at an unprecedented rate. Clinical revenue continues its downward spiral along with federally sponsored research support. Funding for education is more tenuous each year. Financial support for the educational endeavor continues to change as quickly as the system itself.

Both governmental and institutional oversight of research projects demands administrators be knowledgeable in areas as diverse as human subject protection, intellectual property and overhead allocation.  Faculty members rely upon departmental administration to translate complex regulations in to workable plans and processes that do not inhibit learning and discovery and continue to promote the "bench to bedside" model unique to academic medicine.  

The need for a collaborative practice with multiple disciplines translates into developing new practice sites, changing established ones, merging with primary care-oriented sites.  Providing or integrating technology required to maintain financial information systems and the informatics necessary for treatment and practice management is paramount.

The Administrators in Academic Psychiatry (AAP) association is organized to provide a forum where this unique group of professionals can address the present and future academic psychiatry issues in collegial fashion and garner solutions and ideas to be applied in individual departments across the country.