About Us

The Alaska Psychiatric Association (AkPA) is a district branch of the American Psychiatric Association, a medical specialty society representing more than 38,000 physician leaders in mental health.

The objectives of AkPA are to continuously improve the ability of its members to provide quality psychiatric services to persons in need and their families. The Association also strives to promote the welfare of all those with mental illness and to foster the medically based principles of psychiatry.

The Association, in collaboration with the American Psychiatric Association, is committed to: 

1. Improving the treatment, rehabilitation, and care of the mentally ill, the mentally retarded, and the emotionally disturbed; 
2. Promoting research, professional education in psychiatry and allied fields and the prevention of psychiatric disability; 
3. Advancing the standards of all psychiatric services and facilities;
4. Fostering the cooperation of all who are concerned with the medical, psychological, social and legal aspects of mental health and illness; 
5. Making psychiatric knowledge available to other practitioners of medicine, to scientists in other fields of knowledge, and to the public; and
6. Promoting the best interests of patients and those actually or potentially making use of mental health services.

Although an integral and a component of it's national parent organization, the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the AkPA is an independent organization. The AkPA participates in the APA legislative and public affairs networks. Designated representatives serve as members of these national networks and provide supportive activities in the areas of legislative advocacy and public information and education.

OFFICERS - 2009-2010

David Telford, M.D., President
Lucy Curtiss, M.D., Treasurer,Secretary
David Holliday, M.D., Counselor/Ethics Chair
Verner Stillner, M.D., Legislative Representative
Charles Burgess, M.D., Public Affairs
Alexander von Hafften, M.D., Representative
Wandall Winn, M.D., Deputy Representative
Kahnaz Khari, M.D., Early Career Psychiatrist