Committee Chair Spotlight

Meet Rebecca

AADPRT Workforce Committee Chair Rebecca Lundquist, MD, is the training director at Broadlawns-UnityPoint Psychiatry Residency.  We recently caught up with her to find out more about the Workforce Committee's work and her personal side.

Initiatives/projects your committee is currently working on?
Our committee is interested in increased numbers of generalist and subspecialist psychiatrists and in supporting programs to be able to overcome barriers to increasing these numbers. To that end, we have developed a guide for programs and potential programs to use when increasing their number of slots or starting a new program. We have been interested in the effect that NPPs (ARNPs and PAs) have on programs both as trainee NPPs and graduate NPPs and we are currently working on a best practices document for psychiatry departments with psychiatry residents to use when they staff clinical services.

What is the time commitment to be on this committee?
1 hour/month for meetings, additional time as part of projects.

What/Who inspired you to be on this committee and why?
I see program direction as a way to make a contribution to the psychiatrist workforce that will outlast me. I have taught residents for my entire career in areas where psychiatrists are thought to be plentiful (Eastern Massachusetts) as well as here in Iowa where we are 47th in psychiatrists per capita. The truth is that there are not enough of us anywhere and this is a problem that should inspire all of us.

How has this committee helped your own professional development?
I have been mentored to present at national meetings and to publish by many terrific committee members. This committee has many people with a variety of academic experiences and expertise in various workforce areas, and I learn many new things every time we meet.

What has the committee accomplished that you are most proud of?
I am new to committee leadership, but I am proud that we have begun a conversation within AADPRT about the effect of NPPs on residency education and I am proud of the help we have been able to offer to organizations as they contemplate starting new programs.

What advice would you give a new training director?
You've got this! There is no magic that a training director has that someone about to start doing this work doesn't have. AADPRT has always been there for me when I haven't been sure what to do.

What is a fun fact about you that may surprise people?
I lived in six states by the time I was in high school.

What is the last book you read?
Sandwich, by Catherine Newman. I miss Cape Cod and am in a similar stage of life to the main character (with my child about to head off to college in September).

What is the next place on your travel bucket list?
I just returned from a trip to London, Sweden and Iceland. I have Swedish roots and was able to walk in the footsteps of my Swedish ancestors, which was fun. I'm hoping the next trip will be to Italy, where my husband has roots.

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