President's Message
​
The American Association for Psychiatric Administration and Leadership (AAPAL) is a vibrant organization founded on the idea of building a community of psychiatrists with a common belief in the importance of physician leadership. Our organizations creates opportunities for leaders to form relationships and learn and grow together. We invest in our field’s future by encouraging, mentoring, and developing new leaders. We also offer an array of educational opportunities at national meetings and webinars. Our robust listserv provides a space where leaders can discuss challenges, obtain mentorship and find camaraderie.
We hope you explore our website and learn about AAPAL’s rich history and traditions, as well as our current leadership structure. We are excited to discuss opportunities within our organization and we would be delighted to welcome you into our community of current and aspiring leaders. Please don’t hesitate to be reach out directly if you have any questions.
James Rachal, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Chair
Department of Psychiatry
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Charlotte Campus
ABOUT DR. RACHAL
James C. Rachal, MD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Academic Chair for the Department of Psychiatry at Atrium Health and also serves as the medical director for the Behavioral Health Charlotte campus. He is a board-certified Psychiatrist and Family Physician who has over 15 years of clinical experience and administrative experience. Dr. Rachal graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Arts from Miami University. He then graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and trained in both Family Medicine and Psychiatry in the United States Air Force at the National Capital Consortium in Washington DC. Dr. Rachal is a Veteran of the Operation Iraqi Freedom and was deployed to Kuwait. He spent 7 years at the University of Pittsburgh Medical center and developed the states only inpatient trauma program. He was awarded Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic’s physician of the year in 2014 for this work. At Atrium Health Dr. Rachal helped lead the team, that created the community psychiatry residency program that mixes state of the art technology with an emphasis on scholarly work. Dr. Rachal is married and has 3 children.