McLean Hospital has in 2025 become a visiting site for the World Psychiatric Association Early Career Psychiatrists program. The WPA is a global association representing almost 150 psychiatric societies in 123 countries, bringing together more than 250,000 psychiatrists. Every American Psychiatric Association member is also a WPA member. McLean’s successful application to the WPA was organized by the site lead for the visiting fellows, Dr. Rick Wolthusen, a staff psychiatrist at McLean Hospital who works clinically at the Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Inpatient Treatment Program. The first fellow, from New Zealand, visited in July 2025. Incoming fellows in 2025-26 will visit from South Africa, Brazil, Turkey and Australia.
In an article in Psychiatric News Dr. Wolthusen describes his own journey with the WPA prior to organizing the fellowship at McLean.
Beyond Borders: How Global Connections in the WPA Shaped My Psychiatric Journey
June 26, 2025
by Rick Wolthusen, M.D., M.P.P.
“While I spent time abroad during medical school, I thought of my career in psychiatry in familiar terms when I first entered the specialty: local hospitals, national conferences, and the professional circles of the American Psychiatric Association through membership and an APAF Public Psychiatry Fellowship. But stepping into the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) taught me that my identity as a psychiatrist—and the possibilities for growth—could be much larger. The WPA is a global association representing almost 150 psychiatric societies in 123 countries, bringing together more than 250,000 psychiatrists. Every APA member is, by default, also a WPA member.
I did not know what to expect when I first connected, as a third-year psychiatry resident, with the WPA during its 2022 World Congress in Bangkok. To my surprise, two of my abstract submissions were chosen for presentation. But what I found in Bangkok was more than a scientific audience; it was a vibrant community of psychiatrists from every corner of the globe: different health systems, challenges, and innovations. Some presentations looked at the same topic but from very different cultural and conceptual perspectives—how refreshing and relevant. Yet what surprised me most was how much we shared—a common dedication to improving mental health care and learning from one another.
The experiences that followed changed my career. I joined WPA’s Early Career Psychiatry (ECP) Section as a member. I started interacting with early ECPs from around the world—these collaborations ended in international research projects that led to conference presentations and publications. During this year’s World Congress in Prague in October, I will co-present a symposium about physician wellness with colleagues from Ecuador, Nigeria, and Lithuania. I also received a WPA Fellowship that supported my participation in last year’s meeting in Mexico City, an experience that connected me with mentors and peers who became trusted collaborators—and friends. Through WPA activities, I’ve gained insights into how psychiatry adapts across vastly different cultural and economic contexts. These lessons continue to shape how I think about my work at home in the United States.
The WPA ECP Section has a lot to offer. Apart from collaborations, meeting inspiring colleagues from around the globe, and fellowships that enable World Congress attendance, the Section also offers an exchange program with host institutions in Tunisia, Nigeria, India, Iran, Nepal, Croatia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The number of host organizations and applicants is ever-growing. Each placement offers a different and unique set of opportunities, from clinical practice over research to teaching and mentorship.
The Section also organizes get-togethers and scientific activities during the Congress, such as a competition that challenges ECPs to explain their research topics in three minutes or less; this event helps young psychiatrists improve their vocal pitch accuracy and learn how to capture an audience’s attention. The competition’s winners receive complimentary Congress registration and the opportunity to publish their research in a scientific journal.
Today, I serve as the WPA ECP Section’s secretary and as the representative for North America, including Zone 1 (Canada), Zone 2 (United States), and Zone 3 (Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean)—helping build bridges between and among ECPs across continents. I can say with certainty that being part of this global network has made me a better professional and a more open, creative, and resilient person. Our Section lives on participation and active membership. To join the Section, applicants need to be a WPA member and a current trainee in psychiatry or a recent psychiatry residency graduate (within seven years of graduation).
APA’s affiliation with the WPA means that we are already part of something global. But becoming actively involved transforms that abstract connection into real, meaningful experiences. I encourage every North American ECP to take that step. Psychiatry knows no borders—and neither should we.”