2nd Wednesday Educational Series
Translating Evidence into Practice: Challenges in Practice Guideline Development
Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025
7:30 – 8:30 pm EDT
Location: Virtual - Horizon Virtual Venue Platform & Zoom
Program Learning Objectives – At the conclusion of this activity participants will be able to:
- Describe the key steps in developing clinical practice guidelines, using the process of the American Psychiatric Association as an example.
- Discuss the ways in which current research trends complicate the incorporation of evidence in clinical practice.
- List 3 guideline related products that clinicians can use to enhance their knowledge of practice guideline recommendations.
Presenter: Dr. Laura Fochtmann is a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor at Stony Brook University in the Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacological Sciences, and Biomedical Informatics. She received a BS degree with a major in Electrical Engineering as well as an MD degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She then completed psychiatry residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she was chief resident, and a basic research fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health through the Pharmacology Research Associates Training Program. She later earned a Master's degree in Biomedical Informatics from Oregon Health and Science University. She is one of a small number of individuals nationally to be board certified in both Psychiatry and Clinical Informatics. Dr. Fochtmann has been the Medical Editor for the American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines since 2001 and has been a major contributor to all APA Practice Guidelines products since that time. She was also a member of the APA Task Force on Electroconvulsive Therapy that developed key recommendations for ECT practice that were published in 2001 and 2025. Internationally, she is a member of the SNOMED Mental and Behavioural Health Clinical Reference Group that reviews and refines SNOMED terminology for use in electronic heath applications. Dr. Fochtmann’s excellence in teaching and service have been acknowledged with numerous awards, including APA’s Warren Williams Assembly Speaker’s Award for outstanding contributions to psychiatry and mental health. She is also a fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association, a fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists, and Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA.
Accreditation and Designation Statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by American Psychiatric Association (APA) and Washington Psychiatric Society. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
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