Nation’s top conference on practical psychopharmacology continuously partners with nearly 20 of the most respected minds in mental healthcare; the meeting serves as a unique, integrated forum to connect members of the entire mental health team with the foremost experts in psychiatry to improve patient outcomes through education.

MALVERN Pa., (July 25, 2023) — HMP Global, the leading omnichannel healthcare company, announced the additions of nurse practitioners Amber Hoberg, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, Brooke Kempf, PMHNP, and Desiree Matthews, PMHNP-BC to the Psych Congress Steering Committee, joining nearly 20 of the most respected minds in mental healthcare to develop an enriching educational experience at the nation’s leading meeting for mental health professionals.

The 2023 Psych Congress national meeting will be held September 6-10 in Nashville. Psych Congress is America’s premier independent conference on practical psychopharmacology and a unique, integrated forum to connect members of the entire mental health team with the foremost experts in psychiatry to improve patient outcomes through education.

The addition of Hoberg, Kempf, and Matthews to the Psych Congress Steering Committee reflects the growing role of NPs in mental healthcare. The three NPs were instrumental in the successful launch of the inaugural Psych Congress NP Institute earlier this year, providing NPs a deep dive into psychopharmacology principles and terminology on treatment, disease states, and medication types. The 2024 in-person NP Institute will be held March 20-23 in San Diego.

As Steering Committee members, Hoberg, Kempf, and Matthews will help guide the development of the Psych Congress educational program. Sessions this year include learning tracks focused on State of the Science, Solving Clinical Challenges, and sessions covering a variety of mental health disorders.

“As the prevalence of mental health issues rises, it is paramount to provide quality education and training for mental healthcare professionals,” said Randy Robbin, Chief Learning Officer, HMP Global, and President, HMP Education. “We are pleased to welcome Amber Hoberg, Brooke Kempf, and Desiree Matthews to the 2023 Psych Congress Steering Committee. Their expertise will be vital in developing an educational program tailored for clinicians seeking the latest knowledge, research, and practical insights with a goal of improving care and outcomes for patients.”

Hoberg is a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (NP) from University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. She has been working for the past 12 years with the adult and geriatric populations treating all types of psychiatric conditions. Her background as a Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse includes outpatient, inpatient, group home, and nursing home/ALF settings, with duties including psychiatric evaluations, brief psychotherapy, and medication management for individuals with chronic mental illness, cognitive impairments, and intellectual disabilities. She currently works for Baptist Health System and Morning Star Family Medicine PLLC treating the chronically mentally ill in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Kempf has worked as a psychiatric nurse at Hamilton Center in Terre Haute, Ind., since she graduated from Indiana State University with an associate’s degree in 1994. She worked as a charge nurse on the Inpatient Unit and worked in the outpatient setting while obtaining her bachelor’s degree from ISU in 1996. Kempf obtained a master’s degree from the State University at Stony Brook of New York, and she is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She worked as Hamilton Center’s Chief Nursing Officer in 2013 while also providing medication management to adults with psychiatric illness in both the inpatient and outpatient setting there and at Wabash Valley Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Care Center in Terre Haute. She currently practices as the hospitalist for the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit of Hamilton Center Community Mental Health Center.

Matthews is a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She received her bachelor’s degree from University at Buffalo and her master’s degree from Stony Brook University. She lives in Charlotte, NC and practices at Monarch, a community mental health center providing telepsychiatry services to adult patients. Her clinical interests include treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, treatment resistant unipolar depression and drug induced movement disorders including tardive dyskinesia (TD). She has provided faculty expertise and insight into the development of a clinical screener for TD called MIND-TD.

Psych Congress Co-Chairs are Julie Carbray, PhD, FPMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, APRN, Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, and Greg Mattingly, MD. Joining Hoberg, Kempf, and Matthews on the Psych Congress Steering Committee are:

• Steven Chan, MD, MBA, clinical assistant professor (affiliated), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif.
• Craig Chepke, MD, DFAPA, Psych Congress scientific advisor; editorial board, Current Psychiatry; adjunct associate professor of psychiatry, Atrium Health; and Medical Director, Excel Psychiatric Associates
• Kali D. Cyrus, MD, MPH, Diversity Strategist, Dynamics of Difference; assistant professor, Johns Hopkins Medicine; ACT Team Psychiatrist, Family Preservation Services
• Saundra Jain, MA, PSYD, LPC, adjunct clinical affiliate, University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing; private practice, Austin, Texas
• Edward Kaftarian, MD, CEO, Orbit Health Telepsychiatry, Encino, Calif.
• Samantha Lau, MSN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, CEO, ELEVATEHER, LLC, Santa Barbara, Calif.
• Vladimir Maletic, MD, MS, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral science, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville, SC
• Ilan Melnick, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Passageway Residences of Dade County, Miami
• Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP, clinical professor, University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing
• Arwen Podesta, MD, owner, Podesta Wellness; clinical faculty, Tulane Psychiatry; Medical Director, Lake Wellness, New Orleans
• Charles Raison, MD, Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families; professor, Human Development and Family Studies, School of Human Ecology; professor, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.

Psych Congress provides a unique, integrated forum full of real-world training and covering the latest techniques, treatments, best practices, and evidence-based care. It features more than 50 psychopharmacology-focused sessions over four days, led by more than 55 internationally renowned faculty presenters.

The conference is designed and accredited for all members of the mental health team, including psychiatrists, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, students, residents, fellows, and other mental health professionals.

For more information or to register, visit national.psychcongress.com. To view the full Psych Congress portfolio, visit psychcongress.com.

ABOUT HMP GLOBAL   

HMP Global is the force behind Healthcare Made Practical — and is an omnichannel leader in healthcare content, events, and education, with a mission to improve patient care. The company produces accredited medical education events — in person and online via its proprietary VRTX virtual platform — and clinically relevant, evidence-based content for the global healthcare community across a range of therapeutic areas. Its brands include the HMP Global Learning Network, healthcare's most comprehensive source for news and information; Psych Congress, the largest independent mental health meeting in the U.S.; the Evolution of Psychotherapy, the world’s largest independent educational event for mental health professionals; the Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC), the leading, global gathering for interdisciplinary cardiovascular specialists; EMS World Expo, North America's largest EMT and paramedic event; and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), the largest wound care meeting in the world. For more information, visit hmpglobal.com.