Where to find JMIR Mental Health, Editor-in-Chief John Torous at APA 2025

Are you heading to APA 2025 in Los Angeles? Don’t miss the chance to connect with John Torous, Editor-in-Chief of JMIR Mental Health and co-founder of the Society of Digital Psychiatry. A leading voice in digital psychiatry and mental health innovation, Dr. Torous will be sharing his expertise across a packed schedule of presentations and panels.

Whether you're interested in AI, mobile mental health, equity in digital care, or the future of psychiatric practice, his sessions offer insight into the cutting edge of the field.

Here’s where you can find him:

Saturday, May 17, 2025

8:00–9:30 AM PDT | Positive Psychiatry: A Decade of Progress Meets the Age of Artificial Intelligence | Room 404 B, Los Angeles Convention Center | Presenter

During his 2012–2013 APA Presidency, Dr. Dilip Jeste introduced Positive Psychiatry, shifting focus from illness to enhancing well-being through traits like resilience, wisdom, and optimism. Now, a decade later, this session explores the field’s growth, digital impact, and integration of AI. Social media has amplified awareness, while AI enables personalized care and progress tracking. The PROGRESS framework will be introduced as a tool to foster resilience and quality of life. This interactive symposium includes a panel and Q&A, encouraging dialogue around applying Positive Psychiatry’s principles to clinical practice and public health, with an eye toward equity and innovation.

Find out more about this session and the other panelists here.

1:30–3:00 PM PDT | From Digital Literacy to Digital Clinics: Making Digital Mental Health Equitable Accessible and Actionable for All Patients | Location: Room 403 B, Los Angeles Convention Center | Chair

In the sea of mental health apps, new wearables, and innovations in chatbots, ensuring these tools are equitable and practical in care is critical. This talk discusses hands-on approaches to provide digital health equity for all patients. It offers learners a toolkit of accessible resources to assess patient digital literacy, improve patient digital literacy, evaluate mental health apps, and integrate any technology into a care model that is easy to implement. This session shares evidence-based approaches and real-world examples from two clinics, one serving people with depression and one serving people with psychosis.

Find out more about this session and the other panelists here.

Sunday, May 18, 2025

9:30–10:00 AM PDT| Idea to Impact: How Clinical Needs Become Research and Real-World Products | Mental Health Innovation Zone Stage, Los Angeles Convention Center | Presenter

How do great ideas in digital health become real-world solutions? This dynamic panel explores the full journey—from lived experience and research to funding, publication, and product launch. Hear from experts across the ecosystem as they share insights into what it takes to move a concept from inspiration to implementation. Learn how strategic collaborations and partnerships can fast-track innovation and bring new products to life.

Find out more about this session and the other panelists here.

10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT

Amp Schizophrenia: Clinically Actionable Lessons From the Largest (and Ongoing) Study of Clinical High Risk for Psychosis | Room 403A | Chair

The Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP®) Schizophrenia program, launched in 2020, aims to improve treatments for schizophrenia and related conditions. With nearly 1,000 participants enrolled globally, this session will highlight how early findings are already shaping care for those at high risk of psychosis. Topics include smartphone monitoring of sleep and suicidal thoughts, new screening tools, and insights from speech data. A panel featuring lived experience leaders will follow, with time for audience Q&A.

Find out more about this session and the other panelists here.

From App to Action: Transforming Mental Health Care Through Mobile Applications | Room 408 A, Los Angeles Convention Center | Presenter

Digital psychiatry is reshaping mental health care by improving access and outcomes through mobile technology. This symposium will cover key trends, a 12-week pilot study on digital phenotyping of depression using smartphones and wearables, and insights into clinical applications and digital literacy. Attendees will learn how speech data can detect severe mood symptoms across languages and explore the potential of multisite collaborations.

Find out more about this session and the other panelists here.

Monday, May 19, 2025

3:45–5:15 PM PDT

Poster Session 10 | A Novel Blended Hybrid Care Model for Maternal Mental Health: Insights From Pregnant and Postpartum Patients | Exhibit Hall, Los Angeles Convention Center | Co-author

Perinatal depression affects 12% of women, yet most go undetected or untreated. To address this gap, a pilot study evaluated the Digital Clinic, a blended care model combining virtual CBT with a mobile app (mindLAMP) and digital navigation. Fifteen pregnant/postpartum women received 8 weeks of treatment. Results showed significant reductions in anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9) scores, with strong effect sizes. This model offers a promising, accessible approach to maternal mental health care. Further research is needed to confirm its effectiveness in larger, more diverse populations.

Find out more about this session here.

Clinical Update on Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models| Petree Hall D, Los Angeles Convention Center | Chair

AI and large language models (LLMs) are reshaping healthcare, bringing both opportunities and risks. This session equips clinicians with essential knowledge to evaluate and use AI tools responsibly. Attendees will learn the differences between AI types, how to assess safety, bias, and regulatory issues, and explore real-world impacts on clinical workflows. The session will also highlight emerging trends like explainable AI and multimodal data integration. By the end, participants will be prepared to make informed, ethical decisions about AI use in practice and understand how these technologies are shaping the future of healthcare.

Find out more about this session and the other panelists here.

Tuesday May 24, 2025

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM PDT | Is There an App for That? A Hands-on Workshop Exploring the Latest Enhancements to the APA App Evaluation Model | Room 501 ABC, Los Angeles Convention Center | Presenter

Digital health is rapidly evolving, requiring providers and patients to stay informed on how to evaluate and integrate apps into care. This hands-on workshop introduces the updated APA App Evaluation Model, which now includes criteria for digital inclusion, equity, privacy, and special populations. Participants will work in groups using real-world cases to apply the model and explore how patients access mental health apps. The session also covers strategies for sustaining app use in clinical settings. Ideal for those new to digital tools in mental health, this workshop offers practical guidance for incorporating apps into everyday practice.

Find out more about this session and the other panelists here.

 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM PDT | The Future of the Psychiatrist | Room 403 A, Los Angeles Convention Center | Presenter

This session builds on the APA’s 2023 report on psychiatry’s future, outlining how psychiatrists can adapt to emerging trends over the next decade. As just 5% of the mental health workforce, psychiatrists must lead in complex care by integrating digital data, precision medicine, AI, MBC, psychotherapy, integrated care, and SMI treatment. The talk highlights how training and practice must evolve—calling for broader education in technology, leadership, and psychotherapeutic skills—and outlines how APA resources and policy changes can support this shift. Psychiatrists must lead these changes to expand access and shape the future of care.

Find out more about this session and the other panelists here.