Running as part of a “rival slate,” Dr. Viola Bernard has won election as one of two vice-presidents of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Bernard has long been a member of the APsaA and is currently chairman of its Committee on Community Psychiatry.

The rival slate was nominated by petition of the “Committee of Concerned APA Members.” In addition to Dr. Bernard, its candidates were Dr. Lester Grinspoon, for president-elect, and Dr. Robert Senescu (also an APsaA member) for vice-president. This was the first time in some years that candidates ran for APA office against the slate selected by the Nominating Committee.

Although Dr. Bernard's margin of victory was so small as to require a re-count (she won by 29 votes out of a total of over 8,000 ballots), her victory against the “regular” candidate nonetheless occasioned surprise. Drs. Grinspoon and Senescu also ran more strongly than was anticipated; each received in the neighborhood of 3,500 votes out of a total of over 8,000.