[Insight] Mark Rapaport—aiming to leave a better world than he found

Abstract

The new president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Mark Rapaport, has enjoyed a long and successful career by following some simple principles: try to leave the world a little better than you found it, and always ask your patients what they want rather than assuming that you know what they need. On reaching his 40s, Rapaport decided that he could contribute more by taking leadership positions, and decided that the success and growth of those that he served as a leader would be how he judged his own success.