Abstract
The American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists (AACP) has come a long way since its founding a quarter century ago. A group of individuals led by George Winokur, John Clancy, Noel Brown and others came together to found an organization based on the premise that clinical care is informed by research, and that meetings in which researchers and clinicians met to exchange ideas would be beneficial to all involved. At the time, proponents of descriptive and empirical psychiatry felt beleaguered and, for the most part, excluded from mainstream organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association. Winokur and others were considered outliers in a specialty that rewarded conformity. They were considered “too biologic” and many in positions of power felt the views of these Midwestern rebels were extremist.