This year’s Annual Meeting in New York City features a diverse lineup of presenters from the international psychiatric community. Programming includes more than 250 sessions that focus on global mental health, which involves the study, research, and practice of improving mental health for all people worldwide. It takes into consideration disparities in mental health treatment and care across cultures and countries.
“APA’s Annual Meeting is an important academic meeting attended by psychiatrists from all over the world,” said Roger Ng, M.D., consultant psychiatrist and chief of services at Kowloon Hospital in Hong Kong. “This provides a key platform for us to brainstorm and learn from each other about innovations in psychiatric education, as well as to attract like-minded psychiatrists to join forces in implementing and enhancing our current educational initiatives.”
Ng will chair the session “Innovations in Global Psychiatric Education” on Monday, May 7, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Presenters Dinesh Bhugra, M.D., Mahesh Jayaram, M.B.B.S., Nada Stotland, M.D., M.P.H., and Marc H.M. Hermans, M.D., will explore ways of addressing training gaps in countries with limited resources through online education and mentorship.
“I am always impressed by the standard of the program, the diversity of the topics, and the global themes,” said Prof. Wendy Burn, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. “It’s wonderful to once again be looking forward to taking part in the largest psychiatric meeting in the world and meeting delegates from so many other countries.”
Burn will deliver lectures in two Annual Meeting sessions: “The Gatsby Wellcome Neuroscience Project” and “International Perspectives: How Government Policies Influence the Practice of Psychiatrists and the Rights of their Patients.”
Here is a sample of sessions scheduled for this year’s meeting:
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Social Discrimination and Mental Illness Around the Globe: A past president of the World Psychiatric Association, Dinesh Bhugra, Ph.D., M.A., will discuss laws that discriminate against people with mental illness and how clinicians can help shape more tolerant policies in their respective countries. Saturday, May 5, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
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The Future of Psychiatry: Norman Sartorius, M.D., former director of the World Health Organization’s Division of Mental Health and a former president of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), will review the impact of globalization, urbanization, population explosion, commodification, and other major social forces on the practice of psychiatry and the organization of mental health services. APA President Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., will chair this session. Sunday, May 6, 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
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Innovative Quality Improvement Initiatives: International Perspective: This symposium will be presented by the WPA Section on Quality Assurance. It will feature four quality improvement projects, one in Europe and three in the United States. Presenters include Wolfgang Gaebel, M.D., past president of the European Psychiatric Association; Michelle Riba, M.D., past president of APA and WPA secretary for scientific publications; and J. Richard Ciccone, M.D., past chair of APA’s Commission on Judicial Action and Commission on Public Policy, Litigation, and Advocacy. Monday, May 7, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
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The Gatsby Wellcome Neuroscience Project: In this lecture, President of Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) Prof. Wendy Burn will highlight work that the RCP, with funding from the Gatsby Foundation and Wellcome Trust, is doing to modify the psychiatry training curriculum and advance neuroscience. Monday, May 7, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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Global Mental Health Research and the Fogarty International Center’s 50th Anniversary: Since 1968, the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health has supported global health research in the United States and abroad, building institutional partnerships and training scientists to address global health needs. This symposium aims to encourage young trainees in academic settings to learn about research opportunities related to mental, neurological, and substance use disorders around the world, with a specific emphasis on low- and middle-income countries. Tuesday, May 8, 8 a.m.-11 a.m. ■