Annual Meeting Offers Opportunity to Learn From International Colleagues

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The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every corner of the world and left few immune to its serious mental health consequences, highlighting the importance of collaboration and communication among psychiatrists across the globe. APA’s Annual Meeting offers one of the best opportunities of the year to connect with international colleagues, and this year’s meeting is no exception.

Several sessions at the Annual Meeting will examine mental health issues in different parts of the world and how they connect, featuring members of the APA Caucus on Global Mental Health, the World Association of Social Psychiatry, and the World Psychiatric Association, among others. Some sessions will focus on the pandemic’s far-reaching impact, providing attendees with the opportunity to learn about international collaborations in psychiatric research related to the pandemic, as well as social psychiatry’s role in reducing stigma and instituting psychosocial interventions during and after the pandemic.

But the sessions will also reach beyond the scope of the pandemic, examining modern-day examples of colonization, or appropriation, in medicine and ways to acknowledge and challenge oppression and inequalities; exploring the unprecedented rise in Islamophobia and the impact on the mental well-being of Muslim professionals; and examining the barriers that Latinx and Hispanic populations face in accessing effective mental health care.

“Psychiatrists across the globe are unified in the fight to ensure access to quality psychiatric care in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., who is a presenter in one of the sessions (see below). “It is more important than ever that we collaborate and learn from each other as we look toward the future.” ■

Session Information on Global Mental Health Topics

SATURDAY, MAY 1

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Advancing Ethics and Equity in Psychiatry: Perspectives From the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Speakers: Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., Adrian James, M.D., Gertrude Seneviratne, M.B.B.S., Wendy Burn, M.D., Kate Lovett, M.D.

SUNDAY, MAY 2

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

International Research Collaborations in Global Psychiatry and Mental Health: The World Early Career Psychiatrists’ Think Tank

Speakers: Zargham Abbass, M.D., Victor Pereira-Sanchez, M.D., Laura Orsolini, M.D., Lamiaa Essam Hamed Ahmad, Ruta Karaliuniene, M.D.

COVID-19 Pandemic and After: What Social Psychiatry Can Offer?

Speakers: Eliot Sorel, M.D., Rakesh Kumar Chadda, M.D., Roy Abraham Kallivayalil, M.D., Andrew Molodynski, Rachid Bennegadi, M.D.

4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

The IMG Journey: Snapshots Across the Professional Lifespan

Speakers: Muhammad Zeshan, M.D., Ahmad Hameed, M.D., Manal Farrukh Khan, M.D., Souparno Mitra, M.D., Vishal Madaan, M.D.

Asian American Mental Health and Racism During and Post COVID-19

Speakers: Edmond Hsin T. Pi, M.D., Geetha Jayaram, M.D., M.B.A., Joan Han, D.O., Francis Sanchez, M.D., Dora-Linda Wang, M.D., M.A., Clayton Chau, M.D., Ph.D.

MONDAY, MAY 3

2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Latinx/Hispanic Communities and Mental Health: Identifying Barriers to Access and Potential Solutions During Unsettled Times

Speakers: Ruby C. Castilla Puentes, M.D., Pamela Montano, M.D., Mauricio Tohen, M.D., Dr.P.H., M.B.A., Bernardo Ng, M.D., Hector Colon-Rivera, M.D.

Double Jeopardy, Muslim Mental Health Provider: Facing Xenophobia, Navigating Burnout, and Focus on Wellness

Speakers: Batool Kazim, M.D., Farha Zaman Abbasi, M.D.

Decolonizing Psychiatry: Listening to and Learning From Case Discussions

Speakers: Alicia Barnes, D.O., Desiree Nicolette Shapiro, M.D., Courtney Cosby, Dewonna Ferguson, Matthew N. Goldenberg, M.D., M.Sc.

4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Ethnicity, Culture, and Psychopharmacology

Speakers: Edmond Hsin T. Pi, M.D.