WPA, as main sponsor of the event, has provided travel awards for the winners of a Video log (“Vlog”) Contest to participate in the conference.
The Department of Psychiatry at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India, which is the latest Collaborating Centre of the WPA, is celebrating its 60th year (diamond jubilee) anniversary with an international conference on mental health on 14-16 September 2023 (https://www.djicmh2023.com/). As a main sponsor of this prestigious academic event, WPA has provided financial support for travel and allowances to the winners of a Video log (“Vlog”) Contest to participate in the conference. The Theme of the Vlog contest was “Public Mental Health in low- and middle-income countries: how can we make it true?” and has been inspired by the visionary Prof Narendra Nath Wig’s talk during the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER, Chandigarh a decade ago.
The contest was open to all postgraduate degree trainees in various disciplines related to mental health (those currently pursuing MD/DM/DNB in psychiatry, MPhil in clinical psychology, MPhil in psychiatric social work and MSc in psychiatric nursing, or equivalent). A total of 19 entries were received and scrutinised for the eligibility requirements of the contest (https://www.djicmh2023.com/wpa-cc-travelling-fellowship-award/). After preliminary screening, ten short-listed entries were sent to three judges, all renowned Mental Health Professionals from different parts of India. The judges were Dr Shekhar P Seshadri, Bangalore, Dr Achal Bhagat, New Delhi, and Dr Adarsh Kohli, Chandigarh/Canada. They independently rated all 10 entries out of 100 marks based on the broad scoring system (50 marks for content coverage, 30 marks for presentation style and impact and 20 marks for technical aspects).
The winner of the WPA-CC Chandigarh Vlog contest is
Dr Keerthana Suresh, MD Psychiatry trainee doctor from the Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of medical sciences, Pondicherry. The WPA awarded her USD 300 for her travel and participation in the conference.
The runner-up is Dr Geeteshwar Dewan, MD Psychiatry trainee doctor from the Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh whom the WPA has awarded travel fellowship support of USD 200.
In addition, their registration fees were waived, and reasonable accommodation has been provided for 3-4 nights by the DJICMH 2023 Organizing committee. The award will be presented at the inaugural ceremony. The two awarded entries will be uploaded on the dedicated YouTube Channel of the Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER Chandigarh (https://www.youtube.com/@pgimerpsychiatry), for viewing by all.
Author: WPA