WPA strives to disseminate relevant psychiatric knowledge via scientific meetings.
Authors: Pedro Ruiz
Journal: World Psychiatry (2003)

As part of its mission and most important goals, the WPA is striving to promote the dissemination of scientific information via its involvement and collaboration on scientific meetings. As a parallel goal, the WPA via its scientific meetings also strives to promote the exchanges of communication among psychiatrists in training, psychiatrists, other mental health professionals, mental health advocates, representatives from patients and patients' relatives groups, as well as policy makers from different countries and regions of the world. In this context, a series of WPA scientific meetings should be noted and addressed.

First of all, it should be mentioned that plans are already underway for the 13th World Congress of Psychiatry. This Congress will take place in Cairo, Egypt, on September 10-15, 2005 (website: www.wpa-cairo2005.com).  preliminary plans for this Congress have been so promising that it looks that this Congress will be the best ever World Congress of Psychiatry. Pencil the date in your calendar and be sure that you will attend and participate in this very important WPA scientific meeting.

Additionally, in 2003 and 2004, two major WPA scientific meetings are taking place and thus should be individually highlighted.  first one is the WPA International Congress (also, APAL Regional Symposium, 19th Sociedad Venezolana de Psiquiatria National Congress and RSCMV International Meeting) under the theme Alliances for Mental Health, which will take place on October 1-4, 2003, in Caracas, Venezuela (website: www.wpa2003.org).  second one is the WPA International Congress on Treatments in Psychiatry: An Update, which will take place on November 10-13, 2004, in Florence, Italy (contact person: Prof. Mario Maj at ti.nit@oiramjam).

Other forthcoming WPA scientific meetings include the WPA International Thematic Conference on Diagnosis in Psychiatry: Integrating the Sciences, which will take place in Vienna, Austria, on June 19-22, 2003 (website: www.2003vienna.at), and the WPA Regional Congress that will take place in Athens, Greece, in March 2005 (date not finalized as yet).

During the 2003 year, several WPA co-sponsored conferences will take place as follows: 1) on March 10-13, 2003, the First Qatar International Conference, also co-sponsored with the Arab Federation of Psychiatrists, taking place in Doha, Qatar (website: www.hmc.org.qa/qip); 2) on March 28-30, 2003, the 6th Workshop on Cost Assessment in  organized by the WPA Section on Mental Health Economics in Venice, Italy (website: www.veneziacongressi.com); 3) on April 10-13, 2003, the 19th APSA Congress in Mar del Plata, Argentina (website: www.apsa.org.ar); 4) on June 9-11, 2003, the First International Conference on The Role of Health and Culture in Conflict Resolution, in the Republic of Malta (contact person: Dr. N.D. Minton at moc.tenretnitb@notnim.dn); 5) on July 5-7, 2003, the 9th South Brazilian Psychiatric Regional Meeting, in Porto Alegre, Brazil (contact person: Dr. Jair Escobar at sb.grosrps@srps); 6) on July 9-11, 2003, the Meeting on Theory, Evidence and Psychiatric  organized by the WPA Section on Epidemiology and Public Health in Paris, France (website: www.wpaepidemio-paris.org); 7) on August 3-5, 2003, the 8th World Congress of the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation, focusing on the theme A Better Future for Those With Mental Illness: Rehabilitation for Those Without Access (website: www.wapr.net); 8) on August 23-28, 2003, the 17th World Congress on Psychosomatic Medicine, in Waikoloa, Hawaii (website: www.hawaiiresidency.org/icpm2003); 9) on September 20-23, 2003, the Satellite Conference on Ethnicity and Mental Health in Europe, Essen, Germany (contact person: Dr. Christian Haasen at ed.grubmah-inu.ku@nesaah); 10) on September 25-27, 2003, the 5th Congress on Depressive Disorders and International Symposium on Cognitive Disorders, in Mendoza, Argentina (website www.mendoza2003.com) (contact person: Dr. Jorge Nazar at moc.liamtoh@razan_egroj); 11) from September 9 to October 1, 2003, the 12th International Congress of the European Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, in Paris, France (website: www.escap2003.com); and 12) on October 2003, the Conference on Religion, Spirituality and Mental Health, organized by the Egyptian Psychiatric Association in collabora- tion with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Sinai, Egypt (the final date has not been notified to the WPA as yet; attendance is by WHO invitation only; contact person: Dr. Tarek Okasha at moc.tpygetenretni@ahsakot).

The WPA co-sponsored conferences for years 2004 and 2005 will be addressed in future issues of World Psychiatry.

As can be easily detected by this update about the forthcoming WPA scientific events, the WPA is fully committed to fulfill its objectives visa- vis the fostering of regional as well worldwide scientific meetings. Hopefully, the readers of World Psychiatry will read this update and select and attend those scientific events of interest to them.