International Conference on "The Journey from Madness to Mental Health"

 

By 1 2 1 News Reporter

Chandigarh 23^rd  September:- The Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER, Chandigarhis celebrating its Golden Jubilee along with Silver Jubilee of the Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre (DDTC)on September 22-23, 2013. Morethan 100 illustrative alumni of the department from all over the world including countries like the USA, Australia, Palestine, etc., gathered on this joyous occasion on Sunday. To commemorate the event, an International CME on "The Journey from Madness to Mental Health: The Next Fifty Years of Psychiatry" is being held in PGIMER, Chandigarh, where the alumni of the Department will be talking about various topics in psychiatry and de-addiction.

Prof. V.M. Katoch, Secretary, Department of Health Research (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare) & Director General, ICMR was the Chief Guest at the inauguration of the CME. Former Heads of the Department Dr. N.N. Wig, Dr. V.K.Verma and Dr. P.Kulhara were present on the occasion. Three books were released to mark the occasion- Development of Psychiatry in India:Clinical, Research and Policy Perspectives, The Jubilee Book: Department of Psychiatry and Primer of De-addiction Services. Prof. Katoch appreciated the work done by the Department of Psychiatry and wished that the Department carries the impetus forward.

The inauguration was followed by "the Heads forum" where all the past heads and the present head, Dr.SavitaMalhotra reminisced about the department's journey over the last 50 years. Thereafter, many alumni walked down the memory lane recalling the time they spent in the department. Later in the evening, the members and alumni of the department came together for fun. Many of them showed their talents in form of singing, dancing, etc.

With the Department having reached a half-century mark of its history, it wasa great time for alumni, former faculty, staff, and their families to revisit the beautiful campus of PGIMER and reminiscence the wonderful memories. With a memorable history of fifty years of selfless service to the nation, the alumnus of the Department is spreading the light in the fieldof psychiatry all over the world to the next generation of professionals