News from the 20th IACAPAP World Congress held in Paris from July 21st to 25th, 2012
Awards Summary
The IACAPAP gives awards to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) worldwide. At the closing ceremony of the Paris 2012 Congress, awards were given to four very special CAMH professionals. The International Contribution Award was given to Amira Seif Eldin, and the IACAPAP Medal to Elena Garralda, Ginger Anthony and Joseph Rey.
The International Contribution Award
Amira Seif Eldin accepting award from Myron Belfer and Olayinka Omigbodun
The International Contribution Award, sponsored by the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (KACAP) and presented by the IACAPAP, recognizes the sustained contribution of an individual to the development of child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) and child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) in the developing world. This award comes with the receipt of a plaque and an honorarium.
At the IACAPAP Paris Congress, Professor Amira Seif Eldin received this award. Young-Sook Kwack, MD., the current President of the Korean Academy (KACAP), attended the Paris Congress.
Amira embodies the spirit and intent of the award. Her courageous determination to support the development of CAMH services and education in the face of many challenges is a remarkable story. Amira, as she is affectionately called by everyone, pioneered the development of CAMH services in Alexandria, Egypt and influenced the development of CAMH throughout the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Her tireless leadership and vision have inspired many others. It is fair to say that Amira is the heart and soul of CAMH in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Amira and her “team” provided the backbone for supporting a number of study groups in the region under the joint auspices of the Eastern Mediterranean Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (EMACAPAP) and IACAPAP. It was in the context of a study group held in Sharm El-Sheik during the Presidency of Donald Cohen, with whom Amira enjoyed a special relationship, and in the presence of attendees from virtually every Eastern Mediterranean country that EMACAPAP was founded. Professor Ahmed Okasha, the distinguished Egyptian psychiatrist and past-President of the WPA gave his support to this pioneering effort. Amira has been the constant champion of EMACAPAP’s efforts as well as having served as its President from its founding. EMACAPAP provided the support for the first regional research study of autism and advanced the careers of young psychiatrists and psychologists through educational opportunities.
In Alexandria, Amira supported the development of a range of community based services for children with mental health needs including a centre for children with developmental disabilities and a network of school consultation services. Both the centre and the model for school consultation meet the very highest standards. In Alexandria, Amira has also led in promoting the understanding of the roots of violence and convened meetings of mental health professionals and others to discuss issues of aetiology and intervention.
Amira is Professor of Mental Health in the Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University. She received her MD in neurology and psychiatry from the Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University. She has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) as President of the Child Mental Health Association in Alexandria from 1998 to the present, and served as a Vice-President of the IACAPAP.
In all her activities Amira has been steadfastly supported by her husband Nabil Abdel Rahman, a distinguished neurosurgeon, and her two sons.
Adapted from the citation read by Myron Belfer, Chair, 2012 International Contribution Award Selection Committee, Paris, July 25, 2012
The IACAPAP Medal Awardees
M Elena Garralda
Elena Garralda receiving award from Kari Schleimer
Elena Garralda, an Emeritus Professor, and former head of the Academic Unit of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Imperial College London, St. Mary’s Campus was a recipient of the IACAPAP medal at the Paris 2012 Congress.
Elena has been involved in teaching undergraduates and in the training of postgraduate students specialising in child and adolescent psychiatry. Elena’s research work has focused on the understanding of the relationship between physical and psychiatric problems in children. Her findings indicate the close relationship between mental and physical health in children. She observed that children with psychiatric problems often experience physical symptoms and present with these symptoms, in preference to their psychological symptoms, to paediatricians and general practitioners. On the other hand, children with chronic paediatric disorders have an increased risk for psychiatric problems. Elena’s research work has aimed at documenting the nature, underlying mechanisms and clinical implications of the interface between psychiatric and physical health problems in children and young people.
Elena Garralda receiving award from Kari Schleimer
Elena has worked for the IACAPAP as Editor of the IACAPAP book series since 2004. Her first book was edited together with Martine Flament and the next three books together with Jean-Philippe Raynaud. She is now handing over the main responsibility of Chief Editor to him.
Adapted from the citation read by Kari Schleimer MD, Ph.D, Paris July 25, 2012
Ginger Anthony
The International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP) presented the IACAPAP medal to Virginia (Ginger) Anthony on her retirement after 28 years as Executive Director of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Ginger has made an extraordinary contribution not only to children in the United States but to children around the world through her untiring work. The elements that have made her a great leader are reflected in the video, entitled GingerMania that was distributed in August, as she prepared to leave the Academy. The video documents her tireless advocacy, her political and social savvy, and the good spirits that have made such a contribution to the Academy and beyond. In addition, we note that Ginger is one of the kindest people in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health. For all of this the members of IACAPAP are grateful.
Adapted from the citation read by Gordon Harper MD, Paris July 25, 2012
Joseph M Rey
Joseph Rey, Editor of IACAPAP’s Bulletin and the new innovative IACAPAP eBook received the IACAPAP medal.
Professor Joseph M Rey has been a Professor of Psychiatry since 1994. Born in 1944, he hails from Spain and completed his early training in Saragossa, Spain where he graduated as a medical doctor in 1967 and obtained his PhD in 1970. He moved to Australia in 1977 and has embarked on an academic career that can be described as ‘sparkling’.
A fellow Australian child psychiatrist, Professor Garry Walter, from the University of Sydney, who has worked closely with Joe for a number of years, said of Joe: “I have long admired Joe’s fine qualities as a supervisor, mentor, clinician and researcher. Joe had a major role in raising the profile and quality of child psychiatry research ‘Down Under’ and in health service reform”. Garry added that Joe had also provided some of his Australian colleagues with many amusing moments when he would give typical Australian sayings or slangs a Spanish flavour, or attempt to translate Spanish sayings into English.
Joe Rey receiving award from Daniel Fung and Olayinka Omigbodun
Garry mentioned that Joe and his wife Helen had always been very generous hosts whenever members of the international child psychiatry community would visit Sydney, making visitors feel most welcome.”
For several years Joe has actively served the world of child and adolescent mental health through his outstanding work with the IACAPAP. Joe was a mentor to several young child mental health professionals in the Donald J Cohen Fellowship programme during the 2006 IACAPAP Congress in Melbourne. He became the Editor of the IACAPAP Bulletin in 2008, raising the standard of this bulletin with every new issue since then. Joe has demonstrated a remarkable sense of a need to share CAMH practice throughout the world.
Conceived, created and edited by Joe, the innovative ‘IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health’, was launched at the Paris Congress. This textbook is really a year of Joe’s sweat and tears that epitomizes his belief that CAMH knowledge should be freely available and shared with colleagues all around the world.
Adapted from the citation read by Daniel Fung, MD, Paris July 25, 2012
