Training the trainers: Finding new educational opportunities in the virtual world

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted scientific gatherings and conferences, opening up opportunities for virtual learning platforms. Realizing the potential of online academic exchanges, the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) also developed virtual avenues and information systems for capacity building of mental health professionals across the world. Among its first such initiatives, the WPA organized a virtual Train the Trainers workshop, where 123 psychiatrists, psychiatric trainees, and educators from 45 countries participated. The innovative and interactive workshop allowed participants to get to know each other, exchange educational and professional experiences, and ask questions or receive advice from experts. Keynote speakers, including WPA President Prof. Afzal Javed and Prof. Norman Sartorius, stressed upon the importance of finding innovative solutions in psychiatry training and the need to improve teaching and training in the field of psychiatry, especially in the provision of

Psychiatry training for medical students: A global perspective and implications for India’s competency-based medical education curriculum

“…Simultaneously, it has emphasized the significance of CBME in the current scenario and how novel teaching and assessment methods can be utilized to enrich medical training. [ 14 15 16 ]…”

Education and training in psychiatry in low‐ and middle‐income countries during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…The results of an online survey carried out by the WPA Section on Education in Psychiatry under the supervision of the WPA President Elect, Prof. Danuta Wasserman, on the actual educational needs of Member Societies and WPA Zones, are also presented (Sampogna et al, 2021). The results of the first online edition of the train‐the‐trainer workshop, carried out by the WPA Section on Education in Psychiatry, which has brought together more than 100 participants from different parts of the world, are discussed by Baessler et al (2021). Finally, the importance of using digital resources and online platforms for facilitating and improving the dissemination of educational programs and activities worldwide, in particular in LMICs, has also been stressed (Nasir et al, 2020; Orsolini et al, 2021; Ouanes et al, 2021).…”