Since the changes brought about after the elections in Buenos Aires, I am pleased to present the new officers of the WPA Section on Transcultural Psychiatry: 

Chair:              Rachid Bennegadi (bennegadi@minkowska.com)

Co-Chair:        Marianne Kastrup (marianne.kastrup@regionh.dk)

Secretary:        Hans Rohlof (h.rohlof@centrum45.nl)

Globalization forces us to consider the aspects of mental health as well as transcultural psychiatry. Therefore, I have devoted the past few months to developing an action plan, together with the Section Officers, that identifies two objectives:

• Ensuring a continuity with actions put into place by the former Chair and Executive Committee.
• New proposals adapted to the challenges of mental health and globalisation.

Fulfilling the action plan requires several steps:

• Collecting information on clinical aspects, training and research in transcultural psychiatry, which will be made available in a databank accessible via the website. A page will also be dedicated to International Comparative Practices and Training, whereby healthcare institutions, research projects and training organizations worldwide can be identified.
• This will therefore require a complete redesign of the website, in form and content, which will be undertaken free of charge at the Françoise Minkowska Centre, by the Chair and his assistant.
• The Newsletter remains an important information tool with the aim of presenting it in other languages too.

Rachid Bennegadi

Chair, WPA Section on Transcultural Psychiatry