At the end of October 2019, the Indonesian Psychiatric Association (IPA) hosted its national congress in Balikpapan, East Borneo. WPA President, Professor Helen Herrman was invited to the meeting as a special guest of the society, spending five days with colleagues from the region.
Together with the deputy governor of East Borneo, president of IPA Dr. Eka Viora and president-elect of IPA Dr. Diah Setia Utami, Professor Herrman opened the National Congress before giving a lecture titled "Linking Local Action with Global Networks". During the meeting Prof Herrman also had the opportunity to meet with a variety of groups including a number of PDSKJI sections ranging from Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to Military Psychiatry.
On the third day of the Congress, Prof Herrman was invited to join a gathering of senior psychiatrists to discuss issues key to the region. Afterwards she visited a number of cultural attractions important to East Borneo. Prof Herrman closed out her visit to Indonesia by visiting one of the largest mental hospitals in the country - the Dr. Soeharto Herdjan Mental Illness Hospital in Jakarta - where she focused on building relationships and learning more about the region's approach to psychiatry and mental health.
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Author: Public Relation of Indonesian Psychiatric Association, ANDRI/ANDRI