Consultant Psychiatrist Assistant Professor, Psychiatry King Edward Medical University Lahore

TBA

Puan Anita Abu Bakar is the Founder and President of the Mental Illness Awareness & Support Association (MIASA). She is a strong and known advocate for Mental Health and social issues in Malaysia and internationally. She initiated the first Peer-led Mental Health Advocacy and Support Group in Malaysia. As Anita was born and raised overseas, she subsequently pursued her tertiary education at Tulsa University, Oklahoma in the United States. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems, with a minor in Management Information Systems. Upon her return to Malaysia, Anita pursued a career path as an Investment banker, and worked in the corporate field for over 10 years. She also holds an MBA in Islamic Banking and Finance from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM). Through MIASA, Anita champions the recovery model and the human-rights based approach simultaneously striving for non-coercive treatments and deinstitutionalization. In her passion in shaping the Mental Health Ecosystem towards a recovery model approach, she established the ‘The Orchid Clubhouse’, Malaysia’s first Mental Health Crisis management and Activity Centre which is Peer-led and Peer-run. Anita also initiated the National Advocacy for Mental Health Association (NAMhA) in 2021 and was appointed as the Chairperson for NAMH, the first peer-based mental health alliance in Malaysia. Inspired by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), this Alliance aspires to provide a constructive platform for a louder voice to promote, protect and ensure the rights of PWDs and work towards the Inclusion of mental health peers in various aspects of life including education, employment, housing, social protection and health, home and family and more. The various support services and activities that Puan Anita help initiate include MIASA’s 24/7 Crisis Helpline (120 Crisis Team members are mobile across the nation), conducting home visits, Peer Support, Family Support, Circle Time, Spiritual Therapy, Art Therapy, Expressive Dance Therapy, Drama and Speech classes, Supported Employment programme, Mental Health programme on the Radio, Food Baskets for the B40 groups and homeless folks, volunteering opportunities and more.

I am a medical surgeon, Psychiatrist specialist in psychotrauma, legal medicine and Master in Palliative Care. I practice EMDR. Teacher Training in University Health Careers. Psychiatry allows me the time and training to be able to address the medical, emotional, social, and spiritual concerns of my patients in a professional, responsible, and trustworthy manner. Although, I provide general psychiatric care, my specialties are depression, anxiety, dementia, and palliative care. I help patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, for which I trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).I am Scientific Secretary of the chapters of Translational Psychiatry and Computational Neuroscience of the Argentine Association of Psychiatry (AAP) and Psychiatric Rehabilitation of Argentine psychiatrists association (APSA).

Prof. Mahdi Saeed Abu Madini MBBS, DPM, B.C..Psych. Professor and Consultant Psychiatrist I have 39 published papers as a single, first and/or co-author in the national and international journals; Other 4 are submitted or ready for submission and 13 projects in the pipeline. Have organized, chaired, participated and/or attended more than 200 conferences in the national and international levels. I participated as a chairman and/or member of more than 100 scientific and administrative committees at the hospital level, college, or university level as well as in the national and international levels. Vice Dean of Quality and Development Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, 1997 to Date Founder and President Saudi Psychiatric Association, Saudi Arabia,2005 to date President Scientific Council of Psychiatry Arab Board for health Specialty,2021 to Date Chairman Child & Adolescents Psychiatry Scientific Council of Psychiatry Arab Board for health Specialty,2020 to Date WPA Representative (Zone 12) World Psychiatric Association,2020 to Date Executive Committee NCMHP, MOH Riyadh KSA, Date – 2020 Chairman Research Committee Saudi ADHD Society, Date – 2021 – to Date Ex-Chairman Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine Ex-Medical Director King Fahad Hospital of The University, 1999-2005 Conference Advisor Arab Federation of Psychiatrist 1996-2008 International Distinguished Fellow American Psychiatric Association (APA)