My name is Hira Ahmad, and I am a fifth-year medical student at the University of Aberdeen. On the 20th-21st November 2024, I presented a poster at the Faculty of Rehabilitation and Social Psychiatry Conference 2024 in London. The research paper is titled ‘Immigrant, Racialised and Ethno-Culturally Diverse Communities and Community Treatment Orders: A Scoping Review’. This was written under the guidance of my local (Dr Alasdair Forrest) and host supervisor (Dr Martin Rotenberg) from CAMH in Toronto, Canada. I felt compelled to examine this specific topic within minority ethnic groups as mental health research is severely lacking in this area.
The conference held talks from leading experts in the field of Rehabilitation and Social Psychiatry, and there were a wide range of people in attendance, including medical students, core trainees, registrars and consultants from all over the UK. There were also carers of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) within the audience, including a compelling talk by a parent of a child with mental health issues. I felt this was extremely useful as it gave us all an insight into carers’ experiences of SMI and what professionals could do to improve rehabilitation services by incorporating their perspective. The talks in general were very interesting. They presented the latest research within the field and future plans for psychiatric rehabilitation services in the UK. I also saw that similar research to my paper was being conducted in South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust, which was of particular interest to me as I realised others are also observing the importance and relevance of this area for research.
I had never presented at a conference before, so I was nervous and apprehensive about what to expect. However, the nerves quickly turned into excitement as I saw the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) building in front of me because it felt like what I was doing had a purpose and it was contributing to a worth-while endeavour. I also felt very proud seeing my poster displayed amongst others at the conference, as my poster was being displayed amongst experts with years of experience in the field while I was only at the beginning of my professional career.
I encourage other medical students to submit their abstracts and apply for conferences if they can. Attending conferences provides valuable opportunities to see how academic research translates into clinical practice and to learn from experts in different medical fields. It also helps you become a more well-rounded clinician by staying informed about the latest research in your area of interest, which, in turn, enhances patients' trust in you as their doctor.
I am extremely grateful to both my local and host supervisors for their ongoing support throughout my research project, and to the University of Aberdeen and the Rehabilitation and Social Psychiatry faculty of RCPsych for allowing me to present at this conference. I had an amazing experience and met incredible and inspiring medical students and doctors who I will never forget and will aim to keep in contact with.
Going forward, I plan to publish the research from my scoping review in an academic journal and to keep my eyes open for any further research opportunities within the field of Psychiatry, as I now know for sure it is something I would like to pursue in the future.
