WFSBP 2019 Final Program

WFSBP 2019 3 Dear Colleagues, It is both an honor and a privilege to welcome all of you to the 14th World Congress of Biolog- ical Psychiatry here in Vancouver. The theme of the congress “Neuroscience Discoveries and Translation to Clinical Practice” was chosen to address two major challenges plaguing the field of mental health i.e. slow progress in new discoveries and barriers to evidence based application of new discoveries in day-to-day clinical practice to improve patient care. The congress will address cutting edge topics through plenaries, roundtable debates, workshops, symposia and short oral presentation sessions. Priority was given to symposia and workshop proposals that report on new methods and tools in biological psychiatry and psychopharmacology and their translational aspects. Several promising new technologies and discoveries are on the horizon in biological psychiatry and this congress will provide an ideal forum to exchange knowledge related to these innovations in order to advance the field. Some of the key topics that will be addressed in the keynote lectures, plenaries, debates and symposia will include precision medicine, biomarkers and neuroinflammation; drug discovery and novel strategies such as stem cells and gut microbes; addictions; early intervention; and novel clinical trial designs. Educational sessions and courses will be offered on pragmatic topics that are of immediate relevance from research and clinical practice perspectives to trainees and clinicians. 5 Lectures, 4 Debates, 3 Task Force Symposia and 93 independent Symposia / Work- shops are forming the core scientific program; all of them on very interesting topics to be pre- sented by prominent researchers / scientists in their respective fields. In addition to state-of-the- art science, Vancouver offers many wonderful tourist activities. Stroll the seawall, explore Stanley Park, shop the Granville Island market, enjoy the downtown museums and galleries, and sample the local seafood specialties – all these experiences and many more are within a few minutes walk of the conference centre. We are looking forward to meeting you here inVancouver and interacting with you both socially and professionally. With our best wishes Prof. Masatoshi Takeda WFSBP President Prof. Lakshmi N. Yatham Chair, International Scientific Program Committee, WFSBP President-Elect Prof. Raymond W. Lam Chair of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Welcome to the 14 th World Congress of Biological Psychiatry Masatoshi Takeda Lakshmi N. Yatham Raymond W. Lam