The Psychiatry Interest Forum (PIF) delivers a tailored concurrent program at Congress for PIF members each year, providing valuable networking and educational sessions to enhance the Congress experience for PIF members.

Thirty-one enthusiastic medical students and junior doctors received full scholarships to attend the Congress and take part in the PIF program at Congress, including two First Nations scholars. Additionally, five PIF members presenting abstracts had their full registration covered, and four PIF members presenting posters were supported with complimentary day registration.

The PIF program at Congress commenced on Sunday, where the PIF scholars received a warm welcome from College members A/Prof David Menkes and Dr MJ Yoo. Later, Dr Sam Pang facilitated the first pre-Congress workshop on ‘Responding to distressing clinical situations – communication skills, resilience and self-care’. This was followed by a Balint group activity facilitated by Dr Bec Wild and Dr Nish Jayarajan.

The PIF program continued throughout Congress including a luncheon with the College CEO, President, President-Elect, Dean of Education and Board members. PIF members also enjoyed three networking sessions with Fellows and trainees, social dinners, and a meet & greet with members from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Committee. 

The PIF team would like to acknowledge and thank our CEO, Damien Ferrie; President, Dr Astha Tomar; President-Elect and Chair of the PIF Advisory Group, Dr Angelo Virgona; Dean of Education, Prof Andrew Teodorczuk; members of the PIF Advisory Group and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Committee, as well as over thirty Fellows and trainees who have contributed towards delivering this engaging and successful PIF program at Congress yet again.

We would also like to acknowledge the engagement and enthusiasm of all scholarship recipients. The reflection below from Dr Xueying Sun demonstrates the success of the PIF program at this year’s Congress.

Congress PIF Scholarship recipient's reflections

Dr Xueying Sun, Medical Postgraduate Year 2, South Australia

Learning from internationally renowned clinicians and academics, hearing about the inspiring progress occurring locally in psychiatry, and connecting with passionate colleagues across different career stages were just some of the reasons why Congress was such an enriching experience. It highlighted not only how far psychiatry has progressed as a profession, but also the many promising directions in which it continues to evolve.

One of the things that I found heartening about the plenaries was their emphasis on the multidimensional contributors to wellbeing, such as the array of socioeconomic, cultural, and institutional factors that shape both our patients’ lives and the field of psychiatry. I especially enjoyed the plenaries by Professor Vikram Patel and Professor Norman Sartorius. They insightfully categorised how we need to adapt alongside new global challenges and changing paradigms of medicine, from individual to systemic levels. Another key highlight was participating in the PIF pre-congress workshops, including the Balint group. This was my first exposure to Balint groups, and I found it to be an intellectually and emotionally rewarding session, thanks to the thoughtfulness and introspection of my fellow PIF members. 

All of this to say, it was a rewarding week that exposed me to cutting-edge research and ideas, new ways of thinking about the challenges we face, and colleagues who have and will continue to make this an exciting profession. I am very grateful to PIF for this opportunity, and to the many psychiatrists and psychiatry trainees who took the time to make our experience at RANZCP 2026 Congress so meaningful!