Dr. Liu joins World Psychiatric Association working group

Howard Liu, MD, chair of the UNMC Department of Psychiatry, has been named to the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) working group on medical students.

The group is one of several WPA working groups convened by WPA President Afzal Javed, MD. Dr. Liu was invited to serve on this work group due to his leadership as the president of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry and as a former director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska.

As part of the group, Dr. Liu will:

• Work to identify various areas of promoting psychiatry as a career among medical students and develop recommendations for WPA’s involvement in research, education and service development relevant to medical students.
• Help identify organizations, centers and individuals interested and willing to participate and promote WPA’s action plan in promoting psychiatry among medical students.
• Help liaise with other WPA working groups to ensure that action plans regarding medical students are considered in the work of these groups.

“I am thrilled to join this distinguished group of educators in psychiatry,” Dr. Liu said.

Dr. Liu began his duties this month.

The WPA is the global association representing 140 psychiatric societies in 120 countries and bringing together more than 250,000 psychiatrists.