Kolabo 2025: Day Two Blog

Day Two: Growing Skills and Sharing Knowledge

Medical Students Progress 🌱

Our day once again began with the Clinical Meeting, where we observed senior medical students continue to refine their psychiatric assessment skills. It was inspiring to see their progress even in just one day — a testament to the dedication of the CUHAS program clinical educators.

Medical Psychiatry Seminar 🧠

In the afternoon, Dr. Liz Merner, a staff psychiatrist from Calgary working in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and the Medical Psychiatry unit, led a comprehensive teaching session on key topics in medical psychiatry. The discussion covered a broad range of conditions including neurocognitive disorders, catatonia, psychosis secondary to a general medical condition, somatic symptom disorder and functional neurological disorder.

Throughout the session, we had engaging conversations with CUHAS faculty about their experiences managing medical-psychiatric cases. At CUHAS, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry is a shared responsibility among all Psychiatry staff, and they frequently encounter cases of psychosis secondary to medical conditions such as infection, along with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.

Understanding Stress-Related Disorders 🌍

We wrapped up the day with a presentation on stress-related disorders, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), led by Dr. Paige Durling. Dr. Durling is a staff psychiatrist from Calgary who works on an adult inpatient unit and has a special interest in psychotherapy.

The discussion highlighted the differences and similarities in how stress-related disorders present and are managed in Tanzania and Canada. These cross-cultural insights sparked thoughtful dialogue and deeper understanding on both sides.