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I am contacting you as the Panel Discussion Coordinator for the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns’s (CAPSI’s) national Professional Development Week conference This conference brings together hundreds of students from all the pharmacy schools across Canada, and will be hosted in Vancouver January 8-11, 2014. As part of this year’s panel discussions at the conference, we are putting together a mental health panel, where past and current individuals experiencing mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, etc. will be given the opportunity to lead an interactive discussion that focuses on their experience with the healthcare system (eg. what worked well and what did not), and how they hope healthcare professionals can interact with or support those with mental health issues in the future.

Because Kaleidoscope brings together a community of such individuals who may be interested in contributing, I am looking for 1-2 individuals who:

-have experienced or are currently experiencing one or more mental illness(es)

-would like to speak about their mental health condition and their experience with the healthcare system in front of a large audience

-are comfortable with communicating with up to 3 other panelists/speakers in the period leading up to, and during the actual presentation

-are comfortable answering questions from the audience of future healthcare professionals

-are interested in teaching/guiding healthcare professionals on how to improve mental healthcare in the future

By participating in this initiative, members would have the opportunity to make a real difference in how healthcare professionals interact with those with mental health conditions in the future, and would be able to share their experiences with a broad audience who are dedicated to providing the best possible care in the future.

I would like to invite interested Kaleidoscope members to email me at panel.pdw2014@gmail.com with their:
- name
- nature of their mental illness (what was the illness, how long did/have they experienced it for, a brief summary of their interactions with healthcare professionals eg. pharmacists, physicians, social workers, psychiatrists, etc., if applicable)
- experience and/or comfort level with public speaking
- and any additional questions they may have for me
Any information shared with me will remain between myself and my committee leader, Anita, and will not be shared with anyone else until the potential speaker has decided to commit to presenting at the conference.

I would like to thank you for your time and consideration, and invite you to contact me should you have any further questions.

Best regards,
Alice Hou

Panel Discussion Coordinator

CAPSI Professional Development Week 2014