At the 2018 annual meeting, we engaged with the abstract question of "What is culture?", with perspectives on this question coming from the realms of research, training, clinical service, and policy. At the 2019 annual meeting, we will explore how to move from these theoretical concepts to practical applications. How do concepts like culture, diversity, equity, or social determinants become operationalized and engaged in research, service, and training? How are they incorporated into treatment plans? How can concepts that are clearly delineated in theory be adapted to complex or incompletely understood real-world situations for the sake of clinical and policy expediency? To what extent do such adaptations threaten the original concepts’ value as guides for action? 

At the core of this theme is the need to define what we mean by engagement, empowerment, and equity. Engagement could refer to more active inclusion of those with lived experience in the design of service, research, and training activities. It could refer to engagement of clinical providers and researchers in community, policy, and advocacy activities. What are the roles of clinicians and researchers in the myriad possibilities for engagement, and what are the stakes? Who are the “targets” of empowerment activities, and what are the goals? How can clinicians and researchers best contribute to achieving equity – for whom, via what avenues, and to what end? Many psychiatry and psychology training programs have begun engaging with concepts of equity and diversity as potential alternatives to engaging with the concept of culture. How should cultural psychiatrists and psychologists approach these issues?

The 2019 annual meeting also marks the 40^th anniversary of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture. Several sessions of the meeting will be devoted to celebrating this history, looking back on where we have come from, and asking where we should go in future. In particular, what are the historical roots that brought into being this Society, as well as other cultural psychiatry and cross-cultural psychology endeavors? How has the Society’s mission changed over the years? And how do we continue to make cultural psychiatry relevant in a in a world in which the value of inclusion and the impact of social differences are increasingly the focus of debate?

Examples of topics and domains related to the conference theme include the following:

• Engaging and empowering people with lived experience from diverse cultures – How can we facilitate engagement of consumers in research, service, training, and policy – not only as participants or recipients but as coordinators and organizers – to achieve the goal of "Nothing about us without us"? How can we engage more fully with patients through integration of physical, mental, and spiritual experiences of consumers? What are the roles of cultural psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers in engagement outside the clinical setting – from community engagement to policy and advocacy-oriented activities?
• Making cultural psychiatry matter – With everything going on in today's world, what can cultural psychiatry do to promote goals like equity and respect for cultural diversity? Mental health itself is marginalized in the world of health; how can it be brought more to the forefront? Similarly, how can we best address the mental health of diverse and marginalized populations? This is the 40th annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture. How can we make this history come alive by applying lessons learned from a historical perspective? Finally, is there space for a prevention-oriented psychiatry, and what would it look like?
• How does the concept of culture relate to disparity-reduction activities? Many training programs have begun to address cultural psychiatry concepts under the umbrella of diversity, anti-oppression, equity, and minority curricula. Shifts are also occurring with greater emphasis on structural competence and social determinants of health. To what extent do culture and cultural competence remain important components of psychiatry training writ large? How can cultural psychiatry articulate a complementary contribution of our perspective that contributes to redressing health care disparities affecting underserved social groups?
• Psychiatry moving at the speed of today’s world – How does the growing influence of technology both benefit, as well as potentially thwart, efforts at engagement, empowerment, and equity? How can cultural psychiatry take advantage of social media and other technological advancements to remain relevant in today’s rapidly changing world?
• Systemic advocacy – SSPC has generally been focused on more academic and training-oriented endeavors. Is it time for the organization to become more engaged in advocacy? What is the role of cultural psychiatrists and organizations like SSPC in advocacy writ large?