President's Message
Anne Margriet Pot, PhD
President (2024-2025)
Dear colleagues,
As we wrap up 2024, my first year as president of the IPA, I want to take a moment to reflect on the remarkable journey we've shared. The achievements this year have been truly inspiring, despite the challenges some of us face—whether due to conflict, climate change, health concerns, or other adversities. Despite these hurdles, our collective efforts as a community have been impressive. Thank you all for making this possible!
A Global Gathering in Buenos Aires One of this year’s highlights was our successful Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was heartening to see so many colleagues participate from the region where we have been less active so far, underscoring our commitment to being a truly international organization. Together, we continue to improving mental health and well being of older adults worldwide.
Following the Congress, we held a closed meeting with a multidisciplinary team of experts to address behavioral changes observed in individuals with neurodegenerative disorders, commonly referred to as BPSD (Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia) or NPS (Neuropsychiatric Symptoms). This dedicated group is now working on new publications addressing critical topics, including apathy, agitation, psychosis, and depression.
Expanding Awareness and Knowledge This year saw a broad range of activities to engage and educate, including our annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Week (October 1–10), webinars, debates, and journal clubs. Recordings of several of these activities are available—be sure to check them out here https://www.ipa-online.org/learning-portal/online-education.
Our journal, International Psychogeriatrics, continues to go from strength to strength under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Dilip Jeste and his team. This year, the journal achieved a major milestone, becoming the top-ranked publication in its field with an impact factor of 4.6. Additionally, we finalized an agreement with Elsevier, which will assume publishing responsibilities starting January. This transition will mark a new era as the journal becomes fully open access.
Welcoming New Members Another significant milestone: we welcomed over 120 new members this year, including several from Latin America. To foster interaction and exchange, we are actively exploring new ways to enhance member engagement. If you are interested in taking a more active role in IPA, or if you would like to share your ideas or thoughts, we would love to hear from you.
A Special Thank You I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Fei Sun and his team for their great work in producing the IPA Bulletin. It is a great resource for keeping us informed about the impressive work being done to advance the field of older adults’ mental health and well being.
Looking ahead, our organization is well-positioned for the future, buoyed by the dedication and enthusiasm of our members. The Board is hard at work improving member benefits and organizational excellence, and we look forward to sharing more exciting updates in the year to come.
Thank you once again for your contributions and commitment. I wish you all a joyful and productive new year. Stay connected, and don’t miss out on next year’s activities—we have much more in store!
Warm regards,
Anne Margriet Pot, President
