Pre-conference workshops of KDU-nEUROcare Project

The nEUROcare Project is a European initiative for capacity building to meet the challenges in caring for people with Neurodegenerative Disorders in Sri Lanka. The main aim of this project is to develop a Master’s degree programme in Neurodegenerative Disorders, which will be delivered by General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) in collaboration with European universities in 2025.

The international conference on Neurodegenerative Disorders hosted by the Faculty of Nursing, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka was held at the Faculty of Graduate Studies University of Colombo with the participation of all Sri Lankan partner Universities on the 9^th and 10^th of February, 2023. Parallel to the international conference, two pre-conference workshops were organized by the KDU at the auditorium of University Hospital KDU on the 6^th and 7^th of February 2023. Prof. Martin Jens Persson and Ms. Emma Edberg Matei from Kristianstad University in Sweden were the resource persons at the two workshops.

The first Workshop on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) which is a method of psychotherapy that combines elements of traditional behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy was conducted on 6^th February 2023. Academia and counsellors were the target group of this workshop. The second workshop on “How to Implement a Sustainable Change in the Health Care System on a Clinical Level (A functional training program)  was conducted on 7^th February 2023 and the target group was academia and administrators who work in clinical settings. These two preconference workshops will promisingly enhance the skill set and upgrade the healthcare provision of the intended target groups.

The Vice Chancellor of KDU, Major General MP Peiris RWP RSP VSV USP ndc psc Mphil, participated in both pre-conference workshops while Dr Prasanna Herath (nEUROcare project manager-KDU) and the project team members organized the workshops.