The 3rd North-East Chapter of the Indian Academy of Tropical Parasitology was hosted by the Department of Microbiology, Silchar Medical College, Assam on 8th of December 2018. The conference theme was “Parasitic infections in the Northeast-A glimpse”.
The conference was inaugurated by Professor S.C. Parija, the President of Indian Academy of Tropical Parasitology. The Chief Guest for the occasion was Dr. Babul Bezbaruah, Principal, SMCH, Silchar and guests of honour were Dr. Sekhar Chakravarty, Vice Principal, SMCH and Dr Abhijit Swami, the superintendent, SMCH. The inaugural function was initiated with the welcome address by Dr. Debadatta Dhar Chanda, the organizing chairperson of the conference followed by a speech by I Dr. Babul Bezbaruah, the Chief Guest, Professor S.C. Parija, the President IATP, Dr J. Mahanta, President NÉ Chapter IATP, Dr. Utpala Devi, Secretary, NE Chapter of IATP, Dr Sekhar Chakravarty, and Dr Abhijit Swami, the guests of honor for the occassion. The souvenir was released on the occasion. The inaugural session was concluded by the vote of thanks by Dr. Atanu Chakravarty, the organizing secretary of the conference.
The prestigious J Mahanta Oration Award of NE IATP which was initiated in the year 2014 was awarded to Professor S.C. Parija for his outstanding contribution to parasitic research. He delivered his oration on “Blastocystis Research-Changing Scenario”.
The Conference had presentations from eminent parasitologists from within and outside the state. Sessions included topics on Paragonimiasis, Leishmania, Ocular parasitic infections, Clinical laboratory practices and ethics, as well as EQAS programme. Dr Jagadish Mahanta from ICMR-RMRC, Dibrugarh spoke on “Paragonimus & Paragonimiasis in NE India”, Dr Bibhuti Saha professor & HOD of Microbiology from School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata spoke on the topic “Leishmaniasis-ist the end in sight” Dr Krishna Gogoi from Sri Sankaradeva Netralaya on “Ocular parasitic infections: special reference to NE India”, Dr Rakesh Singh from JIPMER, Puducherry on the “Benefits of participating in parasitology EQAS programme of IATP” & Dr Gunajit Das threw light on “Clinical Laboratory practices: Ethical & medico-legal requirements”. The young researchers were immensely benefitted by the sessions. A total of 80 delegates from different medical colleges of the northeast graced the conference. Oral and poster presentations were also one of the most appreciated sessions of the conference and included high-quality research work from young participants from different Medical Colleges and Research Institutes of the region. The best oral presentation was awarded to Dr Barnamoy Bhattacharjee of Silchar Medical College. The second-best oral presentation was jointly awarded to Dr. Runumi Choudhury of Gauhati Medical College and Dr. Poonam Katoch of Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh. The best poster presentation was awarded to Dr. Bipi Das of Silchar Medical College.
A cultural programme was also included as a part of the Conference. The overall conference including the food was highly appreciated by the attending delegates. The Conference was accredited by the Assam Council for Medical Registration for awarding credit hours to the participants.
