Dr. Savita Malhotra becomes the first woman to win the prestigious Yves Pelicier Prize 2022 

Yves Pelicier Prize happens to be one of the most coveted awards in the field of psychiatry. This year, it has gone to an Indian woman named Dr. Savita Malhotra. She is the former head of the department of psychiatry at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), a public medical university in Chandigarh. Interestingly, Dr. Malhotra is the first Indian as well as the first Asian woman to be honoured with the Yves Pelicier Prize. As part of the award, she has also been invited to deliver the introductory speech at the next World Congress of Social Psychiatry, that will be organised in London in January 2023.  

Dr. Malhotra’s contribution to the world of psychiatry 
She is known internationally and nationally for academic excellence in Child Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Malhotra has also served on many national committees and bodies involved in planning and policy making in the country. Along with her peer Subho Chakrabarti Dr. Malhotra edited a landmark book named ‘Developments in Psychiatry in India: Clinical, Research and Policy Perspectives’, published in 2015 by Springer. It traces the developments in the field of psychiatry in India since 1950s. 

Yves Pelicier Prize: A bird’s eye view 
For the unversed, the Yves Pelicier Prize is an exemplary honour in the field of psychiatry that is conferred by the World Association for Social Psychiatry (WASP), once every 3 years. This highly competitive international award is meant for individuals with outstanding contribution in the domain of social psychiatry. According to the official WASP website, "The Yves Pelicier Prize is made in recognition of an outstanding career in social psychiatry, reflecting outstanding contributions to the understanding of the important interaction of social, psychological and biological science in the cause, course and treatment of mental disorders together with a profound commitment to the human rights of the mentally ill." The award comprises of a prize money worth USD 10000 alongside an opportunity for the winner to deliver a ceremonial lecture on the topic of his or her choice at the upcoming World Congress of Social Psychiatry. Interestingly, the winner also receives a WASP Yves Pelicier Diploma and Travel pass, that includes registration and accommodation for the Congress.  

History of the award 
The Yves Pelicier Prize is rather new and was first conferred in the year 2013 to Professor Pedro Ruiz. Two other winners from 2016 and 2019 are Professor Julian Leff and Professor Norman Sartorius respectively.