The 61st Annual National Conference of the All India Occupational Therapists Association (AIOTA), OTICON 2024, organized by The Kerala Occupational Therapists’ Association at Gokulam Park Convention Centre, Kaloor, has successfully concluded. C. Chandrababu, Executive Director of NIPMR, graced the concluding event as the Guest of Honour during the three-day program.
With over 1000 participants, including 300 doctors, students, and working professionals from more than 15 countries, the conference featured paper presentations by nearly 20 invited speakers, along with nearly 30 research papers and poster presentations by students.
Beyond the conference and training sessions, various cultural programs, including street plays by students from nearly 15 colleges, were showcased. Awards were presented for the best papers presented at the scientific session, as well as recognition for the best street play, mini movie, and cultural program.
As part of the ‘Chiraku’ program, almost 74 screenings were conducted, revealing common conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Learning Disability, Intellectual Disability, Cerebral Palsy, and Visual Impairment. Children requiring follow-up services will be provided with free online sessions once a month for a period of one year.
The inaugural ceremony was presided over by Justice Cyriac Joseph, Former Judge of the Supreme Court of India and Chairman of Kerala-Lok Ayukta. The ‘Chiraku’ program, a free pediatric disability screening and parental training initiative held during the conference, was inaugurated by Uma Thomas MLA Thrikakkara. The Pre-Conference Session on AI & Assistive Technology was inaugurated by Hibi Eden, MP Ernakulam.
The location for OTICON – 2025 has been announced, and the upcoming event is scheduled to be hosted in the state of Goa.
Dr. Anil Kumar Srivastava-President AIOTA, C Chandrababu- Executive director NIPMR, Dr. SK Meena -Vice President AIOTA, Dr. Joseph Sunny-OTICON- 2024 Organizing Secretary, Dr. Pratibha Milind Vaidya- Treasurer AIOTA, AIOTA Executive Committee members such as Dr. Raj Kumar Sharma, Dr. Amitabh Kishor Dwivedi, Dr. M Arunkumar, Dr. S Murali Krishnan, Dr. Punita V Solanki, Dr Jyotika Bijlani, Dean ACOT, Dr. Shriharsh Jahagirdar- Chairman, Scientific committee and Dr. Lakshmanan Sethuraman- OTICON 2024 conference coordinator attended the ceremony.
