Diana Vassallo and Philippa Coney are this year’s winners of the Dr Thomas Chetcuti, BOV Prize in Psychiatry. The Dr Thomas Chetcuti BOV Prize in Psychiatry is awarded to the students who achieve the highest marks in the previous year’s Psychiatry course at the University of Malta. This is the fourth year that this prize is being given out.

Karmenu Borg, Manager of Bank of Valletta’s University Branch and Dr David R Cassar,, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Malta, presented the prize to Diana Vassallo and Philippa Coney during a presentation ceremony held at the Faculty of Medicine and surgery at the University of Malta. Also present was the Dean, Professor Godfrey Laferla.

Karmenu Borg said that the Dr Thomas Chetcuti BOV Prize in Psychiatry is one of the initiatives that Bank of Valletta is undertaking under the Education pillar of its Community Programme. “Through this prize, we are seeking to promote excellence amongst students studying Psychiatry. We hope that the BOV Prize will continue to provide that added element of motivation that drives students to seek to achieve the best results in their studies,” said Mr. Borg whilst congratulating this year’s winners.

Dr Cassar expressed his thanks to Bank of Valletta for once again this year supporting the Dr Thomas Chetcuti BOV Prize in Psychiatry. He said that the Dr Thomas Chetcuti BOV Prize in Psychiatry is named after the pioneer of Maltese psychiatry. Dr Thomas Chetcuti was the first Maltese to make a serious study of mental disorder and to devote the greater part of his life to the care and treatment of the mentally sick.

“This award seeks to instill the very same values and characteristics adhered to by Dr Thomas Chetcuti amongst today’s students,” said Dr. Cassar who emphasized the importance of this area of medicine particularly in view of the fact that one in every four persons suffers from some form of mental disorder during their lifetime.