Stakeholder Register

Daniel Freeman

Associated Organisation:
Paranoid Thoughts

Area of Work:

Role:
Professor

Summary:
Daniel Freeman is a Professor of Clinical Psychology, and a Medical Research Council (MRC) Senior Clinical Fellow, in the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University, and a Fellow of University College, Oxford. He is also an honorary consultant clinical psychologist in Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Adam Halberstadt

Associated Organisation:

Area of Work:

Role:
Associate Professor, Professor

Summary:
Dr Adam Halberstadt is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine who is working alongside Dr Jason Wallach with the COMPASS team. COMPASS focuses on developing optimised psychedelic and related compounds targeting the 5-HT2A receptor, which is believed to mediate the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics.

Dr Jason Wallach

Associated Organisation:

Area of Work:

Role:
Professor

Summary:
Dr Jason Wallach is an Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at USciences. Jason is leading the work of the Discovery Center with the COMPASS team. The COMPASS team focuses on developing optimised psychedelic and related compounds targeting the 5-HT2A receptor, which is believed to mediate the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics.

Dr John D McCorvy

Associated Organisation:

Area of Work:

Role:
Associate Professor

Summary:
Dr John D McCorvy is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin. John is working with the Discovery Center under a sponsored research agreement with University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USciences) that focuses on developing optimised psychedelic and related compounds targeting the 5-HT2A receptor, which is believed to mediate the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics.

Helen Christensen

Associated Organisation:
Black Dog Institute

Area of Work:

Role:
Professor

Summary:
Scientia Professor Helen Christensen (AO) is Scientia Professor of Mental Health at UNSW Sydney and Board Director of Black Dog Institute (commencing 1 January 2022). She is the former Executive Director and Chief Scientist at Black Dog Institute, having led the organisation from 2011 to 2021. Professor Christensen is a leading expert on using technology to deliver evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of depression, anxiety, suicide, and self-harm. Her research also encompasses prevention of mental health problems in young people through school-based research programs. These programs are aimed at the prevention of depression and suicide risk through eMental Health interventions.

Melanie Abas

Associated Organisation:
Centre for Global Mental Health

Area of Work:

Role:
Professor

Summary:
Professor Melanie Abas is a deputy director of the Centre for Global Mental Health. She has researched, published and mentored widely in the field of depression in low and middle-income countries and in vulnerable migrants in high-income and middle-income countries. This has included developing methods to measure depression, anxiety and trauma-related disorders validly in cross-cultural groups, research to develop and trial interventions, and research to implement and scale-up interventions for depression in low-income countries. My work has had impact, for example for people living in poverty in Zimbabwe and for those caring for trafficked populations in the UK. Professor Melanie Abas has developed models for integrating depression care into primary care and HIV care which have had impact in an African context. This includes being co-investigator on the Friendship Bench program in Zimbabwe, now the largest depression program in any low-income African country. These programs are delivered through task-sharing with non-specialists. She continues to work on expanding these to rural areas of low income countries and to younger age groups. She works on interventions for depression and trauma-related disorders at the interface with physical illness (especially HIV), and at the interface with the priorities of work, education and gender equality. Melanie Abas has a program of research on depression and HIV in Zimbabwe. This includes clinical trials aimed at increasing viral suppression through better approaches to adherence counselling and through improving mental health and economic wellbeing. MHervision of task-sharing to grow access to care for depression and anxiety disorders is expanding to creative arts programs and the private sector. Her work has been characterised by research capacity building. I was a co-principal investigator on a Medical Education Partnership Initiative program, a platform which built capacity across a network of 13 African medical schools, funded by PEPFAR and the NIH . Melanie continues to provide formal research mentorship to two heads of department at the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences as well as supervising Wellcome Trust fellows and PhD students. She is the lead for King's College London of one of the Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science programs funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Department for International Development to build research capacity in African mental health scientists.

Philippa Garety

Associated Organisation:
Paranoid Thoughts

Area of Work:

Role:
Professor

Summary:
Philippa Garety is a Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. She is the Clinical Director and Joint Leader of the Psychosis Clinical Academic Group in the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Ricardo Araya

Associated Organisation:
Centre For Global Mental Health

Area of Work:

Role:
Professor

Summary:
Ricardo is a director of the Movement For Global Mental Health. Ricardo's research interests include the aetiology of common mental disorders, inequalities and their link to the mental health of populations with special emphasis on international comparisons, and effective treatments for common mental disorders, such as simple and brief interventions using non-medical workers and strong community participation. Several of his current projects use technological platforms to support the delivery of mental health interventions. He is involved in projects in a large number of countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. He has a special interest in projects that integrate mental health problems in the care of other diseases i.e. hypertension, diabetes, HIV and so on.

Ritsuko Kakuma

Associated Organisation:
Centre of Global Mental Health

Area of Work:

Role:
Associate Professor

Summary:
Dr Ritsuko Kakuma is the co-director of the Movement For Global Mental Health. Risuko is an associate Professor in Global Mental Health and programme Director for MSc in Global Mental Health. Ritsuko has researched, published and mentored widely in the field of depression in low and middle-income countries and in vulnerable migrants in high-income and middle-income countries. This has included developing methods to measure depression, anxiety and trauma-related disorders validly in cross-cultural groups, research to develop and trial interventions, and research to implement and scale-up interventions for depression in low-income countries. Ritsuko's work has had impact, for example for people living in poverty in Zimbabwe and for those caring for trafficked populations in the UK. I have developed models for integrating depression care into primary care and HIV care which have had impact in an African context. This includes being co-investigator on the Friendship Bench program in Zimbabwe, now the largest depression program in any low-income African country. These programs are delivered through task-sharing with non-specialists. I continue to work on expanding these to rural areas of low income countries and to younger age groups. She works on interventions for depression and trauma-related disorders at the interface with physical illness (especially HIV), and at the interface with the priorities of work, education and gender equality. Ritsuko has a program of research on depression and HIV in Zimbabwe. This includes clinical trials aimed at increasing viral suppression through better approaches to adherence counselling and through improving mental health and economic wellbeing. My vision of task-sharing to grow access to care for depression and anxiety disorders is expanding to creative arts programs and the private sector. My work has been characterised by research capacity building. I was a co-principal investigator on a Medical Education Partnership Initiative program, a platform which built capacity across a network of 13 African medical schools, funded by PEPFAR and the NIH . She continue to provide formal research mentorship to two heads of department at the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences as well as supervising Wellcome Trust fellows and PhD students. She is the lead for King's College London of one of the Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science programs funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Department for International Development to build research capacity in African mental health scientists. Ritz Kakuma is an Associate Professor in Global Mental Health and Programme Director for MSc in Global Mental Health at the Centre for Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She was a Senior Research Fellow at the Global and Cultural Mental Health Unit (GCMHU), Centre for Mental Health at the University of Melbourne until Dec 2017 and continues to hold an honorary position as a Senior Fellow. She has a background in epidemiology and biostatistics, public health and mental health systems and policy research. Her research and development activities are primarily based in low- and middle-income settings and among culturally and linguistically diverse populations, include: mental health policy and system strengthening, health system evaluation, mental health workforce development, mental health stigma and discrimination research, health policy analysis, policy and community engagement, and health research capacity development. Ritz has experience in conducting both quantitative and qualitative research, systematic reviews and works in partnership with government, non-government organisations and bilateral agencies for research and policy development, consulting with stakeholders to develop community-based mental health services, supporting governments in drafting mental health policies and legislations, developing and delivering training programs on mental health system development.