Andreas BechdolfCharité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin Germany
PLENARY:
Psychosocial interventions in early psychosis: where are we at and what is next?
ABOUT ANDREAS:
Andreas Bechdolf, MSc, MD, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Investigator at the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Berlin-Potsdam, and Chief Psychiatrist at the Vivantes Hospital am Urban and at the Vivantes Hospital Friedrichshain, Berlin, incorporating a specialized Early Intervention Center for young people with early psychosis – FRITZ am Urban. and a low-threshold Youth Mental Health Service - soulspace. Andreas graduated from Medical School at the Free University of Berlin, Germany, and was trained in psychiatry at the Universities of Berlin and Cologne. He received additional training in cognitive therapy and health economics. Professor Bechdolf conducted several intervention trials in people with psychosis and in people at-risk of psychosis. He published more than 190 peer reviewed papers. His main research interests lay in early detection and intervention in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, youth mental health as well as psychosocial interventions in people with severe mental disorders. Current research projects are supported by the Einstein Foundation, the German Research Foundation, the Innovationsfond and EU-funding.
Andreas BechdolfCharité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin Germany
PLENARY:
Psychosocial interventions in early psychosis: where are we at and what is next?
ABOUT ANDREAS:
Andreas Bechdolf, MSc, MD, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Investigator at the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Berlin-Potsdam, and Chief Psychiatrist at the Vivantes Hospital am Urban and at the Vivantes Hospital Friedrichshain, Berlin, incorporating a specialized Early Intervention Center for young people with early psychosis – FRITZ am Urban. and a low-threshold Youth Mental Health Service - soulspace. Andreas graduated from Medical School at the Free University of Berlin, Germany, and was trained in psychiatry at the Universities of Berlin and Cologne. He received additional training in cognitive therapy and health economics. Professor Bechdolf conducted several intervention trials in people with psychosis and in people at-risk of psychosis. He published more than 190 peer reviewed papers. His main research interests lay in early detection and intervention in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, youth mental health as well as psychosocial interventions in people with severe mental disorders. Current research projects are supported by the Einstein Foundation, the German Research Foundation, the Innovationsfond and EU-funding.
Andrew ChanenOrygen, Australia
PLENARY:
It's time to bring early intervention for personality disorder in from the cold
Personality disorder has its onset from puberty and its prevalence peaks in young people (aged 12-25 years). It independently contributes to suffering during this developmental period and acts as a gateway to diverse and serious personal, social and economic problems later in life. These range from severe disruption to social networks, education and employment to a two-decade reduction in life expectancy. Despite this, health systems are failing young people with personality disorder and their families, who also experience high levels of distress and negative caregiving experiences. In frontline services, up to 90% of diagnoses are missed or intentionally not identified. Among those with personality disorder who are identified, outcomes are poor in routine practice.
Early intervention for personality disorder is effective, and such interventions are less complex than expected. Yet, translation of evidence into mainstream youth mental health practice has stagnated. In part this is due to unawareness of the past three decades of scientific progress, but reform is also hindered by prejudice, discrimination and sectarianism in some settings. It is time to bring personality disorder ‘in from the cold’ and to regard it as a central and legitimate focus for youth mental health. This will require a shift in the culture of services, countering damaging myths, addressing bigotry, and fostering hope. Such reforms have been at the heart of early intervention in youth mental health for decades and undoubtedly can be applied to personality disorder.
ABOUT ANDREW:
Professor Andrew Chanen is Chief of Clinical Practice and Head of Personality Disorder Research at Orygen in Melbourne, Australia. He is also a Professorial Fellow at the Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne. Andrew established and leads an internationally recognised program of research, treatment innovation, and service development in youth mental health and early intervention for severe mental disorders in young people. Andrew founded the field of early intervention for personality disorder and is a leading global advocate for effective, evidence-based policy. He has over produced over 230 scientific publications in high-impact international journals and has received competitive grant funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Medical Research Future Fund, and Australian Research Council. He serves on the Editorial Boards of several journals, and on expert national and international groups. In 2023, Andrew was appointed as a Board Director of headspace, Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation. He is a Past President of the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders (ISSPD). His work has been recognised with several awards, including the 2023 ISSPD Perry Hoffman Award for Research, the 2023 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Ian Simpson Award, and the 2017 Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Field of Severe Personality Disorders from the Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Centre and Personality Disorder Institute, New York.
Andrew ChanenOrygen, Australia
PLENARY:
It's time to bring early intervention for personality disorder in from the cold
Personality disorder has its onset from puberty and its prevalence peaks in young people (aged 12-25 years). It independently contributes to suffering during this developmental period and acts as a gateway to diverse and serious personal, social and economic problems later in life. These range from severe disruption to social networks, education and employment to a two-decade reduction in life expectancy. Despite this, health systems are failing young people with personality disorder and their families, who also experience high levels of distress and negative caregiving experiences. In frontline services, up to 90% of diagnoses are missed or intentionally not identified. Among those with personality disorder who are identified, outcomes are poor in routine practice.
Early intervention for personality disorder is effective, and such interventions are less complex than expected. Yet, translation of evidence into mainstream youth mental health practice has stagnated. In part this is due to unawareness of the past three decades of scientific progress, but reform is also hindered by prejudice, discrimination and sectarianism in some settings. It is time to bring personality disorder ‘in from the cold’ and to regard it as a central and legitimate focus for youth mental health. This will require a shift in the culture of services, countering damaging myths, addressing bigotry, and fostering hope. Such reforms have been at the heart of early intervention in youth mental health for decades and undoubtedly can be applied to personality disorder.
ABOUT ANDREW:
Professor Andrew Chanen is Chief of Clinical Practice and Head of Personality Disorder Research at Orygen in Melbourne, Australia. He is also a Professorial Fellow at the Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne. Andrew established and leads an internationally recognised program of research, treatment innovation, and service development in youth mental health and early intervention for severe mental disorders in young people. Andrew founded the field of early intervention for personality disorder and is a leading global advocate for effective, evidence-based policy. He has over produced over 230 scientific publications in high-impact international journals and has received competitive grant funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Medical Research Future Fund, and Australian Research Council. He serves on the Editorial Boards of several journals, and on expert national and international groups. In 2023, Andrew was appointed as a Board Director of headspace, Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation. He is a Past President of the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders (ISSPD). His work has been recognised with several awards, including the 2023 ISSPD Perry Hoffman Award for Research, the 2023 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Ian Simpson Award, and the 2017 Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Field of Severe Personality Disorders from the Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Centre and Personality Disorder Institute, New York.
Marta Di FortiKings College London, England
PLENARY:
Life before and after cannabis use: a journey from psychosis to recovery
ABOUT MARTA:
Dr Marta Di Forti is a Clinical Reader in Psychosis Research at the Dept of Social, Developmental and Genetic Research, KCL. She leads the first Cannabis Clinic for patients with Psychotic disorders in UK. In 2021 she awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrist Researcher of the year prize. In 2020 she was granted a MRC Senior Research Fellowship to expand her research in the role of cannabis use in psychosis and its underlying biology. Her MRC SRF employs tecHnologies like Virtual Reality, genetic data, DNA Methylation data and peripheral levels of endocannabinoids from human participants in parallel to runnning an animal model experiment of pubertal exposure to cannabinoids to investigate biological markers of susceptibility to psychosis among heavy cannabis users.
Marta Di FortiKings College London, England
PLENARY:
Life before and after cannabis use: a journey from psychosis to recovery
ABOUT MARTA:
Dr Marta Di Forti is a Clinical Reader in Psychosis Research at the Dept of Social, Developmental and Genetic Research, KCL. She leads the first Cannabis Clinic for patients with Psychotic disorders in UK. In 2021 she awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrist Researcher of the year prize. In 2020 she was granted a MRC Senior Research Fellowship to expand her research in the role of cannabis use in psychosis and its underlying biology. Her MRC SRF employs tecHnologies like Virtual Reality, genetic data, DNA Methylation data and peripheral levels of endocannabinoids from human participants in parallel to runnning an animal model experiment of pubertal exposure to cannabinoids to investigate biological markers of susceptibility to psychosis among heavy cannabis users.
Amy HardyInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, England
PLENARY:
SloMo: Harnessing inclusive, human-centred design to improve access, experience, and outcomes of psychological therapy for psychosis
How can technology best be designed and developed to harness its full potential in improving access, experience, and outcomes in psychological therapy in early intervention for psychosis? In this talk, Amy will share how inclusive, human-centred design is used to iteratively develop SloMo, a cutting-edge, blended digital therapy for paranoia. SloMo works by targeting the fast-thinking habits that fuel worries and supports people to slow down to find ways of feeling safer and living well. SloMo is a next generation cognitive-behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp) that aims to improve inequities in CBTp implementation, particularly for marginalised groups. Amy will describe how a transdisciplinary team, in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, developed SloMo by integrating best practice principles of design thinking and participatory design, using the UK Design Council’s Double Diamond method. This involved adopting an inclusive design approach to address the risk inherent in participatory design that the most willing, able, and vocal users are more likely to be involved, neglecting the needs of minoritised groups. Amy will share how ethnographic design research methods underpinned the original therapy development, which was evaluated in a large multi-site RCT, and how user experience findings from the RCT have been used to further optimise SloMo for real world implementation. The talk will conclude by proposing key principles for promoting equity and inclusion in the design of digital therapeutics for psychosis.
ABOUT AMY:
Dr Amy Hardy is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, and Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Trauma-informed Care Lead at the Psychological Interventions Clinic for Outpatients with Psychosis (PICuP), South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She has worked as a clinical academic specialising in the development, evaluation, and implementation of psychological therapies for psychosis for over 20 years. Amy collaborates with experts by experience, designers, technologists, clinicians, and researchers to enhance therapy usability and outcomes. She co-founded SloMo with Professor Philippa Garety and Dr Tom Ward. SloMo has a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Early Value Assessment recommendation for the treatment of paranoia in the NHS, whilst real world evidence is generated. SloMo is the first inclusively designed, blended digital therapy for paranoia to demonstrate evidence of efficacy, mechanism, and strong user experience for a diverse range of people. Amy received the British Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapies Engagement and Involvement award in recognition of her work collaborating with people with lived experience to develop SloMo.
Amy HardyInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, England
PLENARY:
SloMo: Harnessing inclusive, human-centred design to improve access, experience, and outcomes of psychological therapy for psychosis
How can technology best be designed and developed to harness its full potential in improving access, experience, and outcomes in psychological therapy in early intervention for psychosis? In this talk, Amy will share how inclusive, human-centred design is used to iteratively develop SloMo, a cutting-edge, blended digital therapy for paranoia. SloMo works by targeting the fast-thinking habits that fuel worries and supports people to slow down to find ways of feeling safer and living well. SloMo is a next generation cognitive-behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp) that aims to improve inequities in CBTp implementation, particularly for marginalised groups. Amy will describe how a transdisciplinary team, in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, developed SloMo by integrating best practice principles of design thinking and participatory design, using the UK Design Council’s Double Diamond method. This involved adopting an inclusive design approach to address the risk inherent in participatory design that the most willing, able, and vocal users are more likely to be involved, neglecting the needs of minoritised groups. Amy will share how ethnographic design research methods underpinned the original therapy development, which was evaluated in a large multi-site RCT, and how user experience findings from the RCT have been used to further optimise SloMo for real world implementation. The talk will conclude by proposing key principles for promoting equity and inclusion in the design of digital therapeutics for psychosis.
ABOUT AMY:
Dr Amy Hardy is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, and Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Trauma-informed Care Lead at the Psychological Interventions Clinic for Outpatients with Psychosis (PICuP), South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She has worked as a clinical academic specialising in the development, evaluation, and implementation of psychological therapies for psychosis for over 20 years. Amy collaborates with experts by experience, designers, technologists, clinicians, and researchers to enhance therapy usability and outcomes. She co-founded SloMo with Professor Philippa Garety and Dr Tom Ward. SloMo has a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Early Value Assessment recommendation for the treatment of paranoia in the NHS, whilst real world evidence is generated. SloMo is the first inclusively designed, blended digital therapy for paranoia to demonstrate evidence of efficacy, mechanism, and strong user experience for a diverse range of people. Amy received the British Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapies Engagement and Involvement award in recognition of her work collaborating with people with lived experience to develop SloMo.
Pablo GasparUniversidad de Chile, Chile
PLENARY:
Early detection and intervention of psychosis in South America: Exploring opportunities and overcoming challenges.
ABOUT PABLO:
Dr. Pablo A. Gaspar currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Chile. His career is marked by significant contributions to the field, including the co-founded of the Chilean Network of Early Detection and Intervention in Mental Health (Red-EMAR-Chile) and the Spanish-speaking branch of the International Early Intervention and Prevention in Mental Health Association (IEPA), where he serves as Vice President for South and Central America.
Dr. Gaspar's research focuses prominently on early detection and intervention in psychosis, with a specific emphasis on their biological risk factors. He plays a crucial role as an associate researcher at the "Millennium Nucleus to Improve Mental Health in Adolescents and Youths (IMHAY)" research center. Furthermore, he leads the Chilean arm of the PRESCIENT project, a significant initiative funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Dr. Gaspar is widely regarded as an esteemed expert in his field within Chile. He earned his Doctorate from the Catholic University of Chile in 2009 and completed a Post-Doctorate at the Nathan Kline Institute in 2012 under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel Javitt. His academic journey also includes a Psychiatry residency at the University of Chile, which he completed in 2015.
Through his leadership, research, and clinical practice, Dr. Gaspar continues to advance the understanding and treatment of mental health disorders, making profound contributions both locally and globally.
Pablo GasparUniversidad de Chile, Chile
PLENARY:
Early detection and intervention of psychosis in South America: Exploring opportunities and overcoming challenges.
ABOUT PABLO:
Dr. Pablo A. Gaspar currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Chile. His career is marked by significant contributions to the field, including the co-founded of the Chilean Network of Early Detection and Intervention in Mental Health (Red-EMAR-Chile) and the Spanish-speaking branch of the International Early Intervention and Prevention in Mental Health Association (IEPA), where he serves as Vice President for South and Central America.
Dr. Gaspar's research focuses prominently on early detection and intervention in psychosis, with a specific emphasis on their biological risk factors. He plays a crucial role as an associate researcher at the "Millennium Nucleus to Improve Mental Health in Adolescents and Youths (IMHAY)" research center. Furthermore, he leads the Chilean arm of the PRESCIENT project, a significant initiative funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Dr. Gaspar is widely regarded as an esteemed expert in his field within Chile. He earned his Doctorate from the Catholic University of Chile in 2009 and completed a Post-Doctorate at the Nathan Kline Institute in 2012 under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel Javitt. His academic journey also includes a Psychiatry residency at the University of Chile, which he completed in 2015.
Through his leadership, research, and clinical practice, Dr. Gaspar continues to advance the understanding and treatment of mental health disorders, making profound contributions both locally and globally.
James KirkbrideUCL, England
PLENARY:
Rediscovering lost horizons: charting a course for social equity in mental health
ABOUT JAMES:
I am Professor of Psychiatric and Social Epidemiology at the Division of Psychiatry, UCL, where I am Director of the PsyLife research group (www.psylife.eu). My group focuses on the social determinants of psychosis at multiple levels of causation. In particular, we investigate why several migrant and minoritised ethnic groups experience elevated rates of psychosis, and why rates are elevated in more adverse, urban environments.
We address these inequalities by applying epidemiological techniques (multilevel modelling, Bayesian modelling, multiple imputation, causal inference methods) to various datasets, including large epidemiological studies of first episode psychosis (AESOP, ELFEP, SEPEA, EU-GEI) and longitudinal cohort data (ALSPAC, Swedish register data, ABCD). I co-lead a major national initiative implementing a psychosis registry and clinical decision support system in NHS Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services, called EPICare, and am co-lead of data & causal inference on the MRC Public Mental Health Cluster.
Using this knowledge, I have co-developed a translational epidemiological prediction model to forecast expected need for psychosis in different populations (www.psymaptic.org). This informs EIP service commissioners about expected need for psychosis in the populations they serve. It has informed NICE guidance in England on EIP service provision since 2014.
I have held two Wellcome fellowships (Sir Henry Dale, Sir Henry Wellcome). I have a PhD in Psychiatric Epidemiology (University of Cambridge, 2007, supervisor: Professor Peter B. Jones), an M.Sc. in Epidemiology (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2003) and a B.A. (First class honours) in Geography (University of Nottingham, 2002, supervisor: Professor John Giggs).
James KirkbrideUCL, England
PLENARY:
Rediscovering lost horizons: charting a course for social equity in mental health
ABOUT JAMES:
I am Professor of Psychiatric and Social Epidemiology at the Division of Psychiatry, UCL, where I am Director of the PsyLife research group (www.psylife.eu). My group focuses on the social determinants of psychosis at multiple levels of causation. In particular, we investigate why several migrant and minoritised ethnic groups experience elevated rates of psychosis, and why rates are elevated in more adverse, urban environments.
We address these inequalities by applying epidemiological techniques (multilevel modelling, Bayesian modelling, multiple imputation, causal inference methods) to various datasets, including large epidemiological studies of first episode psychosis (AESOP, ELFEP, SEPEA, EU-GEI) and longitudinal cohort data (ALSPAC, Swedish register data, ABCD). I co-lead a major national initiative implementing a psychosis registry and clinical decision support system in NHS Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services, called EPICare, and am co-lead of data & causal inference on the MRC Public Mental Health Cluster.
Using this knowledge, I have co-developed a translational epidemiological prediction model to forecast expected need for psychosis in different populations (www.psymaptic.org). This informs EIP service commissioners about expected need for psychosis in the populations they serve. It has informed NICE guidance in England on EIP service provision since 2014.
I have held two Wellcome fellowships (Sir Henry Dale, Sir Henry Wellcome). I have a PhD in Psychiatric Epidemiology (University of Cambridge, 2007, supervisor: Professor Peter B. Jones), an M.Sc. in Epidemiology (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2003) and a B.A. (First class honours) in Geography (University of Nottingham, 2002, supervisor: Professor John Giggs).
Patrick McGorryOrygen, Australia
PLENARY:
Prevention and Early Intervention: Solutions for the Crisis in Mental Health.
ABOUT PATRICK:
Professor Patrick McGorry is an Irish-born, Australian psychiatrist known world-wide for his development and scaling up of early intervention and youth mental health services, and for mental health innovation, advocacy and reform. He is Executive Director of Orygen, Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and founding editor of the journal “Early Intervention in Psychiatry”. He led the advocacy which resulted in the establishment, by the Australian government in 2005, of the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, which in 2006 became Headspace, and he remains the Patron of that organisation. Professor McGorry has published over 1052 publications, with 70,197 citations and a “h” index of 135 (Scopus). He has played a key advocacy and advisory role to government and health system reform in Australia and in many parts of the world.
He is Immediate Past President of the International Association for Youth Mental Health, Past-President of the Schizophrenia International Research Society, Past-president of the Society for Mental Health Research and was Founding President and is now Treasurer of the IEPA: Early Intervention in Mental Health. He is also a Founding Board Member of Australians for Mental Health.
In 2010 Professor McGorry was selected as Australian of the Year and became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). In 2013 he received the Annual Research Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Washington DC, and in 2015 was awarded the Lieber Prize for Schizophrenia Research by the US-based Brain and Behaviour Foundation. In 2016 he became the first psychiatrist to be elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. In 2018 he received the Schizophrenia International Research Society Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2019 the Humanitarian Award of the Society of Biological Psychiatry and the NHMRC Research Excellence Award. In 2024 he was admitted as a Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy.
He is Immediate Past President of the International Association for Youth Mental Health, Past-President of the Schizophrenia International Research Society, Past-president of the Society for Mental Health Research and was Founding President and is now Treasurer of the IEPA: Early Intervention in Mental Health. He is also a Founding Board Member of Australians for Mental Health.
In 2010 Professor McGorry was selected as Australian of the Year and became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). In 2013 he received the Annual Research Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Washington DC, and in 2015 was awarded the Lieber Prize for Schizophrenia Research by the US-based Brain and Behaviour Foundation. In 2016 he became the first psychiatrist to be elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. In 2018 he received the Schizophrenia International Research Society Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2019 the Humanitarian Award of the Society of Biological Psychiatry and the NHMRC Research Excellence Award. In 2024 he was admitted as a Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy.
Patrick McGorryOrygen, Australia
PLENARY:
Prevention and Early Intervention: Solutions for the Crisis in Mental Health.
ABOUT PATRICK:
Professor Patrick McGorry is an Irish-born, Australian psychiatrist known world-wide for his development and scaling up of early intervention and youth mental health services, and for mental health innovation, advocacy and reform. He is Executive Director of Orygen, Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and founding editor of the journal “Early Intervention in Psychiatry”. He led the advocacy which resulted in the establishment, by the Australian government in 2005, of the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, which in 2006 became Headspace, and he remains the Patron of that organisation. Professor McGorry has published over 1052 publications, with 70,197 citations and a “h” index of 135 (Scopus). He has played a key advocacy and advisory role to government and health system reform in Australia and in many parts of the world.
He is Immediate Past President of the International Association for Youth Mental Health, Past-President of the Schizophrenia International Research Society, Past-president of the Society for Mental Health Research and was Founding President and is now Treasurer of the IEPA: Early Intervention in Mental Health. He is also a Founding Board Member of Australians for Mental Health.
In 2010 Professor McGorry was selected as Australian of the Year and became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). In 2013 he received the Annual Research Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Washington DC, and in 2015 was awarded the Lieber Prize for Schizophrenia Research by the US-based Brain and Behaviour Foundation. In 2016 he became the first psychiatrist to be elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. In 2018 he received the Schizophrenia International Research Society Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2019 the Humanitarian Award of the Society of Biological Psychiatry and the NHMRC Research Excellence Award. In 2024 he was admitted as a Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy.
He is Immediate Past President of the International Association for Youth Mental Health, Past-President of the Schizophrenia International Research Society, Past-president of the Society for Mental Health Research and was Founding President and is now Treasurer of the IEPA: Early Intervention in Mental Health. He is also a Founding Board Member of Australians for Mental Health.
In 2010 Professor McGorry was selected as Australian of the Year and became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). In 2013 he received the Annual Research Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Washington DC, and in 2015 was awarded the Lieber Prize for Schizophrenia Research by the US-based Brain and Behaviour Foundation. In 2016 he became the first psychiatrist to be elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. In 2018 he received the Schizophrenia International Research Society Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2019 the Humanitarian Award of the Society of Biological Psychiatry and the NHMRC Research Excellence Award. In 2024 he was admitted as a Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy.
Andrea PfennigUniversity of Technology, Dresden Germany
PLENARY:
Latest strategies in early detection and intervention for bipolar disorders
ABOUT ANDREA
Andrea is Deputy Director, Head of Day Clinic for young patients at the Center for Mental Health and Head of the Early Detection and Intervention Center for psychiatric disorders
Her research is focussed on:
-Prevention, early detection and early intervention in psychiatric disorders, with focus on bipolar disorders
-Development of diagnostic instruments for risk assessment and early intervention strategies for bipolar disorders
-Epidemiology and illness course research
-Development of clinical guidelines for affective disorders.
Andrea PfennigUniversity of Technology, Dresden Germany
PLENARY:
Latest strategies in early detection and intervention for bipolar disorders
ABOUT ANDREA
Andrea is Deputy Director, Head of Day Clinic for young patients at the Center for Mental Health and Head of the Early Detection and Intervention Center for psychiatric disorders
Her research is focussed on:
-Prevention, early detection and early intervention in psychiatric disorders, with focus on bipolar disorders
-Development of diagnostic instruments for risk assessment and early intervention strategies for bipolar disorders
-Epidemiology and illness course research
-Development of clinical guidelines for affective disorders.
Magenta SimmonsOrygen, Australia
PLENARY:
Shuffle over: The role of allyship in creating room at the table for meaningful lived experience roles in youth mental health research
ABOUT MAGENTA:
Associate Professor Magenta Simmons is a Principal Research Fellow at Orygen and the Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, Australia. As Head of Youth Involvement Research, she leads a program of work dedicated to redressing the historical exclusion of people with lived and living experience of mental health from making decisions about their own mental health care, the mental health workforce and active partners or leaders in research. This includes work in shared decision making, peer support, and the involvement of young people and family members with lived and living experience in youth mental health research. Magenta’s work on vocational peer work roles in integrated youth mental health services has been adopted in several early intervention services across Australia. She is currently leading research on remotely delivered peer support, the evaluation of a novel gender service for trans and gender diverse young people, and career development for young people disengaged from traditional schooling. In 2015, she helped establish Orygen’s national Youth Research Council and works closely with Orygen’s Youth Participation and Engagement team to provide career opportunities and pathways for young people passionate about youth mental health. Magenta has served of the Executive of the International Association for Youth Mental Health and regularly provides advice and engages in collaboration with individuals and organisations to promote the involvement of young people locally and internationally.
Magenta SimmonsOrygen, Australia
PLENARY:
Shuffle over: The role of allyship in creating room at the table for meaningful lived experience roles in youth mental health research
ABOUT MAGENTA:
Associate Professor Magenta Simmons is a Principal Research Fellow at Orygen and the Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, Australia. As Head of Youth Involvement Research, she leads a program of work dedicated to redressing the historical exclusion of people with lived and living experience of mental health from making decisions about their own mental health care, the mental health workforce and active partners or leaders in research. This includes work in shared decision making, peer support, and the involvement of young people and family members with lived and living experience in youth mental health research. Magenta’s work on vocational peer work roles in integrated youth mental health services has been adopted in several early intervention services across Australia. She is currently leading research on remotely delivered peer support, the evaluation of a novel gender service for trans and gender diverse young people, and career development for young people disengaged from traditional schooling. In 2015, she helped establish Orygen’s national Youth Research Council and works closely with Orygen’s Youth Participation and Engagement team to provide career opportunities and pathways for young people passionate about youth mental health. Magenta has served of the Executive of the International Association for Youth Mental Health and regularly provides advice and engages in collaboration with individuals and organisations to promote the involvement of young people locally and internationally.
Peter UhlhaasCharité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin Germany
PLENARY:
Towards A Neurobiology of Early Intervention
ABOUT PETER:
Peter Uhlhaas obtained a BSc and PhD in Psychology from the University of Stirling, Scotland. He was a visiting researcher at Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York (2001-2002), before joining the Department of Neurophysiology (Head: Prof. Wolf Singer), Max-Planck Institute (MPI) for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany. At the MPI, he became a group leader in 2006, investigating the neurophysiology of cognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenia. Peter joined the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, in 2012 where he was a principal investigator at the Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging. He has published over 120 articles in internationally high-ranking journals (Nature Rev Neuroscience, Neuron, PNAS, JAMA Psychiatry). In 2019, he became Professor for Early Detection and Diagnosis of Mental Disorders at the Department of Child and Adolescent Pschiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin. In addition to his scientific training, he is also a trained and board-certified psychotherapist and clinical psychologist. His research interests include cognitive and neurophysiological aspects of schizophrenia, multi-modal neuroimaging (EEG/MEG/MRI), brain development during adolescence, early intervention in psychosis as well as E-mental health. Current research projects are supported by the Medical Research Council, Einstein Foundation, German Research Foundation and Wellcome Trust.
Peter UhlhaasCharité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin Germany
PLENARY:
Towards A Neurobiology of Early Intervention
ABOUT PETER:
Peter Uhlhaas obtained a BSc and PhD in Psychology from the University of Stirling, Scotland. He was a visiting researcher at Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York (2001-2002), before joining the Department of Neurophysiology (Head: Prof. Wolf Singer), Max-Planck Institute (MPI) for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany. At the MPI, he became a group leader in 2006, investigating the neurophysiology of cognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenia. Peter joined the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, in 2012 where he was a principal investigator at the Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging. He has published over 120 articles in internationally high-ranking journals (Nature Rev Neuroscience, Neuron, PNAS, JAMA Psychiatry). In 2019, he became Professor for Early Detection and Diagnosis of Mental Disorders at the Department of Child and Adolescent Pschiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin. In addition to his scientific training, he is also a trained and board-certified psychotherapist and clinical psychologist. His research interests include cognitive and neurophysiological aspects of schizophrenia, multi-modal neuroimaging (EEG/MEG/MRI), brain development during adolescence, early intervention in psychosis as well as E-mental health. Current research projects are supported by the Medical Research Council, Einstein Foundation, German Research Foundation and Wellcome Trust.
Cordt WinklerRecovery Cat
PLENARY:
Reducing stigma through peer-work and co-creation
ABOUT CORDT:
Cordt Winkler (alias Dennis Stratmann) is a Berlin based peer-worker and book author (Me is sometimes someone else / ICH ist manchmal ein anderer) with lived psychosis experience. He works as patient advocacy manager at Recovery Cat, a digital therapy support for persons coping with mental illness and their health care professionals. He is the founder of Mad Camp, an anti-stigma festival in the region of Brandenburg for persons with lived experience, relatives and professionals.
Cordt WinklerRecovery Cat
PLENARY:
Reducing stigma through peer-work and co-creation
ABOUT CORDT:
Cordt Winkler (alias Dennis Stratmann) is a Berlin based peer-worker and book author (Me is sometimes someone else / ICH ist manchmal ein anderer) with lived psychosis experience. He works as patient advocacy manager at Recovery Cat, a digital therapy support for persons coping with mental illness and their health care professionals. He is the founder of Mad Camp, an anti-stigma festival in the region of Brandenburg for persons with lived experience, relatives and professionals.
Schedule
Coming Soon
"IEPA14 was my first overseas conference as an EMCR and a fantastic experience that actually made me excited to pursue a career in research!"
"For me, the IEPA conference is the most comprehensive gathering of individuals committed to the entire scope of early intervention approaches – from neurobiology all the way to population-level approaches"
Early Bird Registration
Register before close of Early Bird for significant discounts on registration
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