Global team

Simon Rosenbaum

Lecturer in the Exercise Physiology Program, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales. He is an Honorary Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health and the Black Dog Institute. He is a National Director of Exercise and Sports Science Australia.

Justin Richards

Post-doctoral research fellow at the Prevention Research Collaboration within the School of Public Health and Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney. He is a research associate of the British Heart Foundation Centre on Population Approaches for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention at the University of Oxford. He is Chair of the Early Career Network of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health.

Philip Ward

Phil Ward is clinical neuroscientist whose research interests have recently expanded to include the role of lifestyle interventions to improve physical and mental health outcomes of people living with mental illness. He is the director of the Schizophrenia Research Unit, based at Liverpool Hospital in South Western Sydney, an associate professor in the School of Psychiatry, UNSW Australia, and a member of the research faculty of the Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research.

Anna Waterreus

Assistant professor with a background in nursing, School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia. She was the national coordinator of the 2010 Australian second national survey of psychosis.

Adrian Bauman

Oscar Lederman

Oscar Lederman is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist at the Prince of Wales Hospital, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District and PhD Candidate at the University of New South Wales. Oscar coordinates and supervises the Exercise Physiology program at Eastern Suburbs Mental Health and regularly provides education and training for mental health clinicians. His research has focused on physical health of youth at risk of psychosis and also motivational factors that influence physical activity participation for individuals with serious mental illness.

Rachel Morell

Exercise Physiologist with special interest in improving the physical health of people with Mental Illness. Currently a Research Officer for UNSW Department of Psychiatry and NSW Health and the study co-ordinator for the SIMPAQ Validation Study.

Madeline Romaniuk

Dr Madeline Romaniuk is the Senior Clinical Psychologist & Project Lead of the Veteran Mental Health Initiative at the Gallipoli Medical Research Institute. She holds a Visiting Research Fellow position at Queensland University of Technology as well as Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland. In addition to research, Dr Romaniuk has worked as a therapist since 2009 in a variety of settings including public and private hospitals, community government services, NGOs, and private practice. Dr Romaniuk specialises in the treatment of war veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Brian O'Donoghue

Brian is a consultant psychiatrist with Orygen Youth Health, a youth mental health service in Melbourne, Australia and works in the early psychosis service. Brian is also a clinical research fellow with Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth mental Health and the University of Melbourne. Brian's research interest are in reducing the adverse events, such as poor physical health or coercion, that can be associated with treatment for a a psychotic disorder. Brian is originally from Dublin, Ireland and is a keen runner.

Justin Chapman

Justin has completed his PhD in measuring and positively influencing the physical activity patterns of adults with mental illness at The University of Queensland. He currently works with the Queensland Police-Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) designing and implementing healthy lifestyle intervention programs for youth and adults recovering from mental illness. He also works with the Queensland Institute of Medical Research evaluating health-service based exercise programs for Indigenous adults with chronic health conditions, and with the Princess Alexandra Hospital advocating for consumer involvement in health intervention programs.

Tracey Tsang

Tracey a Senior Research Fellow for the Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Sydney Medical School (USYD);.and an Assistant Director for the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Centre of Research Excellence. Her adolescent health and clinical research background is diverse, incorporating research into metabolic health (e.g., type 2 diabetes, obesity), physical activity, martial arts, intervention studies, ADHD, population health, and FASD. Her current paediatric research interests include behaviour problems and cognition, assessment of facial dysmorphology in FASD, development of screening tools for FASD, practice change, and impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure on development and function. Tracey’s work will include the refinement and validation of the SIMPAQ for use in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Davy Vancampfort

Post-doctoral researcher and lecturer at the University of Leuven and the University Psychiatric Center Leuven in Belgium.

Felipe Schuch

Prof. Felipe B Schuch (Unilasalle), Physical educator (UFRGS), Msc and PhD psychiatry (UFRGS) and post-doc student (UFRGS). He was awarded a PhD in 2015 from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul after leading a trial of exercise for major depressive disorder in inpatients, with a vote of honor. He is interested in the effects of exercise on major depressive disorder, its moderators, and its neurobiological correlates. Conducting a new clinical trial of physical activity promotion on outpatients with MDD.

Fabianna Moraleida

PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte Brazil. PhD Sandwich scholarship - The University of Sydney. Masters in Rehabilitation Sciences, Specialist in Physiotherapy in Orthopaedics and Sports. Physiotherapist.

Amal Abdel-Baki

Researcher at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre. She is the director the First-Episode psychosis clinic at the University Hospital of Montreal and the president of the Quebec Association for First-Episode Psychosis Program. Her research interest, is among others, the non-pharmacological treatment of metabolic complication in psychosis.

Ahmed Jerôme Romain

Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre. Supported by the FRQS. Interest in physical activity, motivation and obesity in people with severe mental illness.

Guy Faulkner

Guy Faulkner is a Professor in the School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Public Health Agency of Canada (CIHR-PHAC) Chair in Applied Public Health.

Mark Duncan

PhD student working with Dr. Faulkner at the University of British Columbia. Mark received his Master’s in Exercise Science from the University of Toronto for his work with affective responses to physical activity among people with schizophrenia.

Carmen Paz Castaneda

Barbora Chvatalova

Currently finishing her MA in Psychology at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic with a thesis on - Comparison of effectivity of various psychotherapeutic approaches to first-episode psychosis. Founder and coordinator of Projekt SPOLU, the biggest Czech psychology students´ project, sending more than 250 volunteers to psychiatric hospitals across the country.

Jana Muronova

Currently enrolled in PhD programme in Clinical Psychology at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. Works as a psychologist in assertive community team in Sdruzeni PRAH – the biggest provider of psychosocial support for people with mental health disorders in Moravia region and as an education coordinator in Projekt SPOLU.

Klara Capkova

Currently finishing her MA in Psychology at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic with a thesis on – Development of commitment to a lifelong abstinence among alcohol abuse in-patients. Coordinator of Projekt SPOLU and an active volunteer leading a therapeutic program of cognitive remediation for adolescent girls struggling with eating disorders.

Martin Chvatal

Student at the Faculty of Sport Studies at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic with the focus on Regeneration and Nutrition in Sport.

Lene Nyboe

Physical Therapist, PhD, Senior Researcher, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov.

Wikki Lund Hansen

Tarja Takala

Tarja Takala works as a physiotherapist in the psychiatric hospital of Tampere University Hospital. She is specialized in psychophysical physiotherapy and has special interest field in General Hospital Psychiatry.

Katriona Keller-Varady

I am a post-doctoral research fellow at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of die University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität. As a sports scientist and study coordinator I am involved in several studies investigating the effects of physical activity and training in schizophrenia. I also like to work as an exercise instructor.

Berend Malchow

Stefan Bender

Dr. Stefan Bender is Medical Director of the LWL-Kliniken Marsberg (hospital for adult psychiatry, www.lwl-klinik-marsberg.de, and hospital for child and adolescent psychiatry, www.lwl-jugendpsychiatrie-marsberg.de). He holds an academic appointment at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, and was a Visiting Fellow at the School of Psychiatry of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia in 1998-1999.

Markus Burgmer

Associate Professor and consultant in the Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Münster, Germany.

Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis

Associate Professor of Performance Psychology in Sport, School of Physical Education & Sport Science, University of Thessaly, elected Treasurer of the Managing Council of the European Federation of Sport Psychology (FEPSAC), teaching staff in the international postgraduate programme.

Nikos Zourbanos

Assistant Professor of Psychology of Physical Education & Sport, School of Physical Education & Sport Science, University of Thessaly, teaching staff in the international postgraduate programme “European Masters in Sport & Exercise Psychology” based at the University of Thessaly, Greece.

Katerina Zavitsanou

Former Senior Lecturer, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia and Conjoint Research Fellow, Neuroscience Research Australia, specialized in psychopharmacology and neuroscience, currently enrolled for the Master of Nursing at the University of Sydney, Australia.

Yannis Theodorakis

Professor of Sport Psychology, School of Physical Education & Sport Science, University of Thessaly, Greece, former Vice Rector and currently member of the Managing Council of the University of Thessaly, former member of the Managing Council of the European Federation of Sport Psychology Managing Council (FEPSAC).

Ioannis Morres

Research and Teaching Fellow, PhD candidate in exercise and mental health, School of Physical Education & Sport Science, University of Thessaly, exercise clinician in mental health services, teaching fellow in the international postgraduate programme “European Masters in Sport & Exercise Psychology” based at the University of Thessaly, Greece.

Edwin Lee

Edwin Lee is a clinical assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry, the University of Hong Kong.

Dr. Lee received his medical degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and subsequently completed a Master in Science degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the same institution.

Anil

Professor of Psychiatry, in charge of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry services, Govt Medical College, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. He took his Post Doctoral Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India. His PhD work was on development and validation of a screening tool to identify risk and protective factors in adolescent mental health. His areas of interest are school mental health and community based rehabilitation.

Indu

Indu is Additional Professor, Community Medicine, Govt Medical College, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. She is qualified in Psychiatry, Public Health and Research Methodology. She is the Psychiatrist in charge of Community Mental Health Clinic and Adolescent Clinic attached to Medical College Health Unit. Her PhD work was on the effectiveness of a community based intervention to manage women with depression in primary care. Her areas of interest are community mental health and prevention of lifestyle disorders.

Dena Sadeghi Bahmani

Evan Matthews

Ev is on a PhD research programme in the Department of Nursing and Health Care, Waterford Institute of Technology Ireland, he is also a graduate of Exercise and Health Studies, Waterford Institute of Technology Ireland and a member of the Register of Exercise Professionals Ireland. His PhD research is a Health Service Executive funded project which aims to develop the physical activity provision in Irish Mental Health services. Ev has practical and research interests in exercise for people in recovery from mental illness and people with addiction.

Erica Gobbi

Postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Italy. Her research interests include the promotion of active lifestyles among a general and clinical population and the development of inclusive practices in physical activity and physical education settings.

Attilio Carraro

Giorgio Corretti

Giorgio Corretti MD is a psychiatrist in the Department of Mental Health at the Public Service of Health in Tuscany (A.S.L. Toscana Nord Ovest), where he directs the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program. His research focuses on links between physical activity, sport, mental health and recovery.

Anna Meneghelli

Clinical Psychologist. Co-founder of Programma 2000 - Milan, together with Angelo Cocchi and at present clinical and scientific coordinator of the Programme. President of AIPP (Italian Association for prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Health).

Mariella Sarno

Mariella Sarno is a Clinical Psychologist and an Exercise Physiologist. Currently leading a group focused on physical health in FEP and UHR youth in Programma 2000 - MHD Niguarda, Milan as a trainee, and also training the patients in a fitness club. She is also teaching in a high school to students with disabilities.

Silvia Flauto

Silvia Flauto is a Clinical Psychologist, currently working as a trainee at Programma 2000 – MHD Niguarda, Milan, with emerging early psychosis. Also involved in the psychosocial intervention, she teaches English and Study Skills, both individually and in groups.

Shinsuke Kondo

Chief psychiatrist of the inpatient unit and director of the outpatient rehab program ('Recovery center') at the Department of Neuropsychiatry, the University of Tokyo Hospital. He has also been running a rehab program using farm work in the suburban area of Tokyo for more than 10 years, advocating the significance of physical activities in the treatment of mental illness. He also supervises Sudachi-kai, the non-profit community-based mental health service provider in Tokyo.

Yousuke Kumakura

Yousuke Kumakura, MD, MPH, is a psychiatrist and graduate student of the Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo. His research interests include the physical health of people with mental illness, homelessness and mental health, and Shared Decision Making (SDM).

Richard Uwakwe

Richard Uwakwe, MBBS (Ibadan); FWACP; FMCPsych; FIIA is the Chairman of the Faculty of Psychiatry, West African College of Physicians, (Nigeria Chapter) and the Faculty of Psychiatry, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. He serves as a Professor of Psychiatry/ the Director of Postgraduate Residency Training Programme Nnamdi Azikiwe University/ Teaching Hospital Nigeria. He has been a Member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Panel, Alzheimer’s Disease International (UK). He is an Advisor, African Mental Health Foundation, Kenya, a member of African Society for Ageing Research and Development and member of Trustee Nigerian Society Geriatrics and Gerontology. He belongs to the WHO Consultation/ Advisory Group on the Revision of ICD 11. His research interests are in old age mental health and physical illness in mental disorders.

Solfrid Bratland-Sanda

Solfrid Bratland-Sanda, PhD, is an associate professor in physical activity and health at University College of Southeast Norway, Norway. She is also the leader of the research group Health and Exercise in a Lifecourse Perspective (HELP) at USN.

Solveig Tilden Orvik

Solveig Tilden Orvik, MSc, is a research assistant at the Research Institute, Modum Bad, Norway, and at University College of Southeast Norway, Norway.

Bente Morseth

Associate professor with a PhD in physical activity and health at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Leader of the research group Physical activity and public health at UiT.

Monika Eriksen

Currently a Research Coordinator at University Hospital of North Norway and practising Senior Physiotherapist at Tromso Kommune. A Master of Science in Physiotherapy received from University of South Denmark. Previously a Senior Research Associate with UiT The Arctic University of Norway on The Tromso Study.

Kamilla Rognmo

Kamilla Rognmo is an associate professor at the Department of Psychology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway. She has a PhD in psychology within the field of psychiatric epidemiology.

Lara S.F. Carneiro

In 2012 she was awarded a PhD fellowship from Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) to develop the study “Exercise as a complementary treatment of pharmacotherapy in patients with clinical depression”. In 2014 the Portuguese Olympic Committee and Millennium BCP Foundation awarded this research with the first prize of Psychology and Pedagogy in Sports, 2014. Her ongoing work provides contribution to understand exercise as medicine in the care of people with depressive disorders.

Diego Munguía-Izquierdo

Senior lecturer in Sports Science and Head of Department of Sport and Computer Science at Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville (Spain) interested in body composition, physical fitness, physical activity/exercise, and health.

Javier Bueno-Antequera

PhD candidate and FPU Fellow Researcher (grant: FPU12/03137) in Sports Science at Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville (Spain) interested in lifestyle, physical function, quality of life, and effects of physical exercise in people with severe mental illness.

Kate Bolam

Post-doctorate researcher at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden. She is an Honorary Fellow of the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Kate’s research interests include exercise prescription for the improvement of the health of people with chronic diseases and the measurement of sedentary behaviour and physical activity.

Mats Hallgren

Mats Hallgren PhD is a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. His research focuses on links between physical activity and mental health. Despite his very Swedish sounding name, Mats is an Australian!

Po-Wen Ku

Po-Wen Ku is a professor in epidemiology of physical activity and health at the Graduate Institute of Sports & Health, National Changhua University of Education, Taiwan. He was awarded his first PhD (exercise and health) at the University of Bristol, UK and then received the second PhD (epidemiology) at the National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan.

Li-Jung Chen

Li-Jung Chen is a professor at the Department of Exercise Health Science, National Taiwan University of Sport, Taiwan. She received her PhD in exercise and health from the Department of Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, University of Bristol, UK. Her research interest is about physical activity, health-related behaviours and mental health.

Marieke Pijnenborg

Prof Dr Marieke Pijnenborg is affiliated to the Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology of the University of Groningen, in Groningen, The Netherlands, and is specialised in psychotic disorders. She works as a clinician at GGZ Drenthe, Assen, the Netherlands. She is one of the senior investigators of the BEATVIC trial, in which the effects of a body-oriented resilience training on victimization is evaluated.

Elise van der Stouwe

Elise van der Stouwe is a PhD candidate on the BEATVIC trial, in which the effects of a body-oriented resilience training with elements of kickboxing for individuals with psychosis is evaluated. Primary outcome of the intervention is victimization, in addition, the effects on risk factors of victimization (e.g. social cognitive deficits, aggression regulation problems), neuroimaging outcomes and physical outcomes are examined. Elise van der Stouwe is affiliated to the University Medical Center of Groningen, The Netherlands.

Brendon Stubbs

Head of physiotherapy at the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust and research physiotherapist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. Brendon is interested in the mental health and physical health interface and the benefits of physical activity among people with mental illness.

Fiona Gaughran

Lead Consultant Psychiatrist, National Psychosis Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Physical Health Lead, Psychosis Clinical Academic Group, Kings Health Partners. Senior Lecturer, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London.

Ian Machingura

Ian is a lecturer and chairman of the University of Zimbabwe Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences. His qualifications are DMLT, SDMLT, MSc Clinical Biochemistry, MBA, MPH and is currently working towards a PhD.