Johann Hari is a New York Times best-selling author and the Executive Producer of an Oscar-nominated movie and an eight-part TV series starring Samuel L. Jackson. His books have been translated into 40 languages and have been praised by a broad range of influencers, from Oprah to Noam Chomsky, from Elton John to Naomi Klein.

His latest book “Magic Pill" (Crown, May 7, 2024) is an investigation into the new trend of weight loss drugs and has been named a must-read by The Next Big Idea Club. The first of three other books, ”Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention” (Crown, January 2022) was number three on Amazon’s list of the best books of 2022, and it was named as a Book of the Year by The Financial Times, The New York Post, and The Spectator. It was also chosen as Book of the Month by Britain’s biggest bookseller, Waterstones, and Australia’s biggest bookseller Dymocks. It won several awards, including being named as Most Important Book of the Year at the Non-Obvious Book Awards and Business Book of the Year at the 2022 Porchlight Book Awards. It has been a best-seller on three continents.

His second book, ”Lost Connections: Uncovering The Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions” (Bloomsbury USA, January 2018) was described by the British Journal of General Practice as “one of the most important texts of recent years”, and shortlisted for an award by the British Medical Association. Johann’s first book, ”Chasing the Scream: the First and Last Days of the War on Drugs” (Bloomsbury USA, January 2015) was adapted into the Oscar-nominated film ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’. It has also been adapted into the documentary series “The Fix” on The Roku Channel.

Collectively, Johann’s TED Talks ”Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong” and “This Could Be Why You Are Depressed or Anxious” have been viewed more than 93 million times.

He has written over the past decade for some of the world’s leading newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Spectator, Le Monde Diplomatique, The Sydney Morning Herald, and Politico. He has appeared on NPR’s All Thing Considered, HBO’s Realtime With Bill Maher, The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the BBC’s Question Time, and many other popular shows.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, when Johann was a year old his family moved to London, where he grew up and where he has lived for most of his life. His father – a Swiss immigrant – was a bus driver, and his mother was a nurse who later worked in shelters for survivors of domestic violence.

Johann studied social and political science at King’s College, Cambridge, and graduated with a Double First.

Johann was twice named National Newspaper Journalist of the Year by the Amnesty International UK Media Awards. He has also been named Cultural Commentator of the Year and Environmental Commentator of the Year at The Comment Awards.

Judith L. Landau, MD, DPM, LMFT, CFLE, CIP, CAI, CRS, Founder and President of Linking Human Systems, LLC and LINC Foundation is a child, family, and community neuropsychiatrist. Former professor of psychiatry and family medicine at the University of Rochester, she has devoted her career to developing Evidence-Based, Best Practice collaborative family and community resilience models. Former faculty member of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and Senior Consultant to the International Trauma Studies Program at NYU and Columbia, Dr. Landau draws upon 50+ years of research and experience aimed at facilitating long-term healing for individuals, families, and communities dealing with chronic, relapsing behavioral, mental, and physical health issues and addiction. (www.linkinghumansystems.com).

Dr. Landau enjoys overcoming challenging patient, family, business, forensic and community issues, and unraveling complex systems. Her passion is overcoming racial injustice and improving the living situations of disadvantaged communities. She served as the primary consultant to the Judiciary in South Africa on issues of domestic violence and, working as a District Surgeon, was responsible for all inner city, prison and police forensic issues and violence.

As a child, growing up before and during the oppression and violence of Apartheid, she was enveloped in the closeness of her community of family and non-blood family and experienced the protective nature of relational resilience. This became the heart of her life’s mission: helping people realize their inherent resilience and the importance of connectedness to family, culture, and spirituality as protection from trauma.

Based on her relational resilience research, Dr. Landau with University of Rochester faculty, developed the Evidence-Based, Best-Practice Transitional Family Therapy (TFT), the first integrative model of family therapy. Evidence-Based interventions at individual, family, and community level based on TFT include LINC Community Resilience, ARISE Comprehensive Care with Invitational Intervention, a method for engaging and treating addicted individuals and their families, and LIFE, applied to reducing intimate partner violence, STDs/HIV/AIDS, and addiction in inner city and minority women. She took early retirement to apply these methods in the “real world.” She has conducted numerous country and state-wide community interventions, executive and business interventions, and a few thousand individual and family interventions.

Author and co-author of over 200 peer-reviewed publications and books, she has taught in numerous countries, and trained several thousand trainers, therapists, and interventionists. Her ground-breaking book, AIDS, Health and Mental Health, won the international Choice Library award. Dr. Landau has been principal investigator on research conducted through WHO, NIDA, NIAAA, SAMHSA and EAR. She has consulted to UN, WHO (most recently to the Public Health section about communities dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic), NIMH, NIDA, NIAAA, SAMHSA, CDC & P, national and international universities, and several international governments including Argentina, South Africa, Hong Kong, Hungary, Brazil, Taiwan, countries in former Yugoslavia (most recently Kosovo), and to a United States Congressional Committee on prevention of consequences of mass disaster. She currently serves as a consultant to the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Geneva and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section (PTRS). Vienna. She is a frequent consultant to treatment centers, colleagues, clients, families, and family businesses around the world.

A Senior Fulbright Visiting Scholar, and Fellow of Orthopsychiatry, Association, AAMFT and NCFR, she is the recipient of awards for AAMFT’s Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Marriage and Family Therapy and AFTA’s Innovative Contribution to Family Therapy. She is past president of the International Family Therapy Association (IFTA) and has served on numerous editorial boards, and national and international association boards. She has been listed in Who’s Who in the World since 1999, in Science and Engineering since 1998, Medicine and Healthcare since 2002, and holds the 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.

Currently recognized as a global addiction and trauma pioneer, Dr. Landau continues to change the future of addiction and its interface with mental and physical health by identifying trauma that spans generations. Her TEDX talk, Family Stories, Secrets and Survival, has become legendary and is one of the most sought-after presentations on the subjects of: family resilience, trauma, addiction, and mental health. Steadily working on her personal memoir, Dr. Landau continues to be relied upon by the national media as an expert on all stories relating to human behavior. She is also a “Sangoma” or traditional African healer and a member of 4 Winds Indigenous Healers, an organization committed to bridging traditional wisdom and western science.

Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, based at LSHTM’s MRC Unit in Uganda. She develops and evaluates culturally appropriate mental health interventions for Africans. Her research focuses on the mind-body connection, examining psychotherapy's impact on physical health and its mechanisms. Dr. Nakimuli-Mpungu empowers health workers through her virtual SEEK-GSP Academy, fostering mental health capacity building across the continent. She has won accolades, including the 2016 Elsevier Foundation Award, the 2016 Presidential National Independence Medal of Honor, the 2020 BBC 100 Women, the 2021 Makerere University Outstanding Social Innovation in Health Award, and the 2023 US Mission Outstanding Alum in Health Award. In 2023, she was elected to the Executive Committee of the World Psychiatry Association (WPA) Psychotherapy Section. and later appointed as a Council Member representing Uganda on the World Federation of Psychotherapy Council. With medical and doctoral training from Makerere and Johns Hopkins Universities, and funding from organizations like Grand Challenges Canada and the Wellcome Mental Health Data Prize-Africa, Dr. Nakimuli-Mpungu is committed to advancing mental health research and practice in Africa.

Since 1973, Dr. Boss has studied ambiguous loss, taught university students, practiced as a clinician, and trained family therapists, psychologists, counselors, and humanitarians around the world to help individuals and families suffering from the trauma of ambiguous loss and its grief that has no end. Drawing on research and clinical experience, Dr. Boss worked across cultures to develop six useful and inclusive guidelines for building the resilience needed to both bear the ambiguity and move forward to live productive lives. Over the course of her research, Dr. Boss has worked with families in New York who lost family members during 9/11 and families in Kosovo who have lost family members as the result of ethnic cleansing and terrorism. She also has worked with families who have psychologically lost a relative as the result of Alzheimer's disease and other chronic mental illnesses. Dr. Boss draws on her research (and that of others) and her forty years of clinical experience to develop a powerful but flexible therapeutic approach for this heretofore unrecognized but ubiquitous type of loss. The fundamental tools of the theory and practice, described by Dr. Boss in the Ambiguous Loss Online Training and in her writings, are the six guidelines for therapists and practitioners as well as for concerned family members and friends who, despite ambiguous loss, need to find new hope and meaning in life. At this time, the ambiguous loss model, as updated, is being used to ease the pain and trauma for various kinds of ambiguous losses and across different cultures. Education and Work history: Dr. Boss received her Ph.D. in Child Development and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1975. From 1975 to 1981, Dr. Boss was an assistant and then associate professor with tenure at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1981, she joined the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota and continued there as full professor until 2005 when she became Emeritus Professor. In 1995-96, Dr. Boss was appointed Visiting Professor at the Harvard Medical School, and in 2004-2005, she was awarded Moses Distinguished Professor at Hunter School of Social Work in New York City.

Gonçalo Henriques, psychologist, coordinator of the Lisbon Municipal Emergency Shelter - Associação Ares do Pinhal, has been working in non-governmental organizations in the sector of health with homeless people for the past 20 years. He is responsible for the health services of this facility and coordinates a multidisciplinary team of psychosocial support technicians, social workers, psychologists, nurses and doctors, also providing a pilot drug consumption room (ECAD), alongside with an Alcohol Managed Program, exclusively for the residents of the shelter, with total capacity for 126 people, including 26 for women and 8 for couples. Currently taking part in a research group on the Diagnosis of the Health of Homeless People in Lisbon.

ac Charlier is the Executive Director of TASC's Center for Health and Justice, which specializes in practical, local solutions to improve community safety by reducing drug use and drug-related crime. A former Deputy Chief with Illinois State Parole, Mr. Charlier is a founder of the international deflection field, focused on strategies that bridge law enforcement, treatment, and community to improve public safety. He also serves as CEO for the Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative (PTACC), which is the national and global voice for the field of deflection. is a social policy expert with over 30 years’ experience in public health and harm reduction. From 2005 to 2025, he was CEO of Ana Liffey Drug Project, Ireland’s first harm reduction service (est. 1982), where he led rights-based, person-centred responses to drug use and social support. Tony has worked across frontline outreach, policy reform, and international collaboration—always focused on reducing drug-related harm and improving access to services for people with complex needs. He now works independently with organisations across Europe and beyond. He is Chair of Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, a Trustee of the Harm Reduction International Board, and an Adjunct Teaching Fellow at Trinity College Dublin.

Bob Doppelt founded and coordinates the International Transformational Resilience Coalition (ITRC), a network of mental health, social service, disaster management, climate, and faith organizations and professionals (website: http://itrcoalitionorg). He is trained in both counseling psychology and environmental science and has combined the two fields throughout his career. He is also a Graduate of the International Program on the Management of Sustainability, in Ziest, The Netherlands, a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Instructor, a meditation instructor at Spirit Rock in California, and a former Fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center. Early in his career Bob worked as a counseling psychologist with troubled youth and their families. Decades later he directed the Climate Leadership Initiative at the University of Oregon, a climate change research and technical assistance program that was one of the first in the U.S. to assist private and public entities to develop climate mitigation and adaptation plans. For many years he also taught systems thinking and climate change policy at the university. Through this work Bob realized that the mental health and psycho-social-spiritual impacts of the climate crisis were a significant but largely unaddressed problem. This led him in 2013 to organize the ITRC. In 2024, the ITRC’s work helping communities worldwide organize Transformational Resilience Coordinating Networks (TRCNs) to prevent and heal climate-generated traumas led it to become the 35th partner of the UN High Level Climate Champion Race to Resilience Campaign. Due to his many years of work, in 2015 Bob was named one the world’s “50 Most Talented Social Innovators” by the World CRS Congress. For over a decade Bob wrote a monthly column on climate change and psychosocial issues for the Register Guard, his hometown paper. Bob has also written for Psychology Today and currently writes a monthly column on Substack. He is the author of a number of books on the interface between individual and community mental health, social change, and ecological regeneration. His most recent book is Preventing and Healing Climate Traumas: A Guide for Building Resilience and Hope in Communities (Taylor and Francis/Routledge Publishing, 2023). It describes the outcomes of an intensive two+ year research project that determined that a public health approach to mental health is necessary to prevent and heal the accelerating individual, community, and societal traumas generated by the global climate mega-emergency. This involves returning the responsibility for sustaining mental wellness and resilience to where it existed for most of human history and has the greatest chances of success: to the neighborhood and community levels.

Ellert R.S. Nijenhuis, Ph.D., is a psychologist, researcher, and former psychotherapist. He engaged in the diagnosis, treatment and study of severely traumatized patients for more than four decades and teaches and writes extensively on the themes of trauma-related dissociation and dissociative disorders. He initiated several biopsychological studies of complex dissociative disorders. His publications (see www.enijenhuis.nl) include the book Somatoform Dissociation. With Onno van der Hart and Kathy Steele he co-authored the book The Haunted Self: Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization. A trilogy is The Trinity of Trauma: Ignorance, Fragility, and Control. With his daughter Kirande, he runs an eAcademy on trauma and dissociation. Nijenhuis has been one of the founders of the ESTD. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation granted him several awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Dawn Nickel is a respected leader in the women’s recovery movement and the founder of SHE RECOVERS® Foundation, a nonprofit that inspires hope and reduces stigma for women in or seeking recovery from substance use, mental health challenges, and other life issues. With a PhD in healthcare policy, Dawn has spent over three decades working in mental health, addiction, and trauma-informed care. In recovery since 1987 from substance use disorder, domestic violence, and later workaholism, anxiety, and cancer, she brings both lived and professional experience to her work. Dawn is also a Certified Professional Recovery Coach and a passionate advocate for individualized, holistic recovery paths. She is frequently called upon to share her expertise and experience in recovery with diverse audiences—offering insight, humor, compassion, and practical tools for healing and growth.

Dr. Adam Gazzaley obtained an M.D. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, completed Neurology residency at the University of Pennsylvania, and postdoctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at University of California, Berkeley. He is currently the David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco and the Founder & Executive Director of Neuroscape, a translational neuroscience center at UCSF engaged in technology creation and scientific research. At Neuroscape, he leads the design and development of novel brain assessment and cognitive optimization technologies to advance education, wellness, and medicine practices. Neuroscape’s novel approach involves the development of custom-designed, closed-loop video games integrated with the latest advancements in software and hardware (virtual/augmented reality, motion capture, mobile physiological recording devices, transcranial electrical brain stimulation). These technologies are then advanced to rigorous, placebo-controlled research studies that evaluate their impact on cognition, as well as the neural mechanisms of these effects using a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Dr. Gazzaley is co-founder of Akili, a company developing therapeutic video games [On Fast Company’s 2022 list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies] and JAZZ Venture Partners, a venture capital firm investing in experiential technology to improve human performance. He has been a scientific advisor for dozens of companies including Apple, GE, Nielsen, Deloitte, Magic Leap, and the VOID. He was a Science Board member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, and is currently a Board of Trustee, Science Council Member and Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. Dr. Gazzaley has filed multiple patents, notably his invention of the first video game cleared by the FDA as a medical treatment. He has authored over 190 scientific articles and delivered over 760 invited presentations around the world. His research and perspectives have been consistently profiled in high- impact media, such as The New York Times, New York Times Magazine, New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, TIME, Discover, Wired, PBS, NPR, CNN and NBC Nightly News. He wrote and hosted the nationally televised PBS special “The Distracted Mind with Dr. Adam Gazzaley”, and co-authored the 2016 MIT Press book “The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World”, winner of the 2017 PROSE Award in the category of Biomedicine and Neuroscience. Dr. Gazzaley has received many awards and honors, including the 2015 SfN Science Educator Award, the 2020 Global Gaming Citizen Honor and was named in Newsweek's 2021 Inaugural list of America’s Greatest Disruptors.

René Veenstra (1969), Ph.D., is a Full Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Groningen, and a board member of the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS), the Netherlands. His work focuses on the theoretical and empirical elaboration of a social network approach to bullying and victimization and pro- and antisocial behavior. Funding Veenstra has been the Principal Investigator of a personal NWO VICI grant (2015-2021), a fundamental research grant from NWO-PROO on Social networks processes and social development of children and adolescents (2013-2019), and a grant from the Ministry of Education (Onderwijs Bewijs Actieprogramma II) to implement and evaluate the KiVa Antibullying Program in the Netherlands (2010-2015). He is a member of the steering committee of GUTS (Growing Up Together in Society), funded by the Ministry of Science with 22 million euros. This 10-year program (2023-2032) has the ambition to examine optimal opportunities for young people, both for themselves and for the present and future society. His grant total is > 6M€ as PI (plus 30M€ as Co-PI). Ph.D. Supervision Of his Ph.D. students, 27 have successfully completed their dissertations and 10 are in progress. His former Ph.D. students and postdocs have found academic positions and are at the forefront of their fields, as evidenced by the acceptance of their papers in high-impact journals, the grants they have successfully applied for (ERC Consolidator, ERC Starting, VENI, Marie Curie, Rubicon), and the awards they have received (ISSBD Young Scientist Award, NSV Dissertation Prize, Praemium Erasmianum, EARA Young Scholar Award, Alberti Center Early Career Award). More about Ph.D. projects. Data Collection He has a strong track record in data collection. He was data manager (2000-2005) and is now a member of the management team of the longitudinal TRAILS project, which follows a cohort of preadolescents (born around 1990) into adulthood. He received three NWO Investment Medium grants for TRAILS. To date, eight waves of TRAILS have been completed. Another large data collection project that he led was the KiVa project, in which 10.000 children in 400 classes in 100 schools completed online questionnaires. He also contributed to the SNARE, PEAR, and PRIMS data collections. Honors He is an elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities and an elected fellow of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development. He was a visiting professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Turku, Finland (2007-2012). He is Associate Editor of Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: A Peer Relations Journal (2025-now). He previously served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Research on Adolescence (2010-2016). He was the Research Director of the Department of Sociology and the Director of the ICS (2014-2023).

Peter Mintir Amadu is a Clinical Health Psychologist, Lecturer/educator, Researcher and mental health advocate whose work spans academia, clinical service, and community-based mental health interventions in Ghana. A Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Service (MHPSS) champion in the Northern Ghana and Ghana as a whole At the University for Development Studies (UDS), he serves as a Lecturer in the School of Medicine, Department of mental Health where he is actively involved in teaching,student research supervision, and various administrative duties. His academic work or research interest is centered on youth mental health, trauma-informed care, Mental health Literacy and mental health service access. As a researcher he has a number of peer reviewed articles to his credit with a number of ongoing collaborations towards developing empirical evidence for practice, policy and services delivery in the area of mental health. In his clinical role at Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), Peter is a Visiting Clinical Health Psychologist. He provides patient care at the tertiary level by providing expert psychological assessments, therapy, and trauma-informed interventions, enhancing recovery, mental well-being, and holistic health outcomes. He supports mental health service delivery, particularly advocacy and training in trauma, depression, and anxiety management. He also plays a critical role in the clinical supervision and training of intern and practicum psychology students, medical students, nurses, and other allied mental health professionals. Peter is the Founder and Executive Director of Total Life Enhancement Centre Ghana (TOLECGH), where his enjoys the title mental health advocate which he exemplifies through his passion, dedication, commitment and enthusiasm for spreading mental health information for a better understanding. TOLECGH is a pioneering MHPSS organization delivering integrated mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services in Northern Ghana. TOLECGH is the first/premier accredited psychology clinic in Northern Ghana by the Ghana Psychology Council (GPC). TOLECGH’s trilogy (Advocacy, Therapy and Training - ATT) in the mental health ecosystem is innovative towards achieving SDG 3.4;. Under his leadership, TOLECGH leads initiatives with self-developed model (ART-LE/PE) to addressing mental health issues in Context Constrain countries (CCC) in: • Advocacy, through radio, schools, ghettos, prisons, and communities • Therapy and psychological support, for vulnerable populations • Rehabilitation programs, targeting ghetto youth and substance users • Livelihood Empowerment, sharpening the skills of youth for effective engagement • Training and mentorship, for young mental health advocates and professionals Beyond these core roles, Peter contributes to District, Regional and National mental health dialogue through volunteerism, consultancies, trainings, seminars, policy reviews, and partnerships with local and international stakeholders, emphasizing inclusive, and culturally grounded models of mental health care and services.

Dr Michelle Garnett PhD is a clinical psychologist who has specialised in autism for more than 30 years. She founded the specialist Autism clinic Minds & Hearts in 2005 serving as Director for 15 years. Alongside Tony Attwood she co-founded Attwood & Garnett Events to enhance autism awareness and understanding via global trainings and publications. She has co-authored seven books on autism and many peer-reviewed journal articles. She has been an invited keynote speaker and conference presenter internationally for over two decades. Dr Garnett is autistic and has ADHD, late diagnosed.

Prof. Barbara Franke is Professor of Molecular Psychiatry at Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. She is the head of the Department of Medical Neuroscience at Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc) and a member of the Strategy Board of the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. She is an elected fellow of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities, and Academia Europaea, and she was granted knighthood in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. Educated in Giessen (Germany) and Utrecht (The Netherlands), she obtained her PhD in molecular signal-transduction in Utrecht before joining Radboud University. Her research is focused on understanding the genetic contribution to neurodevelopmental psychiatric conditions, especially ADHD and its comorbidities. Beyond gene-finding, she uses complementary approaches (bioinformatics, i-neurons, small animal models, neuroimaging genetics) to map biological pathways from gene to disease. Throughout her career, she formulated her own ambition as contributing to improving healthcare for people with psychiatric conditions. She aims to do so through her work on clarifying the biology of such conditions as well as by bringing together researchers across disciplines to work together on integrating knowledge across multiple levels, from molecular to clinical. She has obtained prestigious grants, including a personal Vici grant from the Dutch Organization of Scientific Research and several interdisciplinary EU consortium grants. She founded and coordinates the International Multicentre persistent ADHD Collaboration (IMpACT) and the ECNP Network ‘ADHD across the Lifespan’, is a co-founder of ENIGMA (the currently largest consortium worldwide on neuroimaging and genetics), and is one of two leaders each of ENIGMA’s ADHD Working Group and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium’s ADHD Working Group. From 2018 to 2023, she was an elected member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Psychiatric Genetics, since 2024, she is a member of the Executive Board of ECNP-Neuroscience Applied. Since 2019, she holds an honorary Adjunct Professorship at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany as well as an honorary Skou Professorship at Aarhus University in Denmark. Barbara Franke has (co-)authored over 550 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Tamara Ventura Wurman is a medically trained psychiatrist recognized by the General Medical Council as a registered specialist in both General Adult Psychiatry and Medical Psychotherapy. In addition, she holds an endorsement in Liaison Psychiatry and has substantial experience in Perinatal Psychiatry. Dr. Ventura Wurman holds both an MSc and a PhD in Psychoanalysis from University College London (UCL), where she is currently an Honorary Research Associate. She also serves as a tutor at the Anna Freud Centre. Originally trained as a medical doctor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile—the top-ranked university in Latin America—Dr. Ventura Wurman graduated with the highest distinction and ranked among the top ten students. She went on to specialize in Psychiatry at the same institution, completing postgraduate diplomas in the Neurobiological and Evolutionary Bases of Psychiatry and in the Theoretical Foundations and Clinical Practice of Psychotherapy. In Chile, Dr. Ventura Wurman worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist, providing both inpatient and outpatient care, with a focus on liaison psychiatry and expert witness evaluations. In 2014, she moved to London to pursue advanced studies at UCL, contribute to psychotherapy research, and work as an honorary psychotherapist at the Camden Psychotherapy Unit. She also completed the Post Foundation Course at the Institute of Psychoanalysis in London. Dr. Ventura Wurman later joined the prestigious Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust for higher training in dual specialties—General Adult Psychiatry and Medical Psychotherapy—after ranking first nationally among applicants and receiving the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Alexander Mezey Prize. During this period, she trained as a Mentalisation-Based Therapy (MBT) practitioner, gained additional experience in Liaison and Perinatal Psychiatry, and began training as a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. Her doctoral research at UCL led to the development of a measure of therapist competence in brief Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT), which is now used in training at the Anna Freud Centre. This work reflects Dr. Ventura Wurman’s dedication to integrating clinical practice with academic research to support meaningful psychological change and improved mental well-being.

Dr Harry Reid is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with subspecialty accreditation in substance misuse and liaison psychiatry. He works as a specialist addiction psychiatrist at the London Psychiatry Clinic and has held senior NHS roles across community, inpatient, and psychotherapy services, including clinical leadership in homelessness and complex trauma pathways. Dr Reid has published on personality disorder, risk management, and barriers to care. He has a strong interest in psychoanalytic theory and is completing further training in group analysis at the Institute of Group Analysis and in Transference-Focused Psychotherapy.

John Hamilton: President and CEO of Liberation Programs, John Hamilton re-joined the organization in 2018, having previously served from 1996-2006. He is nationally recognized as an expert in addiction treatment and prevention, with three decades of experience. John chairs the advisory board for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and serves on the Governor's Alcohol and Drug Policy Council. His extensive background includes leadership roles with the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network and the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD). Throughout his journey with Liz, John has been advancing the understanding of how harm reduction principles can save lives.

Greg Hobelmann, MD, MPH currently serves as a Co CEO of Ashley Addiction Treatment. In this role, he oversees the clinical, medical and nursing staff for both the inpatient and outpatient clinics, in addition to general operations. He previously worked as an interventional pain specialist as well as a staff psychiatrist after completing his psychiatry residency at Johns Hopkins. He completed an anesthesiology residency and pain medicine fellowship at Johns Hopkins in 2006 and has a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His treatment interests include substance use disorder and chronic pain.

Piet Jansen is Managing Director at Yes We Can Youth Clinics, a specialised residential treatment centre for 13-to-25-year-olds suffering from mental health issues, addictions and behavioural problems. Since 2015, Piet has been a driving force in expanding the clinic’s international reach, ensuring every young person and their family receives the exceptional care they deserve. With a background in international affairs and years of global experience in travel, education and consultancy, Piet brings a deep understanding of people and cultures. He also supports the development of Yes We Can’s global professional network, which includes healthcare professionals, educators, schools and support services around the world. This collaborative approach ensures continuity of care and the long-term success of a treatment programme where unconditional acceptance, safety and honesty play a key role.

For more than thirty years, Dr. Dayton has been a leading voice in the fields of trauma healing, addiction recovery and experiential, embodied therapy. A clinical psychologist, licensed creative arts therapist, and certified trainer in psychodrama and sociometry, with a master’s in educational psychology she is a Senior Fellow at The Meadows and the author of over fifteen acclaimed books including Growing Up with Addiction, Treating Adult Children of Relational Trauma, The ACoA Trauma Syndrome, Sociometrics, Emotional Sobriety, Forgiving and Moving On, and Trauma and Addiction.

Her pioneering work integrates psychodrama, sociometry, and nervous system-informed approaches into a cohesive model Relational Trauma Repair (RTR) used by therapists and treatment centers across the world. As a Fellow of the American Society of Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy, she has received their highest honors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Scholar’s Award, President’s Award and Gratitude Award. She also served for eight years as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy. She is on the scientific board of The National Association of Children of Alcoholics, (NACoA). In the addiction’s field, her contributions have been recognized with The Martie Mann Award The Mona Mansell Award and The Ackermann Black Award.

Dr. Dayton’s work is widely respected in both academic and clinical settings, as well as in the public sphere. She has been a guest expert on NBC, CNN, MSNBC, and other national platforms, and is a frequent speaker at leading conferences on trauma, mental health, and recovery.

To learn more about her work, visit www.tiandayton.com.

Jackie began her career in Human Resources and Office Services/Training. She had a strong desire to help others and work with people. Her journey led to a change in industry as she joined Alina Lodge in 2011. Her passion and positive approach focus on providing our guests with specialized clinical services and evidence-based programming. Jackie is passionate about healing with a psycho-spiritual integrative approach. She has a Masters Degree in Clinical Counseling and LCADC, is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, EMDRIA Certified Therapist and Consultant, and is a trained IFS Clinician and Consultant.

Fritzi Horstman is the Founder and Executive Director of Compassion Prison Project (CPP), an organization committed to transforming prisons through compassion, trauma awareness, principles of nonviolence and systemic healing. CPP’s groundbreaking curriculum, Trauma Talks, is currently being implemented in prisons across California, throughout the United States, and internationally, reaching thousands of incarcerated individuals in Colombia, Northern Ireland, New Zealand (and soon Mexico, Australia, Argentina, the UK and Ireland), often with minimal funding but maximum impact. With over 30 years in the film industry, Fritzi is a Grammy-winning producer for HBO’s The Defiant Ones. She also directed the viral short film Step Inside the Circle and the documentary short Veterans Behind Bars. Her deep understanding of childhood trauma, shaped by her own experiences, is at the core of her work. Through film, curriculum, and conversation, Fritzi helps others see that trauma often lies at the heart of incarceration — but healing is possible. Fritzi is also the host of the Compassion in Action podcast, where she has powerful conversations with trauma experts like Gabor Maté, Bruce Perry, Bessel van der Kolk and thought leaders including Joe Dispenza and Michael Singer. The podcast is now reaching over 1 million incarcerated people across the U.S. Her work is guided by a rare combination of strategic vision and deep compassion. Fritzi doesn’t just imagine a better world — she takes action to build it, inside the very systems that have caused the most harm. By bringing trauma awareness, emotional healing, and practical tools for transformation into prisons (and communities), she is helping to reimagine what justice can look like: not as punishment, but as possibility. Her mission is not just about reform, it’s about awakening the human spirit in places where it has long been forgotten.

Tony Duffin is a social policy expert with over 30 years’ experience in public health and harm reduction. From 2005 to 2025, he was CEO of Ana Liffey Drug Project, Ireland’s first harm reduction service (est. 1982), where he led rights-based, person-centred responses to drug use and social support. Tony has worked across frontline outreach, policy reform, and international collaboration—always focused on reducing drug-related harm and improving access to services for people with complex needs. He now works independently with organisations across Europe and beyond. He is Chair of Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, a Trustee of the Harm Reduction International Board, and an Adjunct Teaching Fellow at Trinity College Dublin.

Christopher Paul Jones is a leading therapist, coach, and speaker specializing in phobia, anxiety, and trauma resolution. With over 15 years of experience and extensive training in NLP, CBT, EMDR, EFT, hypnotherapy, and contemporary psychotherapy, he is renowned for helping individuals achieve rapid and lasting change. His integrative approach combines evidence-based techniques with a deep understanding of emotional patterns to support clients in overcoming fear, stress, and personal limitations. Christopher works with a diverse range of clients—including high-profile business leaders, celebrities, and non-profit professionals—through his Harley Street practice and online platforms. As the founder of Christopher Paul Jones Ltd., he is committed to demystifying complex psychological concepts and delivering results-driven interventions that foster genuine transformation. In addition to his clinical work, Christopher is a published author of Face Your Fears (2024) and Face Your Fear of Flying (2021), and has been featured in national media outlets including the BBC, GQ, and The Evening Standard. He regularly leads workshops and speaks at events across the UK, sharing practical tools for emotional wellbeing and personal growth.

I'm a qualified dentist with over 35 years of clinical experience — including long-standing roles in London, Yorkshire, and a period overseas in Antigua. My professional journey led me to focus on holistic healing and addiction recovery, particularly in the area of food addiction. Today, I combine my clinical background with coaching, hypnotherapy, and complementary therapies to support clients in reclaiming their health and rebuilding their lives. I'm the founder of the Recovery Code and the Food Addiction Coach Training Programme, and I’m proud to have trained professionals globally to recognise and support individuals dealing with disordered eating and addiction. I believe recovery is possible — and my mission is to be a catalyst for that change.

A mental health leader with over a decade of experience improving access to care for youth and underserved populations. Proven success leading nonprofit and international mental health programs focused on trauma, equity, and community resilience. Strong record of innovation, partnership-building, and strategic program development in global and domestic contexts. Committed to sustainable solutions that enhance youth mental health outcomes and improve system-level access to care.

With a career spanning five decades, Professor Tony Attwood is one of the world’s foremost specialists on Autism. Currently serving as an adjunct Professor at Griffith University in Queensland, Professor Attwood’s impact has enriched the global understanding of autism. His many books have resonated globally, two of which are now published in over 25 languages

UIrike Schmidt, OBE MD PhD FRCPsych FMedSci FAED, is the Professor of Eating Disorders at King’s College London and a Consultant Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She is also an NIHR Senior Investigator. A key focus of her research is the development of brief scalable interventions. She has led the development of MANTRA, a NICE-recommended psychotherapy and of FREED, a multi-award winning early intervention programme. She has also pioneered the use of novel brain-directed treatments in eating disorders. Ulrike was a member of the NICE Eating Disorders Guidelines development group, chair of the Eating Disorders Section at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and a board member of the Academy for Eating Disorders. She has written some 500 peer-reviewed papers and many other publications.

Highly accomplished and uniquely skilled professional with a career spanning over 10 years in clinical mental health. Proven ability to lead complex game projects from concept to launch, demonstrating expertise in content design, programming, and team management. Concurrently, a licensed clinical social worker with a strong background in therapeutic interventions, crisis management, and promoting well-being. Passionate about leveraging the power of interactive media for positive social impact and mental health advocacy. Seeking to apply interdisciplinary expertise to innovative roles that bridge technology and human well-being.

John Denning is a pioneering technology leader in healthcare and artificial intelligence. He is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Scalable Care. With more than 20 years of experience, he has helped develop some of the most influential digital health platforms, including Epic’s MyChart and Kaiser Permanente’s HealthConnect. He was also part of the team that passed the Turing Test, a landmark achievement in AI. Through Scalable Care and previous ventures like Well Advised, Denning focuses on turning clinical research into practical, AI-powered tools that improve patient care and expand access to effective treatment across diverse communities.

Rev. Daniela Kreher is an accomplished theologian and social researcher with extensive experience in project management, international advocacy, and university teaching. As the Managing Director of the Knowmad Institut, she excels in strategic planning, intercultural communication, and leadership. Daniela has worked with intergovernmental entities, NGOs, and faith-based organizations, and is proficient in Spanish, German, and English. Her work focuses on advancing human dignity and social impact through innovative solutions and research. Member of the Rome Consensus 2.0.

Bishop Martin Díaz is a distinguished theologian and social researcher with a focus on human rights, drug policy, and emerging technologies. As the Executive Director of the Knowmad Institut, he has led numerous projects and published extensively in the Americas and Europe. With extensive international advocacy experience, Martin continues to drive innovation and promote human dignity globally. Member of the Rome Consensus 2.0 Secretariat and One Young World Ambassador.

Dixon Chibanda, is the founder of Friendship Bench. He is a leader in the global conversation to democratize mental health care, published researcher, and author of 'The Friendship Bench: How Fourteen Grandmothers Inspired a Mental Health Revolution'. He is a medical doctor and professor of psychiatry & global mental health at the University of Zimbabwe and The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He is the Director of the African Mental Health Initiative (AMARI) and a founding member of Coalition for Scaling Mental Health. Dixon started the Friendship Bench in Mbare, Zimbabwe, in 2006 and which has since scaled nationwide and has been replicated in over 10 countries. He has been for over a decade a key player in bringing the various stakeholders from health authorities, health professionals, international researchers, and donors together to form successful collaborations. In his role as PI, he has led the team through the rigorous exercise of randomized control trials (RCT), including a randomized controlled trial published in JAMA. In addition, over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications of the program are accessible online. Dixon has explored the intersection of indigenous knowledge and western models of care to develop sustainable interventions in global health. His TED talk has been viewed over 3.2 million times, and the Friendship Bench project has been featured in major media like The PBS News Hour, CBS, New York Times, LA Times, BBC World Service, and more.

Founder and Former Director of the Association Soins Infirmiers et Développement Communautaire-SIDC, which was established in 1987. Elie Aaraj completed his Maitrise degree in Community Health at the St Joseph University, Lebanon after going on to complete BS Nursing at the Lebanese University in 1982. He worked in 2 hospitals in Lebanon, before becoming the Director of the Nurse-Aid Technical School at Hayek Hospital, Beirut. He is the Founding President of the Order of Nurses in Lebanon Council member of the Municipality of Sin El Fil for 2 terms (1998 & 2004) He is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association-MENAHRA, a regional NGO working towards promoting and advocating for harm reduction within the MENA region. President of the Regional/Arab Network Against AIDS-RANAA (2008 – 2018). Mr. Aaraj has undertaken more than ten major pieces of research on HIV, drug use prevention and Harm Reduction and the role of civil society organizations. Mr. Aaraj is currently a member of the Developing Country NGO Delegation (DCNGO) at the Board of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and a member of the advisory board at the faculty of health sciences at Sagesse University. Holder of “Medaille Marcelle Hochar” Award (2005) from the Lebanese Red Cross Nursing Association, the National Rolleston Award (2011) from Harm Reduction International. The “Kim Mo IM” Award for policy innovation and Impact, International Council of Nursing (2019)

Mike Trace has a wide range of experience in the field of drug and alcohol treatment and policy, from direct work with people who use drugs, to senior positions in national government and international agencies. Following a period of 12 years working in and managing projects that provided care and support to the homeless, drug users and offenders, Mike was offered the post of Deputy UK Anti-Drug Co-ordinator (National Drug Czar) in 1997, and held this post until 2002. From 2000 to 2003, he was the Chairman of the European Union drugs agency, the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), and from 2002 to 2003, also held the post of Chief of the Demand Reduction Section at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna. Since leaving his United Nations post, Mike has returned to the UK, and the non-governmental sector. He has combined two leadership roles in the field of drug policy and drug dependence treatment: as Chief Executive of the Forward Trust (www.forwardtrust.org.uk), a large national charity providing care and rehabilitation services to offenders and those struggling with addiction. as Founder and Chairman of the International Drug Policy Consortium (www.idpc.net ), a global network of NGOs with an interest in the promotion of humane and effective drug policies. Mike continues to advise policy makers around the world on social and penal policy.

Dufflyn Lammers is a Certified Professional Coach with a passion for empowering individuals and families in recovery. She is a Certified Arise Interventionist and a Certified Recovery Specialist. Lammers specializes in codependency and sex and love addiction. In her sixteen years of personal recovery, she has been a regular contributor at TheFix.com, the world’s leading resource for addiction and recovery. She has published essays in the L.A Times, Adelaide, Santa Fe Writers Project, Iowa Woman, and more. She is now at work on a memoir. Lammers has worked with the Los Angeles Police Department and with at-risk youth in schools and community centers to facilitate recovery in traumatized and underserved populations. She presents workshops on resilience, identity and attachment at treatment centers and conferences internationally. Her workshops use improv games and creative writing to teach emotional intelligence, communication skills, and recovery skills through the power of play. Originally from Palo Alto, California, she now lives in Paris.

Froma Walsh, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist and is Professor Emerita in the Crown School and Dept. of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago, and Co-Founder/Co-Director, Chicago Center for Family Health. Dr. Walsh is the leading international authority on family & relational resilience, with extensive practice expertise with traumatic loss and complicated bereavement. Her resilience-oriented, systemic practice approach, integrating relational, intergenerational, and socio-cultural influences, helps those who are struggling to find healing and flourish in life beyond loss. Dr. Walsh is a highly regarded speaker and consultant internationally. She is Past President, American Family Therapy Academy; Past Editor, Journal of Marital & Family Therapy; and recipient of many awards for her distinguished contributions to family/relational systemic theory, research, and practice. With over 120 publications, her noted professional books are Strengthening Family Resilience (3rd ed.) and Complex & Traumatic Loss: Fostering Healing and Resilience (2023).

Molly Baldwin is the founder and CEO of Roca. A graduate of UMass Amherst, Molly began her career as a youth worker and community organizer before founding Roca in 1988. Roca relentlessly supports 1,600+ young adults at the center of urban violence each year in Massachusetts, Hartford, CT and in Baltimore, MD. Additionally, the Roca Impact Institute equips community-based violence intervention (CVI) programs, juvenile and young adult justice agencies, and law enforcement with tools and strategies to reduce violence and improve outcomes for young people. Roca is recognized as one of the most effective violence interventions in the nation, having helped 25,000+ young people make profound changes in their lives. Molly holds a master’s degree in Education from Lesley University and honorary Ph.D. degrees from Salem State University, Lesley University and James Williams College. She was a 2020 recipient of the prestigious Heinz Award in the Human Condition category.

A mental health leader with over a decade of experience improving access to care for youth and underserved populations. Proven success leading nonprofit and international mental health programs focused on trauma, equity, and community resilience. Strong record of innovation, partnership-building, and strategic program development in global and domestic contexts. Committed to sustainable solutions that enhance youth mental health outcomes and improve system-level access to care.

Dr. Alec Miller is a clinical psychologist, trainer, researcher, treatment developer and disseminator of evidence-based interventions to clinical settings, schools and organizations worldwide. He is currently Co-Founder and Co-Director of Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants (CBC) in White Plains and New York City, NY. He is also a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. Presently, Dr. Miller also serves as the President of the Access Psychology Foundation (APF), a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to overcome mental health disparities among historically under-represented populations by increasing access to evidence-based prevention, treatment, education and training. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and his doctorate in clinical psychology from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University. He is the co-author of the leading textbooks and treatment manuals of DBT for adolescents in clinical and school settings. He is a DBT-LBC Certified Clinician as well as the Director of a DBT-LBC Certified DBT Program in New York.

Liz Evans: An internationally recognized expert in harm reduction with over 30 years of experience, Liz Evans began her career as a nurse in a low-income community, addressing the complex needs of individuals frequently cycling through emergency departments. Hired by a grassroots non-profit, she managed a residential hotel, developing an inclusive organization providing housing, food, medical care, banking, dental care, detox and treatment, jobs, and social programs, serving 8,000 people daily. Liz was instrumental in opening North America’s first supervised injection site, Insite, in 2003, providing life-saving access to care and becoming a model for overdose prevention worldwide. Currently, Liz collaborates with John Hamilton at Liberation Programs in overdose prevention and outreach, engaging high-risk populations and linking them to treatment and support.