The Society of Digital Psychiatry in collaboration with JMIR Mental Health, a peer-reviewed, open access journal published by JMIR Publications, invites you to a webinar titled “Accelerating Mental Health Research for Transformative Breakthroughs.”
The voice of lived experience has gained increased prominence in mental health research. Further, the field has witnessed greater global investment and a breakdown of silos. Yet, headline-grabbing breakthroughs remain elusive. What does the sector need to do to undergo the kinds of advances seen in other health sectors? This is one of the many thought-provoking questions that we intend to delve into during this discussion.
As a funder and advisor for mental health and addiction, Lea Milligan, CEO of MQ Mental Health Research, sets the challenge for bolder decision-making by industry, regulators, and researchers alike to see lives transformed. This discussion will cover the types of research necessary to lead to true breakthroughs, explore how funders approach the field, and review new approach (as well as funding) calls that the community should be aware of.
Date: Thursday, February 29, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM EST
Join us and be a part of this insightful conversation on the future of mental health research.
Panelists:
John Torous, MD, MBI, Cofounder, Society of Digital Psychiatry
Dr Torous is the director of the Digital Psychiatry division in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an affiliated teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, where he also serves as a staff psychiatrist and academic faculty. He has a background in electrical engineering and computer sciences, and he earned his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley before pursuing medical school at UC San Diego. Dr Torous completed his psychiatry residency, fellowship in clinical informatics, and master's degree in biomedical informatics at Harvard University. He actively investigates the potential of mobile mental health technologies for psychiatry and has published over 75 peer-reviewed articles and 5 book chapters on the subject. Dr Torous serves as the editor-in-chief of JMIR Mental Health, leads the American Psychiatric Association's work group on the evaluation of smartphone apps, and is an advisor to the smartphone mood study within the National Institutes of Health’s 1-million-person All of Us research program.
Lea Milligan, CEO, MQ Mental Health Research
Lea Milligan is the CEO of MQ Mental Health Research and chair of the Collective Voice - National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Collective. He is affiliated with the Executive Council of the Association of Medical Research Charities and the UK Government’s Office for Life Science Mental Health Mission Steering Group.
He has 20 years of experience in delivering and commissioning health and education programs, capacity building, and research. His career began with delivering cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and trauma-informed alternative education programs in prison. In 2016, he helped set up the Harvard Center for Global Surgery Evaluation (CGSE) and in 2019 supported the launch of a state-of-the-art hospital ship. In 2020, Lea became CEO of MQ Mental Health Research, a multi-award-winning, global mental health research organization that has invested over £30M (~USD 37M) into research over the last 10 years.