Country base: Kenya

Khira is a Medical Psychologist and Clinical Researcher with extensive experience as a psychiatric practitioner, from community level to major referral hospitals in the country. He is currently working extensively across Kenyan Universities to improve the provision of mental health support services, and is very passionate about changing the mental health narrative globally.

Country base: USA

Erin is a Senior Technical Advisor in Global Health and Nutrition with 15 years experience designing and managing development and research initiatives worldwide. She spearheaded a Ugandan randomized controlled trial on maternal depression and actively led a global Knowledge Sharing Series on caregiver mental health and its connection to health, agriculture and nutrition outcomes.

Country base: India

Raj is Director of Mariwala Health Initiative (MHI) - an organization that works toward a community-based, nation-wide mental health ecosystem. MHI works with civil society, funders, business and government to foreground mental health. With a background in feminist organising, experience of working in Mercy Corps International and in the for-profit field, Raj undertakes strategic thinking, communication and philanthropic outreach.

Country base: Lithuania

Robert van Voren is Chief Executive of the international foundation - Human Rights in Mental Health-FGIP, and Professor at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania and Director of the Andrei Sakharov Research Center. He is an Honorary Fellow of the British Royal College of Psychiatrists and Honorary Member of the Ukrainian Psychiatric Association.

Country base: China

Brian is a clinical psychologist, psychiatric epidemiologist, and Director of the Global and Community Mental Health Research Group, University of Macau, and Associate Faculty, Department of Health Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Inaugural APA-IUPsyS Global Mental Health Fellow of the World Health Organization. He has published over 160 journal articles.

Country base: South Africa

Ms Sunkel is the Founder/ CEO of the Global Mental Health Peer Network. Her work in mental health, advocacy and human rights was inspired by her own lived experience with schizophrenia. She authored several papers from a lived experience perspective and provides technical assistance on several boards and committees.

Country Base: USA

Lian is a young mental health advocate with lived experience working to make sure all people are supported with dignity. As a young leader in the global mental health sector, he has served in an advisory role for a United Nations Special Envoy for Mental Health and serves on international committees hosted by the World Psychiatric Association and The Lancet Commission.

Country base: Lebanon

Brigitte is associate professor and clinical psychologist at the American University of Beirut. She is also a consultant, working with the World Health Organization, other UN bodies and NGOs. She is the founding president of the Lebanese Psychological Association, and the vice president of the Arab Union of Psychology, the President of Division 52 (International), American Psychological Association. Brigitte is also an Executive board member at the International Union of Psychological Science.

Country base: Kenya

Damian Juma is a medical psychologist and mental health advocate from Mombasa, Kenya. He has been involved in several global mental health initiatives, where he strives to elevate the voices of young people. Starting in 2019, he was a Kenyan Representative to My Mind Our Humanity. In this role, he worked with a team to organize events for hundreds of students that brought music, art, dance and story-telling together to tackle stigma and educate about mental health. In 2020, he served on two Advisory Boards, one that he continues to serve on (Healthy Brains Global Initiative). Damian strives to build spaces that are increasingly inclusive and accessible, taking into account the voices that aren't at the table and advocating tirelessly. He stays actively involved with The Lancet Commission and is currently the East Africa Program Director for the International Mental Health Association. In this role, Damian is working to engage young people across five coastal counties in Kenya in the design, implementation and evaluation of a youth-focused mental health capacity building program. Damian's ethics, insight and passion for this field would make him an excellent addition to our Advisory Board.

Country base: Malaysia / Switzerland

Stella is a public health and policy professional, with experience in research, policy advocacy, strategy and project management. She is passionate about global health issues specifically in mental health, public-private partnerships, health security and diplomacy. Stella is experienced in multi-stakeholder engagement with governments, foreign missions, academia, private sectors, and NGOs to implement UN standards in laws and policies concerning public health and gender equality. She holds a Master of Public Health and enjoys music, dance, traveling (put on hold for now) and trying new recipes during her free time. She’s excited about using innovative solutions to address gaps and achieve equitable access to mental health services in low-resource countries.