President
Thyloth Murali (INDIA)
muralithyloth@gmail.com
President elect
Gabriele Rocca (ITALY)
garocca2015@gmail.com
Vice President
Pichet Udomratn (THAILAND)
pudomratn74@gmail.com
Vice President
V.K. Radhakrishnan (INDIA)
vkrcnk@gmail.com
Gen Secretary
Solomon Rataemane (SOUTH AFRICA)
srataema@gmail.com
Dep. Sec. General
Shahid Quraishi (UK)
shahidquraishi@hotmail.com
Treasurer
Mathew Varghese (India)
President
Ricardo Guinea
guinea@rguinea.info
Editor WAPR Bulletin
Marit Borg (NORWAY)
marti.borg@hbv.no
Regional Vicepresidents and Deputies
• Europe •
Europe Reg VP (ITALY)
Antonio Maone
maone@tin.it
Dr. Antonio Maone, psychiatrist, is Director of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Mental Health, Local Health Unit (ASL) Roma 1, Rome, Italy.
He’s Regional Vice-President for Europe of the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR). He’s also Board Member of Mito&Realtà, Italian Association of Psichiatric Residential Facilities and of the Italian Association of Housing for Mental Health (AIRSAM); Past-President of the National Psychiatric Day Care Association; Regional Coordinator of the Italian Society of Psychiatric Epidemiology (SIEP).
He’s member of the Regional Commission for Housing and Mental Health of Latium, and has been Professor of Psychiatric Rehabilitation at “Sapienza” University of Rome 2008/2014.
He has been carrying out since 2003, as teacher, education and training programmes and courses for mental health professional in many areas of Italy.
His main interests are community psychiatry and social inclusion of people with severe and persistent mental illness, with a special emphasis on the recovery approach.
Europe Dep. Reg. VP
Max Lachman (ISRAEL)
lachman55@gmail.com
Europe Dep. Reg. Vp.
Germana Agnetti (ITALY)
agnettig@gmail.com
Europe Dep. Reg. VP
Michael Sadre-Chirazi-Stark (GERMANY)
prof.stark@web.de
Europe Dep. Reg VP
Martin Vargas (Spain)
martinvargas1@gmail.com
Doctor in Medicine (Universidad de Valladolid, Spain), Master in Statistics and Research Methodology in Health Sciences (Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona), Specialist in Psychiatry. Editor of the Journal “Rehabilitación Psicosocial”. Author of 3 books, 15 book chapters, more than 50 research papers and more than 100 communications in scientific meetings. Member of the European Psychiatry Association, Federación Española de Asociaciones de Rehabilitación Psicosocial (FEARP) and several national scientific societies.
Currently: clinical psychiatrist at the Castilla y León Public Health System, Spain, and professor of the Official Master in Psychosocial Rehabilitation at Universitat Jaume I. Member of the “Consejo Técnico de la Estrategia Nacional de Salud Mental” Ministry of Health Government of Spain and member of the board of the Spanish Federation of Psychosocial Rehabilitation (FEARP).
Past activities: Teacher in postgraduate courses in several Universities in Spain. President of the Organizer Committee of the III Congreso FEARP and WAPR European Branch (Valladolid, 2010). President of the Clinical Neuroscience Section of Asociación Española de Neuropsiquiatría (2011-2016). Head of Service of Psychiatry and Head of the Research Unit at Complejo Asistencial de Segovia (2012-2017).
Area of main interest: psychosocial rehabilitation, schizophrenia, philosophy of psychiatry.
• Africa •
Africa Reg. VP
Monique Mucheru (KENYA)
monique.mucheru@gmail.com
Africa Dep. Reg VP
David M. Ndetei (Kenya)
davidndetei@amhf.or.ke
David M. Ndetei: MB.Ch.B., DPM, MRC.Psych., FRCPsych., M.D., DSc. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Nairobi, Kenya and the founder and Director of the Africa Mental Health Foundation (AMHF) – a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to research for evidence-based policy and practice in mental health, and promotion of neurological health and healthy behaviour. His passion is research to generate evidence for policy and best practice in the provision of affordable, appropriate, available and accessible mental health services for all.
He has served as the PI or Co-I for most Kenyan published clinical and community epidemiological studies on mental health and substance abuse which are the basis for practice in Kenya. Through these studies, he have worked with organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and had opportunities for collaboration with various individuals and institutions around the world and across disciplines. In addition, he have over 300 publications on various aspects of mental health and authored 6 books and 21 monographs (the list is available to the public on AMHF website). He is the Director, World Psychiatric Association Collaborating Centre for Research and Training, AMHF, Nairobi, Kenya; Distinguished International Fellow, American Psychiatric Association; Hon. Member World Psychiatric Association; World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Zone 14 Representative; Ag. Chairman, Africa Division, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK; Faculty and Collaborator, The Chester M. Pierce, MD Division of Global Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Faculty, Western University Canada, GLOBAL MINDS Institute; Member, Kenya Psychiatric Association and Member, Kenya Medical Research Institute National Ethical Research Committee. AMHF website: www.africamentalhealthfoundation.org
Africa Dep. Reg VP
Peter Yaro (Ghana)
peter.yaro@basicneeds.org
Peter Badimak, YARO is the Executive Director of BasicNeeds-Ghana. A development worker of sixteen years of experience, Peter is a leading mental health advocate in Ghana. Peter has been working in BasicNeeds, a leading mental health and development organisation over the last fourteen years now. Peter has dedicated his work efforts to improving the situation of women and men, girls and boys with mental disorders, the primary carers, families and communities. He has worked to promote mental health and increasing access to community-based integrated mental health care services, means to secure livelihoods for affected persons, increasing public awareness and influencing policies and practices by the implementation of the model for mental health and development of BasicNeeds. This has also ensured a means to secure livelihoods for stabilised people with mental disorders and their carer-givers, and influencing public officials and institutions to be attentive to mental health issues and responsive to the voice of poor and vulnerable people with mental disorders in Ghana. Peter was and continues to be active in advocacy and in activities relating to the implementation of the provisions of the Mental Health Law of Ghana and in programming for scale-up of community-oriented mental health services, mobilising and empowering service users and care-givers’ support groups and on general human rights issues. Peter is a dynamic individual who works well with others in multidisciplinary, multicultural, and multi-religious contexts. His ambition is to see the poorest and vulnerable live in dignity and be active members of their families and communities. He is a convener of the Ghana Chapter of the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR).
Africa Dep. Reg VP
Prof. Markos Tesfaye (Ethiopia)
tesmarkos@yahoo.com
• America •
America Reg VP
Pedro Delgado (Brazil)
pedrogabrieldelgado@gmail.com
America Dep. Reg VP
Anel García (Mexico)
ma_anel@yahoo.com.mx
America Dep. Reg VP
Alexander Sandy Smith
asmith@csac-vt.org
Alexander Smith has been a community mental health service provider and administrator working in the state of Vermont in the USA for over 30 years. He has been with the Community Rehabilitation and Treatment Program (CRT) of the Counseling Service of Addison County (CSAC) since 1988, and has been Director of that program since 2002.
The CRT program at CSAC has worked from a multidisciplinary outreach team approach emphasizing flexible relationship based person centered services since the late 1980’s. In 2012 the program initiated a project applying the Finnish model of Open Dialogue which has had a significant further impact on their work. Mr. Smith has helped organize regional annual meetings and conferences in the US around applications of dialogic network approaches. He has presented regionally, nationally and at the most recent WAPR World Congress about implementation of dialogic network practices within community mental health service systems as informed by CSAC’s experiences. Other areas of professional interest include CBT and mindfulness based approaches for treating severe mental health conditions, practices that emphasize the subjective aspects of recovery, and engaging in an international level of inquiry into promising practices and understandings of mental health conditions. He first came to know of the scope WAPR’s network when he attended the conference in Milan in 2012. He currently serves on the WAPR Board as Deputy Vice President for the Americas.
(1 Post Vacant)
• Eastern Mediterranean •
Eastern Mediterranean Reg VP
Nasar Sayeed Khan (Pakistan)
nasarsayeed@yahoo.com
Dr Khan is working as professor of adult psychiatry in a tertiary care center in Pakistan he is also president elect of Pakistan psychiatric society for the term of 2015-2017. He has published more than 50 in national and international journals. His main interest is teaching, training and research with special interest in mental health advocacy, schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder. He is the teacher and the trainer in the leading universities of Pakistan and also in the editorial board of international journal of mental health JPPS, and Esculapio. He is an active member of AMBT, APA, EPA, WPA and WAPR.
Eastern Mediterranean Dep. Reg VP
Hanan Ghadiry (EGYPT)
hanan.ghadiry@yahoo.com
Eastern Mediterranean Dep. Reg VP
Samya Mohammed Al Mamari (UAE)
Samya.almamari@nrc.ae
(1 Post Vacant)
• South East Asia •
South East Asia Dep. Reg VP
Abu Bakar Kadir (Malaysia)
akzak82@gmail.com
Graduated as a medical doctor in 1983 and then as a psychiatrist in 1991. He is now working as a psychiatrist in a private hospital.
He has special interest in Community and Liaison Psychiatry and has developed community-based services in several areas in Malaysia.
Interest include evidence based rehabilitation in psychiatry especially supported employment and working with families, implementing recovery-oriented services. He is advisor to the National Family Support Group Association as well as The National Peer Support Group Association.
America Dep. Reg VP
Nirosha Mendis (Sri Lanka)
niroshamendis@yahoo.es
South East Asia Dep. Reg VP.
Golam Rabbani (B’Desh)
rabbanigolam33@gmail.com
Department of Social Services Level-10, E-8/B-1, Agargaon Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka Mobile: +8801711525343, +8801552352107.
Chairperson Neuro Developmental Disability Protection Trust Ministry of Social Welfare,Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh President Bangladesh association of Psychiatrists.
South East Asia Reg VP
Kamonnet Wannasework (Thailand)
• Western Pacific •
Western Pacific Reg VP
Eva Teng (Taiwan)
evateng73@gmail.com
Western Pacific Reg VP
(1 Post Vacant)
Western Pacific Reg VP
(1 Post Vacant)
Western Pacific Dep. Reg VP
JongGook Lee (Korea)
jonggooklee@gmail.com
Western Pacific Dep. Reg VP
(1 Post Vacant)
Western Pacific Dep. Reg VP
(1 Post Vacant)
Board members
Western Pacific. Reg VP
Harry Minas (Australia) h.minas@unimelb.edu.au
Head of the Global and Cultural Mental Health Unit, Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population Health, and Director of the Melbourne Refugee Studies Program, at the University of Melbourne. He has been active in research, teaching and service development in transcultural and refugee mental health, international mental health systems development, and human rights, disability and mental health. He is Co-Director of a WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health and Substance abuse, a member of the WHO Director-General’s International Expert Panel on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Mental Health Systems.
Esko Hanninen
Finland
hanninen.esko@gmail.com
Khalid A Mufti
Pakistan
kamufti2001@gmail.com
Former Professor and Head of Department of Psychiatry ,and Principal /Dean, Khyber Medical College Peshawar, Pakistan
Took an initiative way back in 1983 in mobilizing the community resources against drug abuse though numerous seminar, conference, workshop, community groups and NGO activities creating great social awareness among the policy makers, administrators and masses through media (Radio, TV and Newspapers)
Founder of Horizon NGO (http://horizon.org.pk/), Horizon implemented Green December Moment, received International recognition in 1980’s Later on upgraded NGO.
Pioneering efforts in the identification, treatment/ rehabilitation of psychiatric problems in Afghan Refugees in 1980s
The Pak Red Crescent Society has given special award in 1986 and gold medal for efforts against drug abuse in 1986, 87 and 99.
In the post September 11 period delivered psychiatric services through undertaking a tiring journey inside Afghanistan in collaboration with two UN NGOs, while successfully delivered a number of training courses to health workers in Kabul and Jalal Abad
President Pakistan Psychiatric Society in year 2003.
Edited and contributed in a book Psychiatry, Religion and Spirituality.
Awarded Fellowship by The Royal College of Psychiatrist UK in 1989.
International Distinguished Fellowship Award in may 2012 by American Psychiatric Association
Former Chair South Asian Division of The Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK.
Board Member Eastern Pacific Region in The World Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation.
Representative WPA ZONE 15.
Organized the 50 years Golden Jubilee celebration of Khyber Medical College Peshawar Pakistan in Dec 2004 This historic event was inaugurated by The President of Pakistan
Demonstrated services for disaster victims of Earthquake 2005, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Swat and North Waziristan, flood affectees and the victims of terrorism. Recent most is establishing the relief service for the affectees children and families of Army Public School Disaster as an aftermath of terrorism.
Michaela Amering
Austria
michaela.amering@meduniwien.ac.at
Michaela Amering is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical University of Vienna, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Social Psychiatry, with a focus of interest on psychosis, and the development of the families` and the users` movements. Her experience also includes work in community psychiatry and research in the UK and USA as well as engagement in international organisations such as WPA, EPA, WASP and WAPR, where she co-chairs a Task Force on Ethics and Human Rights. The Task Force works towards understanding and participating in shaping the effects of the UN-CRPD in different countries and internationally, essentially including discussions and collaborations between users/ex-users/survivors, family and friends and mental health and legal professionals towards the improvement of mental health care and the fight against discrimination.
Ravi Shankar Rao
India
rsrao@hotmail.com
Paola Carozza
Italy
paola.carozza@uni.net
Victoria Huehn
Canada
vhuehn@fcmhas.ca
Vicky is currently the CEO of Psychosocial Rehabilitation / Réadaptation Psychosociale Canada (PSR/RPS Canada), a national organization comprised of organizations and individuals dedicated to recovery-based services using the principles of psychosocial rehabilitation. In June 2016, the Certified PSR Recovery Practitioner roster was launched by PSR/RPS Canada.
From 1982 – 2015 she was the CEO/President of Frontenac Community Mental Health and Addiction Services (FCMHAS). She developed the agency from a single service of supportive affordable housing as its sole volunteer to a complex, multifarious organization which includes a variety of intensive services with over two hundred staff members serving 3,000 clients.
Under her guidance, FCMHAS received the Service of Excellence in 2007 from the Ontario Non-profit Housing Association.
She holds an honours degree in psychology and a Master of Public Administration. She is involved in federal, provincial and local initiatives of service development and planning including the Mental Health Commission of Canada. She sat on the Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care’s Advisory Committee for the development of the ten-year Mental Health and Addictions Strategy. She was the co-lead of the national study on housing with supports – Turning the Key – a report of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). She spent five years on the Service Systems Advisory Committee of the MHCC.
She has been given the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal by the City of Kingston and the Rotary Cub Paul Harris Fellow award for her work. She is a Certified Health Executive.
Vicky is passionate and committed to strength-based recovery practices provided with dignity, respect and inclusion.

Rita Roncone
Italy
rita.roncone@cc.univaq.it
Full Professor of Psichiatry, University of Aquila
Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, Unit of Psychiatry
Rita Roncone is Full Professor of Psychiatry, University of L’Aquila, Italy. She is in the board of the WAPR-Italian branch. Since academic year 2001-02 she is President of the L’Aquila University Degree Course on Psychiatric Rehabilitation (Health Professions Course) and Member of the Italian national Board of Health Professions Degree Courses. She was elected as National President of the Italian Society of Psychosocial Rehabilitation (2008 – 2011). Her clinical work is based on early interventions and in family psychoeducational treatments. She is author of more than 100 scientific publications, mostly dealing with the psychosocial treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Ida Kosza
Hungary
kosza@galfi.hu
Francisco Sardina Ventosa
Spain
fsardina@fundacionmanantial.org
Mr. Sardina, with a background as a father of a person with MHD, has been the President of Manantial Foundation for 19 years. Manantial Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by family associations whose goals are: performing legal support for persons deprived of their legal act capacity by a judgment; managing a social care resources network in connection to the public MHS; running several economical activities to employ people with MHD (> 200); and advocating for people with MHD in criminal and prison setting. It promotes as well prevention initiatives, early care intervention, and awareness to facilitate their inclusion in society.
Alberto Fergusson
afergusson@selfrehabilitation.org
Marianne Farkas
USA
mfarkas@bu.edu
Eastern Mediterranean Reg VP
Medhat Elsabbahy (UAE)
medhatelsabbahy@gmail.com
He is Consultant Psychiatrist and head of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Community psychiatry department at BSP, SKMC, Abu Dhabi, UAE. He graduated from Ain Shams University Faculty of Medicine in 1986 with a Bachelor’s of Medical Sciences and Surgery, 1992 he attained Masters in Neurology and Psychiatry and 2004 he attained the Medical Doctorate of Psychiatry. He finalized Arab board of Psychiatry from Arab Medical Specialization Council 1999. He is an International Fellow of APA (IFAPA) and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
G.M.C. University. He is member of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA) International Committee, and member of the Advisory Council of the PRA academy. He is the Head of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Division of the Arab Federation of Psychiatrists. He was Regional Vice President , Eastern Mediterranean Region ,WORLD ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL REHABILITATION from November 2015 till July 2018. Currently he is a Board member of WAPR. He worked with teams in UAE , NRC , SEHA , and Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau to host the 2021 WAPR World Congress in Abu Dhabi .
Representatives of families
Manale Elewah
Egypt
melewah@gmail.com
Christine Lingjærde
Norway
In Norway the national association of patient families is called LPP Norway, which stands for “Landsforeningen for pårørende innen psykisk helse”. LPP Norway works for same goals as WAPR but with a more specific focus on the relatives’situation and rights. Since 20011, I have been the elected chairman of the local LPPs board and since 2013 a board member of WAPR Norway. However my main position is regional manager for languages at the Institute of Adult Education at the regional office in Bergen (Folkeuniversitetet Vestlandet). Being a philologist and an administrator has helped me a great deal in my LPP tasks.
Representatives of voluntary organisations
S Imran Murtaza
Pakistan
imranpkk@hotmail.com
(1 Post Vacant)
Representatives of consumers
Magdalena Krossgåt
Norway
magdalena.krossgatt@nav.no

Guadalupe Morales Cano
Spain
gm@mundobipolar.org
- Journalist, have worked in national tv channels during 15 years. Especially in the News in the International Section.Board Member of Mental Health Europe, last General Assemby in April 2015,member of MHE since 2007. Teaching positions at University of California, Davis, Universidad Europea, Madrid. At present teach at Universidad Jaume I, Valencia. Master of Psycosocial Professor at Universitá Jaume I Castellón. Spain. Master in Psycosocial Rehabilitación. Subject: Stigma and Mass Media. Coordinator of courses: training for trainers by peers to peers in mental health. After 8 times in psychiatric institutions since I was 18 years old where I suffered torture, and loosing my job, due to discrimination in 2002, I decided to create a website with an very active forum, to learn how deal with a mental health problem. This was a real and pioneer of peers to peers healing. In 2004 I was the founder and Director of Fundación Mundo Bipolar (2004), which is a non-profit National NGO for people with experience in sufferness because mental health disorders. Very intense activity in Spain and in the Europe Union. I´m member of the National Strategic Plan in Mental Health of Spain.Coordinator of Courses for pofessionals, for example: Emergencies in Mental Health, validated. Students of Medicine, Social Workers and Psychologists in Universities. Deputy Chair (European Network of (ex) users and survivors of Psychiatry since 2014. Member since 2010.
Liaison to UN and its agencies
Tae-Yeon Hwang.
Korea
lilymh@gmail.com
Marina Economou
Greece
meconomou@otenet.gr
Past presidents
Oliver Wilson
olly_wilson@btinternet.com
Jacques Dubuis
jacques.dubuis@wanadoo.fr
Martin Gittelman
martin.gittelman@nyumc.org
Benedetto Saraceno
benedetto.saraceno@gmail.com
Michael Madianos
madianos@nurs.uoa.gr
M Parameshvara Deva
parameshvara24@yahoo.com
Lourdes Ladrido ignacio
lladridoignacio@gmail.com
Zebulon Taintor
taintz01@med.nyu.edu
Angelo Barbato
angelo.barbato@marionegri.it
Afzal Javed
afzal.javed@ntlworld.com
Dr. Afzal Javed is a Consultant Psychiatrist at NHS & is an Honorary Clinical Associate Teacher at Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick UK. He also holds the honorary position of Chairman Pakistan Psychiatric Research Centre, Fountain House, Lahore (Pakistan).
He graduated from King Edward Medical College Lahore, Pakistan and received higher specialised training in Psychiatry from Pakistan and UK (from Royal Edinburgh Hospital, University of Edinburgh and Institute of Psychiatry & Maudsley Hospital London).
He has served the UK Royal College of Psychiatrists as Deputy / Associate Registrar, member Board of International Affairs of the College, Chairman of West Midlands Division of the College & one of the lead College office bearers for SAS doctors & Patients & Carers groups. He was also elected as executive committee member of the College Faculty of Rehabilitation and Social Psychiatry & represents the faculty at Education and Training Committee of the College.
His role in international psychiatry is highlighted by his involvement with a number of professional organisations. He is currently working as:
- President Elect World Psychiatric Association (WPA)
- President Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations (AFPA)
- Past President World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR)
- Immediate Past Executive Secretary for Sections World Psychiatric Association (WPA)
- Advisor & Founder Secretary General of South Asian Forum on Mental Health & Psychiatry (SAF)
- Advisor SAARC Psychiatric Federation (SPF)
- Founding Secretary General Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations (AFPA)
- Immediate Past Co Chairman / Founder office Bearers WPA Section on Psychiatry in Developing Countries
- Chairman Pakistan Psychiatric Research Centre, Fountain House, Lahore, Pakistan
His areas of special interest are Psychosocial Rehabilitation, Social and Transcultural Psychiatry and Psychiatric Research. His academic skills have been invaluable when publishing more than 110 scientific papers and being author of six books/monographs on different topics of psychiatry. He is currently involved in a number of projects on Schizophrenia and is completing audits in different clinical aspects of long term management of chronic mentally ill in the community.
Gaston Harnois
gaston.harnois@douglas.mcgill.ca