Our Leadership
WFP Executive Board:
Professor César A. Alfonso, M.D.
President
Bio and Contact Information
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University
Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Universitas Indonesia
Visiting Professor of Psychiatry, National University of Malaysia
Vising Professor of Psychiatry, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand
Editor-in-Chief, Psychodynamic Psychiatry
251 Central Park West, Suite #1-A
New York, NY 10024, USA
Office and Mobile: +1 917 496 7614
E-Mail 1: cesaralfonso@mac.com
E-mail 2: caa2105@cumc.coilumbia.edu
Website: www.cesaralfonsomd.com
Professor Dilip Jeste, M.D.
President-Elect
Bio and Contact Information
Professor Dilip Jeste, M.D.
President- Elect
Director, Global Research Network on Social Determinants of Mental Health
Former Senior Associate Dean of Healthy Aging and Senior Care, and
Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences,
University of California San Diego
Past President, American Psychiatric Association
Editor-in-Chief, International Psychogeriatrics
7258 Carrizo Drive, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA.
Phone: +1-858 456 0816
Website: www.DilipJesteMD.com
Email address: DilipVJeste@gmail.com
Alma L. Jimenez, M.D.
Secretary General
Bio and Contact Information
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of the Philippines
Past President, Philippine Psychiatric Association
Chairperson, Philippines Regional Branch of the World Association for Dynamic Psychiatry
Consultant, Institute of Neurosciences,
St. Luke’s Medical Center Quezon City, Philippines
St. Luke’s Medical Center,
279 E. Rodriguez Ave.,
Quezon City, Philippines 1102
+63 918 912 4080 (mobile)
Professor hon François Ferrero, M.D.
Treasurer
Bio and Contact Information
Chemin de la Montagne 67
1224 Chêne-Bougeries, Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: +41 78 608 24 06
E-mail: francois.ferrero@unige.ch
Professor Driss Moussaoui, M.D.
Advisor: Past President of WFP
Bio and Contact Information
350 Lotissement Nawrass
Dar Bouazza 27223 Casablanca, Morocco
Phone: +212-661-15 19 46
E-mail: drissm49@gmail.com
Professor Norman Sartorius, M.D., Ph.D.
Advisor: Past President of WPA
Bio and Contact Information
President, Action for Mental Health
Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes (AMH)
Past President of WPA
20 chemin Colladon 1209 Geneva Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 788 23 31
E-mail: sartorius@normansartorius.com
Professor Ulrich Schnyder, M.D.
Advisor: Past President of WFP
Bio and Contact Information
University of Zurich
Niederdorfstrasse 18
8001 Zurich
Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0)79 203 42 58
E-mail: ulrich.schnyder@uzh.ch
Lydia Kurk
Secretariat
Bio and Contact Information
WFP Council Members | 2023-2026:
Asher Aladjem
New York, USA
Bio and Contact Information
Asher Aladjem
New York, USA
Dr. Aladjem is Chair of the Ethics Committee at Bellevue Hospital and Chief Psychiatrist of the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT). He is one of the founders of the Bellevue PSOT, which provides comprehensive medical, psychiatric, legal, and psychosocial services to displaced and traumatized persons seeking asylum. Dr Aladjem is also Medical Director of Psychosocial Services at the Perlmutter Cancer Center of New York University, where he serves as Associate Professor of Psychiatry. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Liaison Psychiatry for his pioneering contributions to the field of Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry.
Muhammad Sohail Ali
New York, USA
Bio and Contact Information
Muhammad Sohail Ali
New York, USA
Dr. Muhammad Sohail Ali is the Chief of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security Critical Incident Stress Management Unit (UNDSS-CISMU). Dr. Sohail Ali has degrees in medicine, psychiatry, community mental health, public health, and disaster management. He has over two decades of experience including sixteen years in the United Nations He covered natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, man-made disasters such as insurgency and terrorism, and conducted more than 200 workshops and training programs, training more than 3000 UN staff in Pakistan, Afghanistan, UNHQ New York, East Timor, Hungary, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya.
Maria Ammon
Berlin, Germany
Bio and Contact Information
Maria Ammon
Berlin, Germany
Professor Maria Ammon is psychoanalyst and psychotherapist, group psychotherapist, and training and supervising psychoanalyst. She is Scientific Head and Head of Education for the psychoanalytic training of psychologists and psychotherapists at the Berliner Lehr- und Forschungsinstitut der Deutschen Akademie für Psychoanalyse (DAP). She served as the Therapeutic Managing Director of the Dynamic-Psychiatric Hospital Menterschwaige, in Munich for more than 30 years. She is the President of the German Academy for Psychoanalysis (DAP), and Secretary General of the World Association for Dynamic Psychiatry (WADP).
Vincenzo Di Nicola
Montreal, Canada
Bio and Contact Information
Vincenzo Di Nicola
Montreal, Canada
Professor Di Nicola trained as a psychologist, child psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and philosopher. He practices and teaches in Montreal, Quebec, and consults internationally as a visiting professor, educator, and specialist in the areas of child and family psychiatry, trauma, and social and cultural psychiatry. Di Nicola is Tenured Professor of Psychiatry, University of Montreal, Canada; Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington University, USA; Honorary Professor of Psychology & Law, FADOM, Brazil; Honorary Chair & Professor of Social Psychiatry, Milan School of Medicine, Ambrosiana University, Italy. He is Founder & President, Canadian Association of Social Psychiatry (CASP), and President of the World Association of Social Psychiatry (WASP).
Behrouz Dolatshahi
Tehran, Iran
Bio and Contact Information
Behrouz Dolatshahi
Tehran, Iran
Dr. Dolatshahi is an academic researcher, educator, and clinician. He serves as the President of the Iranian Psychotherapy Association. He is Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology, School of Behavioral Sciences of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences in Iran.
nsultation and Liaison Psychiatry.
Bruno Falissard
Paris, France
Bio and Contact Information
Bruno Falissard
Paris, France
Professor Falissard is a French mathematician, psychiatrist and academic. He is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Professor in Biostatistics, and the Head of L’Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) in France. He is a Past-President of the International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP) and a Member of the French Academy of Medicine.
Gerhard P. Grobler
Tshwane, South Africa
Bio and Contact Information
Gerhard P. Grobler
Tshwane, South Africa
Gerhard Grobler is Adjunct Professor at the University of Pretoria and Head of the Clinical Unit: Psychiatry at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Tshwane, South Africa. His clinical work comprises mainly of treating adults requiring acute psychiatric care. He is also involved in the gender affirming service of the hospital. He teaches undergraduate medical and post graduate students in psychiatry. His field of research includes transgender care and human rights of mental healthcare users. He is a Past President of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP).
Kirsten Hauber
The Hague, The Netherlands
Bio and Contact Information
Kirsten Hauber
The Hague, The Netherlands
Kirsten Hauber is a Psychotherapist and Supervisor in private practice in the Netherlands. She is Associate professor Curium-LUMC, and Professor RINO Utrecht and Amsterdam. She is a Board Member and chair of Dutch Association of Psychotherapy (NVP). She is a member of the Dutch EMDR Association (VEN) and of the Dutch Association for Group Therapy (NVGP).
Gabriel Ivbijaro
London, UK
Bio and Contact Information
Gabriel Ivbijaro
London, UK
Professor Ivbijaro is Visiting Professor of Population Mental Health, NOVA University in Lisbon, Portugal. He is Honorary Visiting Fellow, Bradford University School of Management, UK; Medical Director, The Wood Street Health Centre, London, UK; Secretary General World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH); and President of The World Dignity Project. Professor Ivbijaro is an international leader in Primary Care Mental Health and specialist in integrated care with expertise in service re-design.
Petrin Redayani Lukman
Jakarta, Indonesia
Bio and Contact Information
Petrin Redayani Lukman
Jakarta, Indonesia
Petrin Redayani Lukman is Chair of the Psychotherapy Section of Indonesian Psychiatric Association since 2017. She works in the Psychotherapy Division of Department of Psychiatry in the Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia. She is a Board Member of Psychoanalysis in Psychiatry Section of the World Psychiatric Association, and a Psychiatric Fellow of The American Academy of Psychodynamic Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis. She serves as the Chair of the Indonesian Branch of World Association for Dynamic Psychiatry.
Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu
Kampala, Uganda
Bio and Contact Information
Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu
Kampala, Uganda
Dr. Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Makerere University, Uganda, focusing on culturally appropriate psychotherapy for HIV patients with depression. She developed a cost-effective group support psychotherapy program, improving medication adherence and viral suppression. Recognized internationally, she received the 2016 Elsevier Foundation Award, a National Independence Medal of Honor, and was featured on BBC’s 100 Most Inspiring and Influential Women in 2020. Dr. Nakimuli-Mpungu holds a medical degree, Master of Medicine in Psychiatry, and a doctorate psychiatric epidemiology. She serves on the Board of the WPA Psychotherapy Section.
Helene Nissen-Lie
Oslo, Norway
Bio and Contact Information
Helene Nissen-Lie
Oslo, Norway
h.a.nissen-lie@psykologi.uio.no
Helene A. Nissen-Lie is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oslo and a specialist in Clinical Psychology (Norwegian Association of Psychologists). She has authored a range of scientific articles and book chapters in clinical psychology and psychotherapy research. She is a member of the World Federation for Psychotherapy Research Committee.
Hamid Peseschkian
Wiesbaden, Germany
Bio and Contact Information
Hamid Peseschkian
Wiesbaden, Germany
Dr. Peseschkian is the President of the World Association for Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy (WAPP). He is Board-certified in psychiatry, neurology, and psychotherapy. He is an International Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He serves as the Director of the Wiesbaden Academy of Psychotherapy, Head of its Psychotherapy Residency Program, and Medical Director of the Wiesbaden Psychotherapy Clinic.
Christoph Pieh
Krems, Austria
Bio and Contact Information
Christoph Pieh
Krems, Austria
christoph.pieh@donau-uni.ac.at
Professor Pieh is the Head of the Department of Psychotherapy and Biopsychosocial Health at the Danube University in Krems, Austria since 2016. He is Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. univ., Leiter des Departments für Psychotherapie und Biopsychosoziale Gesundheit, Donau-Universitä, and completed his training in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy as well as in Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Regensburg, Germany. He received the Venia Docendi for Psychosomatic Medicine.
Jan Prasko
Czech Republic
Bio and Contact Information
Jan Prasko
Czech Republic
Dr. Prasko is Professor of Psychiatry at the Palacky University Olomouc, Head of the Psychotherapeutic Department of the Psychiatric Clinic at the University Hospital Olomouc, the Czech Republic. He also leads the Psychotherapeutic Department of the Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education in Prague. He is the President of the Czech Psychotherapeutic Association of the Czech Medical Society and served as the President of the European Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
Daniela Polese
Rome, Italy
Bio and Contact Information
Daniela Polese
Rome, Italy
Dr. Polese is a Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, PhD on Sensorineural Plasticity, UOC of Pediatrics, UOD of Childhood Neuropsychiatry. She is affiliated with the Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Organs NESMOS, Sant’Andrea University Hospital, University of Rome Sapienza. Dr. Polese is a Trustee and Psychiatric Fellow of the American Academy of Psychodynamic Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Polese is linked with the Massimo Fagioli Foundation.
Gabriela Rüttimann
Zurich, Swizerland
Bio and Contact Information
Gabriela Rüttimann
Zurich, Swizerland
gabi.ruettimann@psychotherapie.ch
Gabriela Rüttimann, lic. phil., studied psychology at the University of Zurich. She is a federally recognized psychotherapist IKP and offers body-centered psychotherapy and psychological counseling. In the IKP institute she is a member of the executive and professional management. Gabi Rüttimann has presided over the Association of Swiss Psychotherapists (ASP), for a decade.
Nik Ruzyanei Nik Jaafar
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Bio and Contact Information
Nik Ruzyanei Nik Jaafar
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dr. Nik Ruzyanei Nik Jaafar is Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Consultant Psychiatrist and the Deputy Head of Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia (UKM). She obtained her medical degree from University College Dublin, Ireland in 1997 and Doctor of Psychiatry from the National University of Malaysia in 2006. She serves as the head of UKM Doctor of Psychiatry Program, National University of Malaysia Research Ethics Committee and Chairperson of the National University of Malaysia Good Clinical Practice Committee. She is a member of the Malaysian Psychiatric Association Committee.
Norman Sartorius
Geneva, Switzerland
Bio and Contact Information
Norman Sartorius
Geneva, Switzerland
Professor Sartorius holds professorial appointments at several universities in Europe, USA and elsewhere. Now President, Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes and member of the Council of the World Psychiatric Association, he previously served as the Director, Mental Health Programme, World Health Organization and as President, World (and European) Psychiatric Associations. He serves as an Advisor to the WFP Board of Directors.
Ulrich Schnyder
Zurich, Switzerland
Bio and Contact Information
Ulrich Schnyder
Zurich, Switzerland
ulrich.schnyder@uzh.ch
Ulrich Schnyder is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at University of Zurich, Switzerland, and Former Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Zurich. He is Past President of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS), the International Federation for Psychotherapy (IFP), and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS). Prof. Schnyder is the Recipient of the ESTSS Wolter de Loos Award for Distinguished Contribution to Psychotraumatology in Europe, and the ISTSS Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a Past President of the World Federation for Psychotherapy and serves as an Advisor to the Board of Directors.
Jeffery Smith
New York, NY
Bio and Contact Information
Jeffery Smith
New York, USA
Jeffery Steven Smith, MD is a Board Certified Psychiatrist in private practice in New York. He is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at New York Medical College, Leader of the Psychotherapy Caucus of the American Psychiatric Association and President Elect of SEPI, the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration. His career has focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms of therapeutic action and making that knowledge accessible to therapists across schools and orientations. He is author of a textbook of psychotherapy, a biweekly blog, “Howtherapyworks.com” and online teaching aimed at helping today’s psychotherapists understand the infrastructure of all therapies.
Carlos Rodriguez Sutil
Madrid, Spain
Bio and Contact Information
Carlos Rodriguez Sutil
Madrid, Spain
Professor Sutil holds a PhD in Psychology from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid with a thesis on the philosophy of psychology and a degree in Philosophy and Educational Sciences. He is the President of the IPR (Relational Psychotherapy Institute) and a member of IARPP-Spain. He is Professor and Sub director in Master of Relational Psychotherapy (IPR) and Editor in chief of the journal Clinica e Investigación Relacional.
Hachem Tyal
Casablanca, Morocco
Bio and Contact Information
Hachem Tyal
Casablanca, Morocco
Dr. Tyal is a Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst. He is the President of the Moroccan Association of Dynamic Psychiatry. He is the Director of the Clinic Villa des Lilas in Casablanca. He serves on the International Advisory Board of the journal Psychodynamic Psychiatry. He is Honorary President of l’Alternative Fédérative des Associations de Psychiatrie (ALFAPSY) and served on the Board of the Psychoanalysis in Psychiatry Section of the World Psychiatric Association.
![Mark van Ommeren [Observer]](https://wfpsychotherapy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Mark-O.jpg)
Mark van Ommeren [Observer]
World Health Organization
Bio and Contact Information
Mark van Ommeren
World Health Organization
Dr. Mark van Ommeren is Head of the Mental Health Unit within the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use. Much of his work has been inter-agency and focused on initiating and developing humanitarian policy, evidence-based WHO guidelines, scalable psychological interventions, and supporting countries to build back better mental health systems after emergencies. He coordinated the writing of WHO’s World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All. Born and raised in the Netherlands, Mark lived and worked for five years in Nepal and Fiji before joining WHO. He studied at University of British Columbia and at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.