Mental Health and Psychology

Hareli Cecchin is a PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology and Culture Department in University of Brasília (UnB), Master in Regional Development, specialist in Logotherapy and Existential Analysis and graduated in Psychology. She has been a psychologist at the Federal University of Tocantins since 2014. She is a member of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). She has experience in the field of Psychology, with an emphasis on School and Educational Psychology, working mainly on the following topics: suicide prevention, mental health of young people, social vulnerability, and gender.

Chryssa Ekizoglou is working as a freelancer Midwife, M.Sc, Psychologist, B.Sc. and Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) Practitioner. Last decade, she is working for the National Initiative for Breastfeeding Promotion. She is a Ph.D candidate at the Medical School of Athens under the guidance of Prof. Zervas Ioannis (Director of the Women’s Mental Health Clinic). For her dissertation she is working on the applicability of VIG method for parents and children in Greece. In 2022, she published at the Infant Mental Health Journal.

Lilia Parmigiani has her expertise in evaluation and passion in improving the mental health and wellbeing of anyone who is around her. Her willing to find a solution to any situation in life brings her to focus her attention on a prevention systems that can stop any child to develop potential diseases later in life. She has an extensive experience in Life Coaching and in guiding people towards the right direction with every single thought, which lead her to improve her own life, and of her friends and family first. Life Coaching allowed Ms Parmigiani to explore deeper paths into the neural network World and after years of research and learning, she is now ready to collaborate to improve the future of the mental health in the UAE, Italy and Worldwide.

Qiuqi Zhou became a PhD student 3 years ago. During the three years of her doctoral studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University, she has published 3 papers in reputed journals and participated in 4 conferences

Andre Pierre Longino is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He holds two master's degrees; one in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, and the other in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Health Psychology. He is currently a doctoral candidate for a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Health Psychology from Alliant International University. He is interested in Forensic and Neuropsychological Assessments and Evaluations as well as services for the Severe Mental Illness population. He currently provides services in a secure psychiatric facility and performs supervised neuropsychological testing.

Afra Mahmood holds degree of Master of Philosophy in Applied Psychology from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan. She served as Psychologist at Social welfare & Baitul Maal Department Punjab, Pakistan (2017-2020). She currently provides telehealth services as Clinical Therapist in Chicago.

Patricia A. Broderick has completed her PhD from St John’s University, Queens, NY, USA and her postdoctoral studies from The Albert Einstein Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA and Cornell University Medical School, White Plains, NY, USA. Patricia serves as Tenured and Full Medical Professor in the Dept. of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences at the City University of New York School of Medicine and as Director of the Neurobiology Course at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, CUNY School of Medicine, CCNY. A highly recognized expert and prominent editor, author, inventor and lecturer, Patricia has published more than 500 papers in reputed journals and sought after books and she serves as an editorial board member of repute worldwide. Dr. Broderick holds several patents and trademarks and is the Founder and CEO of Eazysense Nanotechnologies Inc.and the Broderick Brain Foundation.

On 2016 March 22th, the national airport and the metro in Brussels were the target of two successive terrorist attacks which killed 35 people and seriously injured hundreds of others. Due to my voluntary commitment near the Maelbeek metro station, I was left out in terms of acute psychosocial relief, since I was not involved in an organization such as fire brigade or police. Research shows that in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, healthcare providers directly involved in the rescue of these victims report a significantly higher psychological impact, defined by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, than those not directly involved. A number of victims and rescue workers exhibit a mixture of PTSD and mild Traumatic Brain Injury, which is a typical trauma-like brain concussion syndrome. Furthermore, unaffiliated volunteers seem to be at higher risk of posttraumatic stress, while professional rescue workers appear to be more protected. As a child psychiatrist in training, I quit my residency after the attack, and started a carreer in occupational medicine. In Brussels, I work with employers and employees who experienced this tragedy. In my presentation I give answers on the following questions: How did they deal with this event? What impact do these terrorist attacks still have, five years later? What are the lessons learned in the field of psychotrauma care in Belgium? And finally, I will tell you my story about the impact of the event in my doctor’s office, for my patients and likewise, for me as a doctor.

Leonard-Zabel is a Full Professor of Psychology and serves as the Psychology Department Coordinator at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts. She owns and operates a private clinic specializing in School Psychology/School Neuropsychology and Clinical Forensic Examining. She holds diplomat and fellow certificates/certifications in Neuropsychology, Forensic Counseling and Examining, Psychotherapy, Autism, Addictions, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Clinical Anxiety, Disability Analysis, Brain-Behavioral International Coaching, Telepractice and in Homeland Security. She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Board of Disability Analysts. Dr. Leonard-Zabel is the recent recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in School Neuropsychology from the American Board of School Neuropsychology. She serves on the Learning Disabilities Worldwide Congress as one of the Board of Directors (LDW). Dr. Leonard-Zabel recently received international awards acknowledging her Keynote addresses encompassing school neuropsychological research on assessment approaches involving Autism Spectrum Disorders, Adolescent Addiction, and Mental Health focusing on the Anxious Brain, Assessment Practices, Learning Differences, Ethics & Law and Traumatic Brain Injury. Dr. Leonard-Zabel was awarded in December 2019 the title of Global Goodwill Ambassador (GGA), representing the USA with the “Humanitarian” designation for her volunteerism both nationally and internationally. Throughout her career at Curry College, she was awarded the Curry College Excellence in Teaching Researcher of the Year Award, Excellence in Teaching with Partnerships & Collaboration Award, Excellence and Research in the Field, and Person of the Year, acknowledging excellence in teaching, mentorship, collegiality, leadership, and community service. Dr. Leonard-Zabel presents nationally and internationally on an ongoing basis.