Istvan Bitter, MD., PhD. DSc. is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. He received board certification in Neurology, Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Clinical Pharmacology. He worked 3 years in Austria as head of CNS Clinical Research of a regional center of a large pharmaceutical company, one year in Germany (as guest physician), and was visiting professor of the New York University and research scientist at Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in the USA for 3 years. He is the past chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Semmelweis University. Dr. Bitter has been actively involved in the work of the European Psychiatric Association and of the ECNP with a primary focus on psychopharmacology. He is member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of ECNP and board member of the Hungarian Brain Research Program (HBRP). He is the current chair of the central Clinical Pharmacological Ethics Committee in Hungary, which evaluates all clinical trial applications (and all requests for their modification) in Hungary. He is the principal investigator/country coordinator of ongoing clinical trials, H2020 funded and other studies. He has authored or co-authored more than 320 publications (incl. books and book chapters) with more than 13000 citations. He is the editor of the currently published book „Managing Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia” (Oxford University Press); the book was translated into Russian.

Silvana Galderisi, MD, PhD, is full professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Emergency Unit of the Department of Mental Health of the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli; Coordinator of the Outpatient Unit for Anxiety and Psychotic Disorders and of the Rehabilitation Program for severe mental disorders of the same Department. She is President of the Italian Society for Psychopathology, Past President of the European Psychiatric Association, Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Ethics of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), and Co-chair of the WPA Working Group “Implementing alternatives to coercion in Mental Health Care”. She is founding member and member of the Board of Directors of the European Group for Research in Schizophrenia, board member of the European Scientific Association on Schizophrenia and other Psychoses and of the Italian Society of Biological Psychiatry. She is Honorary Fellow of the World Psychiatric Association-WPA, Honorary Member of the Polish Psychiatric Association and of the Hungarian Psychiatric Association, International Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, International Advisor of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, and Honorary Fellow of the European Society of Social Psychiatry. Her research activity focuses on Schizophrenia pathophysiology, treatment and outcomes, with particular reference to the domains of negative symptoms and cognition and their impact on psychosocial outcomes. She is an author/coauthor of more than 250 publications, in national and international journals and books, and a member of the Editorial Boards of several international psychiatric journals, Editor in Chief of Schizophrenia Bulletin Open.

Professor Peter Falkai has been working in the field of psychiatry for 30 years. His main research interest is focused on the neurobiology of psychotic disorders, namely schizophrenia. He has been member of various international and German scientific societies, such as the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) and is currently president of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA). Prof. Falkai has been leading multidisciplinary teams of researchers, whose clinical and research expertise focus continuously on the neurobiological origins and pathomorphological aspects as well as on causal treatment options of psychotic disorders. 

Professor Stephan Hjorth has had a long Academic career in preclinical neuropsychopharmacology, starting with his thesis work for Nobel Prize laureate Arvid Carlsson back in 1983. He has published more than 370 scientific reports (papers, abstracts, book chapters). Following a post-doc in Oxford, UK, Stephan has also been full professor of pharmacology at Umeå University, visiting professor at Uppsala University, and affiliated with the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University, Sweden. He was Principal scientist and Project Lead for drug discovery research, i.a., in central appetite control vs. obesity/diabetes/metabolism areas at Astra Zeneca for 12 years. Since 2013 Stephan is an independent pharmacology expert consultant with his own company, providing scientific advice, support and educational services to the Pharma & Life Sciences sector.

MD, PhD is head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Szeged, Hungary since 2014. He is a board member of numerous professional and scientific committees, amongst which the most prominent are the Clinical Neurosciences Board of Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Psychiatry Panel of Hungary, and the Hungarian Psychiatric Association. Based on his interest in Biological Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology, Prof. Kálmán’s 36-year clinical experience has been marked by an outstanding research activity and practice as a professor of psychiatry at the University of Szeged, Hungary. His literary activity is also rich in scientific papers, with no less than 272 published works. Credits for his ongoing research in Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology are represented by awards such as the Developmental Research Award – World Federation of Biological Psychiatry and Innovative Psychopharmacologist Award, respectively. Prof. János Kálmán currently lives in Szeged, Hungary.

Maris Taube has been working for 20 years in public health, public mental health, health economics and health care areas. He has served for ten years as National counterpart at the WHO European Region Mental health programme, for six years as Member of Board at European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drugs Addiction and Member of the European Commission Committee of Alcohol Policy and Action. He has been director of National Health Service for three years (2012-2014) and was responsible for health care financing system in Latvia. Dr Taube takes part in different projects (Co-chair of the NATO Science and Technology Organization Panel of Human Factors and Medicine Research Task Groups HFM-RTG 218 “Military Suicide” and HFM-RTG 277 “Military Leadership” etc.) In 2017 he received NATO Science and Technology Organization Scientific Achievement Award. He is a chief of the Outpatient mental health clinic with in-patient department “Veldre” in Riga; he also works as psychiatrist in outpatient and in-patient departments, he is the President of Latvian Psychiatric Association, member of Board of Nordic Psychiatric Association. Special interest areas are: community and social psychiatry, psychiatric rehabilitation, mental health care organization, forensic psychiatry, pharmacotherapy, depression, anxiety, early onset schizophrenia, health economics.

Jozef Dragasek is a Head of the 1st Department of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, the University of P. J. Safarik in Kosice/Slovakia. He serves as an Honorary Secretary of the Psychiatric Section of the European Union of Medical Specialists. He earned his degree in Psychiatry at the Slovak Medical University (2008) after his PhD in Neurology in 2006. In 2004-2007, he passed studies focused on clinical research at Vienna School of Clinical Research and Medizinische Universität Wien, completed with a postgraduate diploma of Academically Certified Clinical Research Leader. In 2016, he completed his Master’s degree in Health Administration. He serves as a Vice-President of the Slovak Psychiatric Association and as a Chairperson of the Executive Board at the Society of Biological Psychiatry. He is a Member of the Psychopharmacological Society, Section of Sexology, Slovak Neuropsychiatric Association, and an Honorary Chairman of the Association of Young Psychiatrists. He is the Chairman of the Editorial Board and Expert Editor of the Journal “Psychiatria pre prax” (Psychiatry in practice). He organizes professional events, participates in research grant activities, publishes, and focuses on the issues of mental disorders in epilepsy, schizophrenia, and nutritional psychiatry. He has authored and co-authored more than 260 publications, with more than 180 citations (125 SCI citations, Hirsch Index- 7). The scope of his scientific interests also includes psychiatric electroencephalography or electroconvulsive therapy. Since 2016 he has been registered on the List of Experts of the Ministry of Justice as a court-appointed Expert in Psychiatry. Since 2012, he has been a delegate of the European Union of Medical Specialists – Psychiatry Section. He was approved as a Section Officer in April 2017 and as an Honorary Secretary of the section in October 2018.

Dr. Agota Barabassy is a board-certified psychiatrist, currently working at the pharmaceutical company Gedeon Richter in Hungary. Previously, she worked 9 years as a practicing psychiatrist in stationary psychiatric care, day clinic and outpatient care. During this period, she made her doctorate in cognitive estimation in Alzheimer Patients; and was involved in performing randomized clinical trials at the Charité University Clinic in Berlin (Germany). Dr. Barabassy is working at Gedeon Richter since 2013, is Head of the CNS medical affairs unit and is the medical coordinator of all global activities around cariprazine. She has experience in designing and running clinical studies from Ph1-4, in discussing with regulatory authorities and pricing agencies, in developing and executing medical plans with a holistic view of drug development and management. She has authored and co-authored several publications and has held various lectures and conference presentations.

is a psychologist M. Sc. at the Department of Psychiatry<br>and Psychotherapy of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) in Munich, Germany. Her experience in the field of Psychology also includes the treatment and caregiver support of patients with psychosis. Thereby she treats young people with schizophrenic disorders in inpatient wards and in an outpatient clinic. She is also a psychological member of the “post-covid outpatient clinic” for patients with persistent long-term covid symptoms who are treated with an interdisciplinary approach by various departments within the LMU. Fides Sophia Heimkes currently lives in Munich, Germany.

is the Vice-President of EUFAMI, the organisation that unites all family members of persons affected by serious mental ill health in Europe. Andre is a iuris doctor of the University of Leuven. After a successful international career in business he devotes his time and efforts as a volunteer for the Mental Health Organisations representing families in Belgium and at European level. He is the past president of Abbeyfield Belgium and a Trustee of The Abbeyfield Society (UK), a worldwide non profit organisation giving the elderly a home where they can find a renewed sense of life and alleviate their loneliness.