Transforming mental healthcare: Recovery, equity, and community impact

Dr Ammar Albanna

Dr. Ammar Humaid Albanna, MD, FRCPC, IFAPA is the Director of Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital, Emirates Health Services, the UAE’s largest government tertiary psychiatric hospital. A Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, he leads the hospital’s strategic transformation through innovation, digital health, academic partnerships, and integrated community mental healthcare, while advancing quality, research, and value-based care.

Dr. Albanna completed his psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry training at McGill University, followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychiatry at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and holds a Master’s in Healthcare Leadership from McGill University.

He is the Founding President of the Emirates Society for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Vice President of the International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals (IACAPAP), and an Executive Board Member of the Emirates Medical Association. His research focuses on autism, artificial intelligence, and innovative mental healthcare delivery. Dr. Albanna has led several national initiatives, chaired major international scientific conferences, and is a frequent speaker on healthcare innovation, leadership, and mental health transformation.

Dr Hoyoung An

Dr. An is a psychiatrist with specialized expertise in psychiatric rehabilitation and geriatric psychiatry. He graduated from the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, followed by residency and fellowship training at Asan Medical Center. He has held a faculty appointment as Associate Professor at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and served as Deputy Director of the National Institute of Dementia of Korea. He currently serves as Director of the Keyo LT Center at Keyo Hospital.

Dr Alexandre González-Rodríguez

Dr Alexandre González-Rodríguez obtained his Medical Degree from the University of Barcelona (2002–2008) and completed his Psychiatry residency at Hospital Clínic of Barcelona (2009–2013). He later earned a PhD in Medicine and Translational Research at the University of Barcelona, focusing on schizophrenia research (2014–2018).

Over the past 14 years, his research and teaching activities have centered on gender differences in mental disorders. Initially, his work focused on reproductive mental health, including a research project on postpartum depression that examined clinical trajectories and risk factors for recurrence. His interests subsequently expanded to later life stages, including menopause and postmenopause in women.

As a member of the Women’s Mental Health Working and Research Group of the Catalan Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Dr González-Rodríguez has contributed to studies on therapeutic interventions and health promotion. His research has explored the Estrogen Protection Hypothesis in schizophrenia and the impact of hormonal factors on women’s mental health, culminating in his doctoral project on biomarkers of pharmacological response in postmenopausal women with schizophrenia.

Through international collaborations with institutions in Switzerland, Canada, Mexico, France, and Spain, he has co-authored numerous scientific publications and presentations. In January 2023, he co-founded the Functional Unit for Women with Schizophrenia.

Dr Phil Klassen

Dr. Philip Klassen is Vice-President, Medical Affairs and Research at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Academically, Dr. Klassen has written and presented on clinical and quality-related topics and topics in forensic psychiatry. He remains an active teacher at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has a special interest in global mental health and has led the creation of the first mental health and diversion court in Africa.

Dr Jane So

Dr. Jane So is currently working as an Associate Consultant in the Department of Forensic Psychiatry at Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong.  She graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 2012.  She received her psychiatric training at Castle Peak Hospital and became a specialist in 2019. She developed a special interest in the assessment and management of criminal offenders with mental illness, and joined the Department of Forensic Psychiatry in 2020.  Dr. So is motivated in the promotion of mental health in the community and is currently the Chairperson of Operations at Mind Space, a museum focused on educating the youth through the use of symptom simulation and virtual reality.

Ms Yuen Yi Tam

Ms. Yuen Yi Tam is a Psychiatric Registered Nurse with more than 20 years of nursing experience. She is currently working as a community nurse in the Department of Old Age Psychiatry at Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong. She brings extensive clinical expertise and advanced academic training to her work supporting older adults and families living with mental health challenges within community and outpatient settings. Through therapeutic communication and a recovery-oriented approach, she helps clients manage symptoms, improving coping strategies, and build practical skills for daily functioning.  Tam collaborates closely with multidisciplinary teams, including psychiatrists, allied health professionals, and community service partners, to coordinate care plans and ensure continuity between hospital and community services.