Introducing a novel music medicine for depression

Dr. Yassari is a Specialist in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. He has 10 years of experience as a clinician and specialized in the treatment of patients with depression. Currently, he is holding a position as a consultant psychiatrist at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and leading the units for anxiety disorders and adolescent psychiatry. He was studied at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London, and specialized in Cognitive Neuroscience.

Next to various teaching appointments, he is trained in psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy as well as hypnotherapy. He is also the co-founder of the Mind-Brain Forum (www.mindbrainforum.de) a blog dedicated to raising awareness on mental health issues.

Prof. Karageorghis is a professor in sport and exercise psychology and Divisional Lead for Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences. From 2009-14, he served as Deputy Head (Research) of the former School of Sport and Education and led preparations for two REF2014 subject submissions (Sports-Related and Education).  Costas has established an international reputation for his research into the psychological, psychophysiological and neurophysiological effects of music. 

Prof. Karageorghis' music research has been featured in newspapers around the world; the Times, Telegraph, Independent, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Sydney Morning Herald. In both 2011 and 2016 he was the recipient of the Sportesse Award for Sport and Exercise Sciences at the annual conference of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). The awards were for new theoretical and mechanistic work in the area of music and physical activity.

Since 1998 Prof. Moritz is head of Clinical Neuropsychology Working Group and since 2014 Professor of clinical psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clinical Neuropsychology Working Group, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. He conducts research on a variety of psychological disorders. All research projects are closely tied to the effort to develop therapeutic interventions for particular disorders.  

The overarching goal of his basic research projects is to identify the processes and risk factors that contribute to the onset of psychological disorders. This information is then integrated into novel therapeutic interventions that are then tested for effectiveness (e.g., the therapy improves patients’ quality of life) and acceptance (e.g., patients find the treatment to be helpful).

Dr. Dr. Ohls is a Specialist in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and associate professor at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. She also holds a doctorate in theology and a master's degree in music. She has over 10 years of experience as a clinician and specialized in the treatment of patients with depression. Her publications focus on the role of spirituality, shame and guilt in psychiatry and psychotherapy. 

Prof. Gallinat is the Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf since 2013. Prior to this position, he was the chair of the Psychiatric University Clinic at Charité St. Hedwig Krankenhaus, Berlin. Prof. Gallinat has authored over 250 publications and headed many novel intervention methods for severely mentally ill patients. His clinical approach has always been one of patient empowerment and shared decision-making. 

His research group is dedicated to studying the neuronal plasticity of the brain. To visualize plasticity, his lab mainly uses the method of magnetic resonance imaging. Beyond the mere observation of natural processes of change, they try to actively promote brain plasticity by means of video game-based training. They conduct research on a range of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction in cooperation with colleagues from the UKE and other national and international scientific institutions. His studies are funded by public funds (e.g. DFG, ERC) and donations.

Prof. Veena Kumari obtained a PhD in Psychology from Banaras Hindu University, India in 1993 prior to joining the Institute of Psychiatry, London for post-doctoral research. She became a Beit Memorial Research Fellow in 1999, a Wellcome Senior Fellow in Basic Biomedical Science in 2002, and a Full Professor in 2006 at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (formerly known as the Institute of Psychiatry), King’s College London, UK. She left King’s College London in 2016 to join the Sovereign Health Group (USA) as the Chief Scientific Officer and returned to the UK in 2018 to join Brunel University London as Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience (CCN).

Her research interests include the neurobiological effects of pharmacological and psychological treatments in psychosis, neurobiology of violence in mental illness, psychobiology of addiction, and personality and brain functioning. Prof Kumari has over 250 publications in reputed psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience journals and received various national and international awards for her research including the Young Investigator Award from the National Alliance of Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, USA (1999), research fellowship from BEIT Memorial Foundation (1999-2002), the BAP (British Association of Psychopharmacology) Clinical Psychopharmacology Prize (2002), Wellcome Senior Fellowship in Basic Biomedical Science (2002-2009), and most recently the prestigious Humboldt Research Award (2014).