My name is Théo KORCHIA, and I am a French psychiatrist, particularly involved in the treatment of early-onset schizophrenic disorders.  First of all, I'd like to thank the Schizophrenia International Research Society for honouring me with this prestigious award, as well as the Faculty of Medical and Paramedical Sciences at Aix-Marseille University (France) and the Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM), which supported me and enabled me to spend a year at McGill University in Montreal.  Schizophrenia is a pathology often shrouded in mystery and prejudice, which profo ..read more

Hyeon-Seung Lee Individuals with depression often report their core belief of "I am worthless and unlovable." Individuals with anxiety disorders and OCD often report “what if” statement as a sign of excessive worry that leads to the thoughts of the worst-case scenario. Then, what would be a representative sign of schizophrenia? It is difficult to pick just one phenomenon given the multifaceted nature of the disorder, but I would pick "as if" statements related to the sense of self. Past research points out that self-disturbances are intertwined with the emergence of schizophrenia symptoms su ..read more

Bobana Samardžija, mag. pharm. inv. Chronic mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and major depressive disorder, are widespread and serious conditions that profoundly affect the lives of millions worldwide. Despite their prevalence, our comprehension of these disorders remains incomplete, and current therapeutic strategies often merely alleviate symptoms rather than target root causes. While extensive research has identified numerous genes associated with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder, their individual impacts tend to be marginal or specific to particular groups, underscoring ..read more

Kirsten Borup Bojesen, MD, PhD  Residency trainee in psychiatry, postdoctoral researcher  Copenhagen University Hospital, Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Mental Health Center Glostrup, Nordstjernevej 41, 2600 Glostrup  As a clinician-scientist, I have been struck by the large proportion of patients with schizophrenia insufficiently treated with antipsychotics and by the negative impact of cognitive deficits on everyday life. This has inspired me to explore the neurotransmitter aberrations underlying insufficient treatment response and cognitive defic ..read more

By: Dr. Natalia Mansur Haddad I have enjoyed studying and understanding schizophrenia since the initial period of my first graduation, still in the field of psychology. Afterwards, I went to medical school to become a psychiatrist. Thereby, I have always been fascinated by psychosis in general as an area of ​​study and research. During the last 10 years of clinical practice, I delved deeper into the care of chemically dependent patients and substance use disorders. At the confluence of these subjects, I have the privilege of studying the endocannabinoid system in a population with psychosis ..read more

After a two-and-a-half-hour flight which left Brisbane on a sunny Saturday morning mid-October, I was smiling ear to ear being able to roam freely around the streets of the vibrant city of Melbourne and looking forward to attending the Australian Trials Methodology (AusTriM) conference with my colleagues from the University of Queensland, including our team leader Professor Dan Siskind, my post-doc fellow Dr Rebecca Soole, and our amazing clinical trial manager, Andrea Baker. After having spent over 25 hours on the plane alone with a 3- and a 6-year-old just a week prior, returning to Austra ..read more

Humans are innately social beings and, in almost all cultures, vocal communication is the dominant mode for social interactions. It is, therefore, not surprising that voices became the most salient auditory signal. We often use voices to communicate verbal information but voices are much more than that: they convey a wealth of socially relevant information about the speaker (e.g., age, sex, emotional state, social traits), which can be decoded from the briefest of utterances. Voices are, therefore, fundamental for social experience. My research is focused on understanding how humans make sens ..read more

Leandro Valiengo, University of Sao Paulo We are excited to share that the SIRS 2020 Research Fund Awardee, Leandro Valiengo, has agreed to a SIRS Q&A. View our questions and his answers below! What were you able to achieve with the SIRS Research Fund Award?  The negative symptoms of schizophrenia are very hard to treat and very disabling. If photobiomodulation is demonstrated to be effective in future clinical trials, then it may help patients and their families to cope with the disease and improve their life quality. How has your work shaped today's ongoing research?   T ..read more

Parsa Ravanfar, University of Melbourne I am a medical graduate and PhD candidate in neuropsychiatry, aiming to pursue a career in clinical psychiatry and neuroscience. During my clinical training, I learned about the large impact of schizophrenia on the individual and community, which attracted me to the research of schizophrenia. I am impressed by the complex phenomenology of psychosis and how little we still know about it. In my research, I am particularly passionate about the biological underpinnings of psychiatric illnesses, including schizophrenia. I believe that by understanding the c ..read more

Cecilie K. Lemvigh, Copenhagen University Hospital My interest in schizophrenia began already as a young university student and was motivated by a growing curiosity of how the human mind works. I am particularly interested in the developmental perspective on cognitive and brain maturation to examine trajectories leading to psychopathology. Currently, a precise understanding of the abnormal processes resulting in psychosis is lacking. I strongly believe that a better understanding of complex developmental trajectories may help progress the field in terms of more effective prevention programs ..read more