Speaker/Performer: Rani Desai, Wietse Tol, Mark RaginsDescription: Rani Desai's research examines risk factors and correlates of several psychiatric disorders, with particular attention paid to co-occurring disorders. This research has included studies on pathological gambling, schizophrenia, substance abuse/dependence, the risk of suicide in psychiatric patients, trauma and comorbidity, criminal justice mental health, and the mental health problems experienced by the homeless. At the national level, she serves as the program evaluator for VA programs on homeless female veterans, and have served on several advisory committees to the VA on the mental health needs of female veterans, with particular attention to military sexual trauma.

Wietse Tol is a postdoctoral associate with the Global Health Initiative at the MacMillan Center at Yale University and a senior technical and research advisor for the international non-governmental organization HealthNet TPO. His main interest concerns the application of research to the development and evaluation of mental health and psychosocial support for populations in humanitarian settings, including disasters and political violence. Dr. Tol has consulted with international organizations, including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Save the Children US and Church World Services. He is currently leading an international effort to set research priorities for mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings.

Mark Ragins, MD is a leading psychiatrist in the recovery movement in mental health care. He is a founding member of the Village ISA, where his work with people with severe mental illness led him to become one of the leading voices in recovery-based treatment theory. He was the co-recipient of the American Psychiatric Associations 1995 van Ameringen Award for his outstanding contribution to the field of psychiatric rehabilitation and was named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association in 2006 for his continuing work in recovery-based mental health care.