NAMI’s New Scientific Mental Health Council

Mary Casanova

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www.nami.org | Oct 10, 2025

The council unites leading scientists, clinicians, and advocates to ensure that cutting-edge research and lived experience together shape the future of mental health care.

Arlington, Va. — The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has announced the launch of a new Scientific Advisory Council which will strengthen NAMI’s leadership at the cutting edge of mental health research, science, and lived experience. The advisory body brings together some of the nation’s most respected scientists, researchers, and clinical practitioners. Together, they will ensure that the latest science will continue to drive NAMI’s work, giving those with lived experience an even stronger voice in mental health and brain science.

“In forming this remarkable Scientific Advisory Council, NAMI is doubling down on providing the best science and research to serve families as well as our peers,” said Ken Duckworth, M.D., NAMI’s chief medical officer. “These prominent thinkers and researchers have a broad range of expertise that will help us further improve our educational materials and advocacy – on topics ranging from A.I.’s role in mental health, to schizophrenia research, program evaluation, mood disorders, early intervention, crisis care, and more.”

The Scientific Advisory Council will support NAMI in multiple ways:

Increasing NAMI’s impact on science and in promoting lived experience in the design, execution, and presentation of research.
Providing expert review of NAMI content to further ensure that its extensive nationwide community is informed with accurate, up-to-date scientific information.
Identifying opportunities for NAMI’s involvement in external research, including strengthening its research promotion strategy and advocacy.

Members of the Scientific Council

The inaugural members of NAMI’s Scientific Council are as follows:

Margie Balfour, M.D., associate professor, Psychiatry, University of Arizona; founder, MultiPass Consulting
Robert O. Cotes, M.D., professor, Emory University School of Medicine; chief, Psychiatry, Grady Health System; editor-in-chief, Community Mental Health Journal
Lisa Dixon, M.D., M.P.H., Edna L. Edison Professor of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; editor-in-chief, Psychiatric Services
Robert K. Heinssen, Ph.D., ABPP, former director, Division of Services and Intervention Research, National Institute of Mental Health
Eboneé T. Johnson, Ph.D., assistant professor, Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa
Matcheri Keshavan, M.D., Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School
Andrew A. Nierenberg, M.D., director, Dauten Family Center for Bipolar Treatment Innovation, Massachusetts General Hospital; professor, Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; editor-in-chief, Psychiatric Annals
Oladunni Oluwoye, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University
Carolyn Rekerdres, M.D., associate medical director, Pecan Valley Centers for Behavioral & Developmental Healthcare; adjunct professor, Rural Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical School
Altha Stewart, M.D., senior associate dean, Community Health Engagement and director, Public and Community Psychiatry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
John Torous, M.D., M.B.I., director, Digital Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School

“We are deeply honored that these noteworthy leaders have committed to volunteering to help us, and I thank them for their service to our mission,” said Duckworth.

Members of the Scientific Advisory Council will serve on a volunteer basis for terms of one, two, or three years.

To learn more about the Scientific Advisory Council and NAMI’s commitment to evidence-based advocacy, education and support for those with mental illness and caregivers, visit nami.org/scientificcouncil.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness