Collaborators

Dr Karmel Choi is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, where she directs the Precision Prevention Program in the Center for Precision Psychiatry. Her research program focuses on identifying and understanding modifiable factors that protect against depression in at-risk populations (e.g., young people), through the lens of statistical genetics, data science, and epidemiology, with the goal of informing effective prevention and resilience promotion efforts.

I am excited to be part of this team of inspiring collaborators working together on a study that combines community-based participation with novel data methods to understand multisystemic influences on resilience in young people.

Dr.Jan Höltge is an Assistant Professor of Research at the Resilience Research Centre, Dalhousie University, Canada. With a Ph.D. from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, Jan’s expertise lies in Clinical and Positive Psychology. His externally funded postdoctoral journeys span Canada and the USA, where he researched resilience across diverse marginalized populations and cultural backgrounds. His research interests cover multisystemic resilience, systems theory, comprehensive youth resilience, cross-cultural research, lifespan development, and data analysis methods to study systemic processes.

Jan is proud to be part of the amazing R-NEET study and team as a collaborator because of its multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach, which has the potential to bring about sustainable change in the lives of NEETs for the better.

Dr Thandi Kapwata is a Specialist Scientist in the Environment Health Research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council. Her research focuses on environmental risk factors affecting health in South Africa including air, water and soil pollution and the health impacts of exposure to climate variables. One of her main areas of interest relates to the health impacts of exposure to temperature extremes in the form of high temperatures and heatwaves, particularly in rural and vulnerable communities. Dr Kapwata’s research aims to contribute to evidence-based climate change mitigation and adaptation policies which are crucial in developing actions that are tailored to the risk profile of populations.

Our environment affects so much more than physical health. R-NEET is a ground-breaking project that will give insights into the link between environmental and mental health with active participation from the community and project members.

Brian McGrath is Professor of Urban Design at Parsons School of Design at The New School and Associate Director of the Tishman Center for Environment and Design where he leads the Infrastructure, Design and Justice Lab. The focus of his work is the architecture of urban adaptation and change from social justice and ecological resilience perspectives. McGrath was a Principal Investigator in the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, where he led the Urban Design Working Group. McGrath, who received his Master of Architecture from Princeton University, is a prolific author and International Fellow in multiple prestigious programmes.

I am proud to bring to the R-NEET study knowledge about how environments designed for diversity and disturbance contribute to embodied resilience.

Prof Vande Hey leads the Earth Observation Science Research Group in the School of Physics and Astronomy at University of Leicester, and is Knowledge Mobilisation Lead for the university’s interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability. His research focuses on understanding air pollution, evaluating its effects on human health, and assessing the effectiveness of exposure mitigation strategies through observational and modelling approaches, supported through novel technology development for atmospheric sensing. Working in partnership with and generating actionable evidence for policy stakeholders is a key pillar of his research. He has active research collaborations in South Africa and Kenya.

I am proud to be involved with R-NEET to try to help understand the challenging and important topic of pathways to mental health and well-being resilience from the perspective of interconnected systems including environment in the broad sense, with a fantastic team of world leading researchers, wow!