Speakers
Dr. Jean-Pierre Wilken
Professor of Social Work
Was educated as social scientist and psychologist. Professor of Social Work since 2002 at HU Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. In the past he worked for as a practitioner in long term psychiatry, as a researcher and consultant at the National Hospital Institute of the Netherlands and as trainer, developer and director of Storm Rehabilitation, research centre for psycho-social rehabilitation.
Dirk den Hollander
Master in Pedagogical Studies
Dirk den Hollander was educated as a nurse a master in pedagogical studies. He worked as a care professional in several psychiatric hospitals, a general hospital and in several nursing homes, from 1972 till 1986. He has experience as a team coordinator and (interim) manager from 1981 till 1998.
Dr Robert van Voren
Sovietologist
Robert van Voren (1959) is a Sovietologist by education. A graduate of Amsterdam University, he obtained his PhD at the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas (Lithuania) where he is Professor of Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies. He is also Professor of Soviet and Post-‐Soviet Studies at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia and currently teaches political science. He holds a similar position at the Ilia State University in Tbilisi, Georgia.Dr Jan Pfeiffer
Psychiatrist and leading advocate of reform for mental health care
Dr Jan Pfeiffer is a psychiatrist and a leading advocate of reform for mental health care as well of deinstitutionalization of the services for other disability group. Active in Czech Republic as well Europe-wide, he chairs European Expert Group on Transition of institutional to community-based care. He is also a member of CPT committee as well as the Committee against torture and ill-treatment of the Council in Europe.Gábor Gombos
UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Gábor Gombos is a world renowned independent disability rights defender. A person with psychosocial disability himself, Mr Gombos has been advocating for a just and inclusive world where all persons with disabilities enjoy all their human rights without any kind of discrimination.
Tamás Verdes
Hungarian Civil Liberties Union
Tamás Verdes has been the Program Coordinator of Hungarian Civil Liberties Union's Disability Rights Program since 2009.
Dorottya Karsay
Project Manager of MDAC's Detention Monitoring Project
Dorottya Karsay has been the Project Manager of MDAC's Detention Monitoring Project since November 2010. As Project Manager she is responsible for increasing the effectiveness and knowledge base of inspectorates at the UN, Council of Europe and domestic levels with regards to the rights of persons with disabilities in places of deprivation of liberty, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and monitoring methodology in psychiatric and social care institutions.Andrea Spitálszky
Legal Officer, Mental Disability Advocacy Center
Andrea has been a Legal Officer at the Mental Disability Advocacy Center since January 2011. She is responsible for strategic litigation regarding persons with intellectual and with psycho-social disabilities in Hungary.
Armen Soghoyan, MD, PhD
Honorary Member of World Psychiatric Association (WPA), Psychiatrist
Armen Soghoyan (1967) is the President of Armenian Psychiatric Association, Head of Licensing Agency of Ministry of Health of Republic of Armenia, Associate Professor at Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi (YSMU), Editor in Chief of Armenian Journal of Mental Health.
