Scientific and Abstract Review Committee
Jane Fisher
Jane Fisher, an academic Clinical and Health Psychologist is Finkel Professor of Global Health in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. She leads the multidisciplinary Global and Women’s Health group of academics, research higher degree students and professional staff who undertake research in Australia and low- and middle-income countries. She has longstanding interests in the social determinants, including gender-based risks, to the mental health and wellbeing of women and girls across the life course and of how these can be addressed in public health approaches to mental health promotion. Her research has demonstrated that differences in the prevalence of mental health problems between countries reflect differences in gender inequality indices and that gender-informed interventions are effective in prevention of mental health problems. She was appointed Officer in the Order of Australia in 2019 for her contributions to women, mental health and the community. In 2022 she was awarded the International Marcé Society’s John Cox Medal for having made an extraordinary contribution to expert knowledge in the field of perinatal mental health through research, clinical practice, teaching, and mentorship. In 2025 she was awarded the inaugural Donna Stewart Medal by the International Association for Women’s Mental Health for her contributions to awareness of the social and structural determinants of mental health problems experienced by women.
Vivette Glover
Vivette Glover is Visiting Professor in Perinatal Psychology Imperial College London. Her research has shown how the emotional state of the mother during pregnancy can have adverse effects on the developing fetus and child, especially on neurodevelopment. Her group has also shown some of the underlying biological mechanisms. This work has contributed to changes in government policy, including more funding for perinatal maternal mental health. She is currently carrying out collaborative research into how music can help. She has been awarded the International Marcé Society medal, the John Cox medal, and the PIPUK award for Research into Infant Mental Health.
A/Prof Simone Honikman
Associate Professor Simone Honikman is a medical doctor with a Master’s degree in Maternal and Child Health and is prior board member of Marcé International. She is the founding director of the 23-year old Perinatal Mental Health Project (www.pmhp.za.org) based at the Centre for Public Mental Health, University of Cape Town. Simone led the writing of the World Health Organization WHO guide for integration of perinatal mental health in maternal and child health services (2022). She runs a comprehensive mental health service integrated within a public midwife unit on the Cape Flats. She has published academic papers as well as book chapters, editorials and a book. Her maternal mental health research includes topics related to gender based violence, health economics, musical interventions and mobile training applications. She designs and conducts training for a wide range of healthcare and social service providers and is involved in developing films and other multimedia resources to support knowledge translation and capacity building. She consults to national and provincial health policy, guideline and programme processes within South Africa and supports others’ research, advocacy and training work on the African continent and in other low-and-middle-income settings.
Sandraluz Lara-Cinosomo
Dr Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research is dedicated to addressing mental health disparities among US-born and immigrant Latinas in the U.S. Dr. Lara-Cinisomo's work is grounded in a comprehensive framework that considers psychosocial, cultural, structural, and physiological factors. She explores how contextual factors, such as culture and biology, contribute to mental health challenges among her target populations, using an interdisciplinary approach to understand these disparities.
Wisani Makhomisane
Wisani Makhomisane is a Specialist Psychiatrist based in South Africa. She serves as the National Secretary of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) for the 2025–2027 term and is a Board Member of the International Marcé Society. Her areas of expertise include perinatal mental health, child and adolescent mental health, ADHD, trauma-informed care, and addiction. She holds an MBChB from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a Diploma in Mental Health and FCPsych from the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, an MMed in Psychiatry from the University of Limpopo, and a Postgraduate Certificate in ADHD from Middlesex University, UK. Dr Makhomisane has demonstrated strong leadership through her roles as SASOP Limpopo Chairperson, CMSA Examiner, and member of the SASOP Scientific Committee for the 2025 Congress. She has received national media recognition, being named one of SASOP’s Top Two Media Speakers in 2025, with her most recent appearance on Morning Live addressing mental health challenges among first responders. Her advocacy work focuses on Afrocentric and inclusive mental health care, spanning clinical practice, academia, and policy engagement.
Maria de la Fe Rodriguez-Muñoz
María F. Rodríguez-Muñoz is Full Professor in the Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment at the Faculty of Psychology, National University of Distance Education (UNED), Spain. She is Editor-in-Chief of Clinical and Health and Associate Editor of Archives of Women’s Mental Health. Her clinical, teaching, and research career has focused on perinatal mental health, with over a decade of experience in advancing knowledge and evidence-based interventions for mothers and infants. Since 2013, she has directed the Proyecto Mamás y Bebés, a collaborative initiative involving George Washington University (USA), Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and ,Primary and community care network of the Basque Country , conducting research on maternal mental health and perinatal outcomes. Her work emphasizes randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews, generating evidence that informs both clinical practice and public health policies. She has authored more than 80 publications, participated in multiple competitively funded research projects, and supervised several doctoral theses. . She also leads the Special Interest Group on Refugee and Immigrant Mental Health of the Marcé Society, contributing to global awareness and intervention strategies. Her contributions have been recognized with awards including the Transfer and Communication Award from the Official College of Psychologists of Madrid and the Banco Santander Research Award. Through her leadership, research, and editorial work, she continues to advance understanding of perinatal mental health and to foster the translation of scientific evidence into practice.
