Els van der Ven

Dr. Els van der Ven is an Associate Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam's Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, specializing in Clinical, Neuro- & Developmental Psychology. She holds a position in the APH - Mental Health department at the WHO Collaborating Center. Her research focuses on social determinants of mental health, particularly psychosis in ethnic minorities, global mental health inequities, and early intervention services. She leads projects like EU4Health’s U-RISE initiative for displaced persons and the NWO-funded METS program for trauma survivors. Dr. van der Ven also contributes to the HEROES study on healthcare workers’ mental health during the pandemic.

• Education: Doctorate in Psychology (not explicitly stated, inferred from title).

Her research interests emphasize understanding psychosis disparities through biopsychosocial frameworks and improving population-level mental health interventions. Key projects include investigating migration’s role in psychosis risk and scaling mental health interventions for vulnerable groups.

Dr. van der Ven’s work addresses global health goals, including mental health equity and sustainable development. She is involved in teaching courses such as Psychopathology and Global Mental Health at VU’s bachelor and master levels. Ancillary roles include serving as Head of Training at RINO Amsterdam and a clinical psychologist at ARQ Nationaal Psychotrauma Centrum.

Her research outputs span over 50 publications, focusing on topics like cannabis use and psychosis, pandemic impacts on healthcare workers, and cultural barriers in mental health care. Projects often emphasize scalable solutions for marginalized populations, reflecting her commitment to addressing systemic inequities in mental health.