Global Alliance for Living Evidence on aNxiety, depressiOn and pSychosis
GALENOS
A new living evidence resource of early phase research for research prioritisation in mental health.
The number of research publications is increasing every day, in all scientific areas, including mental health. This makes it increasingly more challenging for academics, health professionals and members of the public to read through all the new publications and learn about new evidence that is out there. This is why the Global Alliance for Living Evidence on aNxiety, depressiOn and pSychosis (GALENOS) was founded.
GALENOS is a groundbreaking living-evidence initiative designed to transform how mental health research is gathered, assessed, and prioritised. As scientific publications continue to grow at an unprecedented pace, it has become increasingly difficult for researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the public to stay informed about emerging evidence. GALENOS was created to address this challenge.
Our goal is to build a continuously updated, comprehensive, and trustworthy evidence resource, one that brings together the best early-phase science in mental health and makes it easy to navigate, understand, and apply. By streamlining access to high-quality data, GALENOS helps the global mental health community identify the most urgent research priorities and accelerate the development of effective interventions for the 1 in 4 people affected by mental health conditions.
Our Vision:
- Integrate the strongest early-phase scientific evidence, from mechanisms to outcomes, to guide research and avoid repeating past mistakes.
- Foster meaningful collaboration between academics and people with lived experience, ensuring that mental health research reflects real-world needs.
- Build a truly global initiative, drawing on diverse expertise, perspectives, and contexts.
The Benefits:
- A programme of living evidence syntheses and research prioritisation focused on anxiety, depression, and psychosis.
- 24 living systematic reviews over three years, each updated regularly to reflect the newest evidence.
- Open-access, freely available reviews and datasets for researchers, clinicians, funders, and communities worldwide.
- A large, international evidence-analysis crowd working collaboratively to maintain the highest standards of methodological rigour.
- Full publication of all reviews to support transparency, accessibility, and innovation.
What do we cover?
We will provide a programme of living evidence syntheses and research priority setting with a focus on anxiety, depression, and psychosis. We will synthesise scientific findings from foundation science, early translational studies, or late translational trials in relation to:
a) Diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive tools
b) Pharmacological treatments
c) Non-pharmacological treatments (these can range from self-care to healthcare, community provision to structural change)
As Part of our mission, we encourage the dissemination of all findings to as many academics, health professionals and members of the public.
GALENOS Fellows
Dr Elugbadebo Olufisayo, MBBS, MSc, FWACP, is a clinical and academic psychiatrist committed to advancing mental health care, particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations across the lifespan. She holds dual appointments as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, and as an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. She also serves as the Vice President of Brain Health Initiative Nigeria, a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting brain health through community engagement, public awareness, and advocacy.
As a Consultant Geriatric Psychiatrist, Dr Olufisayo specialises in the mental health of older adults, contributing to the development of evidence-based treatment protocols and advancing clinical innovations in geriatric psychiatry. She is also a co-convener of the annual “I Can Still Dance” programme, which provides a social platform for older adults and equips caregivers with non-pharmacological strategies to reduce stress and enhance well-being. In her academic role, she teaches, mentors, and supervises the next generation of mental health professionals, strengthening psychiatric training and contributing to capacity building within Nigeria and beyond. She has participated in numerous professional development programmes focused on clinical interventions for psychological and behavioural disorders.
Her research interests include mental health among vulnerable populations, mental health systems and services, and global mental health. Her research experience spans national and international contexts, contributing to ongoing efforts to strengthen evidence-based mental health care in low- and middle-income countries. Dr Olufisayo is actively involved in mental health advocacy and public education, locally and internationally. She regularly speaks on topics such as stress management, depression, dementia, and strategies for promoting mental well-being and improving quality of life. Her long-term career goal is to become a leading clinician and independent researcher in mental health for older adults in Africa, championing culturally appropriate, evidence-informed innovations to close mental health knowledge and care gaps across low- and middle-income countries.
Dr Ouma Simple, MBChB, MPH, is a physician, public health specialist, epidemiologist, and biostatistician with extensive experience in clinical practice, medical education, capacity-building, and both clinical and public health research. His work spans infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, and tropical medicine, with a strong commitment to generating evidence that informs health policy and improves outcomes for vulnerable populations. He holds an MBChB from Gulu University and an MPH from Makerere University and is currently pursuing an MSc in Statistics for Clinical Trials at University College London.
Dr Simple completed post-doctoral training in Global Health through the Northern Pacific Global Health Fellowship Program (2022) and currently holds a post-doctoral position in the Department of Psychiatry at Stellenbosch University, contributing to GALENOS through living systematic reviews on mental health conditions. He also serves as Research Manager at TASO, providing leadership and technical oversight across multi-site research programs, and previously coordinated INTE-AFRICA, a major multinational study in Uganda and Tanzania.
With a unique blend of clinical expertise, analytical skill, and implementation science experience, Dr Simple designs, evaluates, and scales impactful health interventions across diverse settings. His research interests include child and maternal health, HIV/AIDS, mental health, epidemiology, clinical trials, and implementation science, with current work focusing on the intersections of infectious diseases, NCDs, and mental health. He also contributes to scientific publishing as an editor for PLOS ONE and a peer reviewer for journals such as PLOS ONE, AIDS and Behavior, and BJPsych Open. Passionate, collaborative, and detail-oriented, he is dedicated to advancing evidence-based solutions to complex global health challenges.
Dr Simonne Wright, PhD, MA, is a research psychologist affiliated with the South African Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research Programme of Excellence (SA-PTSD) in the Department of Psychiatry at Stellenbosch University. She completed her dual-university doctoral training through Stellenbosch University and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, graduating in 2025. Her PhD dissertation involved a meta–individual participant data (IPD) analysis examining moderators and predictors of psychotherapy treatment outcomes for posttraumatic stress disorder.
Dr Wright holds a Master’s degree in Research Psychology from Stellenbosch University, where her thesis explored the relationship between pet attachment, perceived stress, and life satisfaction. She is passionate about continuous learning and thrives on intellectual challenge. Her strengths include deep curiosity, strong intrinsic motivation, and a consistent commitment to producing high-quality work. She has experience working with a range of statistical analysis and evidence synthesis software, including SPSS, EPPI-Reviewer, and STATA. Dr Wright also has extensive experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and contributing to complex research initiatives.
For more information, contact:
Marnus Janse van Vuuren
Programme Coordinator - Administrator
Email: [email protected]