Costa Rica 2026
Dr Elizabeth Seaward
President, ACEPS
Dr Seaward is a psychologist in private practice with more than 25 years of professional experience, specialising in suicide prevention and mental health.
She has served as an external psychologist for UNHCR (the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in Costa Rica.
Eduardo Vega
Humannovations Founder, CEO and Principal
An internationally recognised thought leader in mental health systems, programs and policy, consumer/patient engagement, stigma reduction, men’s health and suicide prevention.
Eduardo Vega’s work continues to drive the forefront of change for mental health worldwide.
Dr Karen Scavacini
Co-founder and Head of Instituto Vita Alere de Prevenção e Posvenção do Suicídio
Dr Scavacini is a psychologist and Co-founder and Head of Instituto Vita Alere de Prevenção e Posvenção do Suicídio (Brazil).
She is also the Latin America Lead for the IASP Partnerships for Life Global Initiative and IASP National Representative for Brazil.
Dr Richard McKeon
Richard McKeon has been engaged in international suicide prevention efforts since 2007 through IASP, through the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (now Global Leadership Exchange), and through the International Zero Suicide and Crisis Now summits.
He has worked at SAMHSA in the US Department of Health and Human Services from 2003 through 2026, including serving for 12 years as Chief of the Suicide Prevention Branch.
Professor Ella Arensman
Head of the School of Public Health, University College Cork and Chief Scientist at the National Suicide Research Foundation, Ireland
She has been involved in research and prevention into suicide and self-harm over the past 39 years, with emphasis on risk and protective factors associated with suicide and self-harm and effectiveness of suicide prevention and self-harm intervention programmes.
She has published extensively in scientific peer reviewed journals and international textbooks, and she fulfils an advisory role on many national and international steering groups, and editorial boards, including Crisis.
Dr John Draper
President of Research, Development and Government Solutions at Behavioral Health Link
Dr John Draper has over 35 years of experience in crisis intervention and suicide prevention work and is considered an international expert in behavioural health crisis services.
Dr Draper’s experience includes founding and administering New York City’s first 24/7 crisis hotline as well as becoming the founder and former Executive Director of the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) for 18 years.
Dr Marcelo Kimati
Director, Department of Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs at the Brazilian Ministry of Health
Psychiatrist and professor of Public Health at UFPR, Marcelo Kimati has previously served as Director of Mental Health at the Curitiba Municipal Health Department and coordinator of the Mental Health and Work Program at Fundacentro (MTE).
At the head of DESMAD, his focus remains on ensuring comprehensive and humane care, continuing the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform.
Dr Dan Reidenberg
Managing Director, National Council for Suicide Prevention, and Founder and Director of Safe Online Standards at the Mental Health Coalition
Dr Reidenberg was the first to bring technology companies together in 2006 to develop suicide prevention and mental health-related tools and the best practices for technology companies.
He continues to advise the largest technology companies on user safety. Dan has also been a consultant to national and global businesses.
