Digital Health Applied to the Clinical Research of Brain Disorders Network

Bringing together experts in digital health to establish a collaborative platform for developing, updating, and disseminating state-of-the-art guidelines for research and clinical practice. The primary focus is mobile health (mHealth), leveraging smartphones as the technological backbone. In addition, it engages experts in eHealth and machine learning, fostering connections across related fields. Additionally, it seeks to advance a clear vision for mHealth in psychiatry and clinical psychology.

History

The ECNP Digital Health Applied to the Clinical Research of Brain Disorders Network was formed in 2021 by Ulrich Ebner-Primer and Maria Faurholt-Jepsen. Following the formation members were invited to participate. In the beginning the network consisted of app. 15 members in total. The network has expanded during the years, and now includes 13 core members and 11 shell members from different countries in Europe.  

The ECNP Digital Health Network has made significant strides in integrating digital tools into clinical research for brain disorders. By leveraging smartphone-based monitoring, wearables, and machine learning, we are transforming how we assess symptoms, treatment adherence, and real-world patient experiences. These innovations bring us closer to personalized and data-driven mental health care.

Our network fosters collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and industry to advance digital health solutions. From real-time symptom tracking to AI-driven analysis, we are redefining psychiatric research and treatment. As we move forward, our focus remains on developing scalable, evidence-based digital interventions that improve patient outcomes and enhance clinical decision-making.

Maria Faurholt-Jepsen, Denmark, and Ulrich Ebner-Priemer, Germany

Goals

1

Foster translational neuroscientific research in the area of digital health.

2

Develop a vision of how digital approaches will transform neuroscience.

3

Collect evidence-based information about the effectiveness of digital medicine.

4

Obtain European grants and foster interactions with stakeholders and the ECNP community.

5

Overcome technological and regulatory bottle-necks, by sharing best-practice approaches.

Core members

Member name

Institution

City

Country

Blanca Bolea

Women’s College Hospital

Toronto

Canada

Femke Lamers

Amsterdam UMC

Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Tim Hahn

WWU Münster

Münster

Germany

Diego Hidalgo- Mazzei

Hospital Clínic de Barcelona

Barcelona 

Spain

Joseph Kambeitz

University hospital Cologne

Cologne

Germany

Martien Kas 

University of Groningen 

Groningen 

The Netherlands 

Jonna Kuntsi

King's College London

London

United Kingdom

Trine Lagerberg

Oslo University Hospital

Oslo

Norway

Silke Matura

Goethe University Frankfurt 

Frankfurt

Germany

Nils Opel

Jena University Hospital

Jena

Germany

Eduard Vieta

Institute of Neuroscience

Barcelona 

Spain 

Shell members

Member name

Institution

City

Country

Marc Auriacombe

University of Bordeaux

Bordeaux 

France

Michael Bauer

University Medical Center Dresden  

Dresden 

Germany 

John R. Geddes

University of Oxford

Oxford

United Kingdom 

Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg

CIMH  

Mannheim  

Germany  

Inez Myin-Germeys 

KU Leuven 

Leuven  

Belgium  

Andreas Reif

KGU University Frankfurt

Frankfurt

Germany 

Ulrich Reininghaus

University of Heidelberg

Heidelberg

Germany

Heleen Riper

VU University Amsterdam

Amsterdam 

The Netherlands  

Kate Saunders

University of Oxford 

Oxford

United Kingdom

Fuschia Serre

Bordeaux University

Bordeaux

France

Heike Tost

CIMH

Mannheim 

Germany  

Lars Vedel Kessing

Psychiatric Center Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Denmark

Early Career Academy member
Member name Institution City Country
Dominic Oliver University of Oxford Oxford United Kingdom

GetDigital webinar series

A webinar series on mHealth aims at sharing and distributing new and high-quality research to researchers and clinicians, educating Early Career Scientists across Europe, and foster collaborations across research groups.

View the series