Page 62 - SAMRC AnnualReport 2025-26

Risk and Resilience in Mental
Disorders Research Unit

CO-UNIT DIRECTORS:
Prof. Christine Lochner and
Prof. Nastassja Koen
cl2@sun.ac.za

Overview of the Research Unit

The Unit conducts integrated mental health
research spanning basic neuroscience, clinical
psychiatry, epidemiology, and public mental health,
from bench to bedside, and from the clinic to the
community. Its multidisciplinary research portfolio
includes contributions to psychiatric nosology
and epidemiology, brain imaging, neurogenetics,
longitudinal cohort studies, and clinical trials, aimed
at advancing understanding of the causes, course,
prevention, and treatment of mental disorders in
South Africa and globally.

The Unit experienced a significant loss with the
passing of its Unit Director, Professor Dan Stein, Prof. Lochner with Prof. De Wet Wolmarans
towards the end of 2025. The Unit is currently led by a researcher at the NWU Department
two co-directors who continue to drive its strategic of Pharmacology NWU at the ENCNP
and scientific agenda. Conference in Amsterdam in Oct 2025.
Key Milestones and Achievements

The Unit continues to make a significant contribution Organization Flexible Interview for ICD-11 (FLII-11),
to advancing the epidemiology, assessment, and supporting improved diagnostic reliability across
neurobiology of mental disorders in both local and diverse settings.
global contexts. During the 2025/2026 reporting In addition, the Unit advanced research into the
period, key research areas included the epidemiology neuroscience of anxiety- and trauma-related
and course of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders through neuroimaging and neurogenetic
disorders (OCRDs), with findings highlighting early studies aimed at identifying underlying mechanisms
onset and high chronicity in low- and middle-income and potential biomarkers. The Unit continues to
settings. This work addresses important evidence leverage unique longitudinal platforms, including
gaps from underrepresented regions and supports the Drakenstein Child Health Study, to investigate
improved early identification and intervention psychosocial and environmental determinants of
strategies. A new PhD project examining obsessive- mental health across the life course.
compulsive disorder in Kenya will further strengthen
cross-national African research in this field. The Unit remains committed to research capacity
development and successfully graduated numerous
The Unit also contributed to the development Master’s and PhD students during the reporting
of scalable, culturally appropriate diagnostic period, thereby strengthening the mental health
tools through its involvement in the World Health research workforce in South Africa.

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