I am a Professor at the Department of Psychiatry (Stellenbosch University) and Co-Director of the SA MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, at the same institution. This unit is known as a centre of international excellence in psychiatric genetics, psychiatric brain imaging, basic neuroscience, and mental health promotion. Although I am a clinical psychologist by training, research is a priority for me. My interests include the phenomenology, psychobiology and neuroimaging of disorders on the compulsivity/impulsivity spectrum, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, hair-pulling disorder (trichotillomania), and problematic internet use (PUI), as well as anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. These conditions are associated with significant distress, functional impairment and costs – to the individual and his/her family, as well as society. My expertise and experience over the past 25+ years are focused on structured diagnostic interviewing of such patients. I am a member of a number of international research endeavours, including ENIGMA-OCD, ENIGMA-Anxiety, OCD-BRAIN, ICOCS / OCRN, the TLC Precision Medicine Initiative, and others. These international collaborative projects present a unique opportunity for global impact by providing knowledge on the significant links between clinical aspects, neurobiological underpinnings and brain structures implicated in these and related conditions.

Contact Details

Faculty of Health Sciences | University of Cape Town
Room 25, E floor, Neuroscience Institute, Groote Schuur Hospital, Anzio Rd, Observatory, 7925
Tel office: + 27 21 406 6566
Email:cl2@sun.ac.za