2026 SPEAKERS
ABSTRACTS COMING SOON - MORE SPEAKERS TBC
Prof Ron Maughan
Chair of Programme Committee
Ron Maughan obtained his BSc (Physiology) and PhD from the University of Aberdeen, and was based in the Medical School there for almost 25 years before moving to England. He is now Visiting Professor in the School of Medicine at St Andrews University.
He spent much of his career trying to understand the physiological responses to exercise and the nature of fatigue, but has included many digressions along the way.
He chairs the Nutrition Working Group of the Medical Commission of the International Olympic Committee. He is a director of the IOC Diploma programs in Sports Nutrition, Sports Medicine, Sports Physical Therapies, Mental Health in Elite Sport and Drugs in Sport.
Prof Margo Mountjoy
Programme Committee
Margo received her medical education and her family medicine training at McMaster University, Canada and her sports medicine specialty degree in Ottawa, Canada. Margo received her PhD from the VU University in Amsterdam. She held the role as Consultant and the Medical and Scientific Lead at the Health & Performance Centre at the University of Guelph where she focussed her practice on promoting elite athlete care and physical activity promotion in the general population. In addition, Margo has acted as the national team physician for Synchro Canada for 20 years as well as for the National Endurance Training Centre Athletes (middle- and long-distance track athletes) and the National Triathlon & Wrestling team training centres.
Margo is a Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Family Medicine in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Canada where she is now the Dean of the Waterloo Regional Campus.
Margo is a member of the IOC Medical Commission’s Mental Health Working Group, which is mandated to produce evidence-based clinical tools, to inform the IOC on athlete mental health initiatives, and to provide knowledge translation advice on mental health interventions for sport stakeholders. Margo’s other area of research focus is on elite athlete health and well-being.
Dr Brian Hainline
Programme Committee
Brian Hainline, MD, is a neurologist who specializes in pain medicine and sports neurology. In addition to his clinical duties, he has assumed many roles in sport for the past 35 years, including setting the foundation for drug testing in sports through his groundbreaking book Drugs and the Athlete; working as ringside physician in boxing; and serving as Chief Medical Officer of the US Open Tennis Championships for 16 years. Brian has been an active voice in presenting sport as a public good: he was the NCAA’s first Chief Medical Officer from 2013 through May 2024. In this role, he reshaped the professional and amateur National Governing Body approach to sport, building a collaborative network that included sports medicine and scientific organizations, NCAA member schools, and the US Department of Defense. He is a leading international voice in both pain medicine and mental health in sport and co-chaired the International Olympic Committee summits that addressed these issues. Brian is a member of the Concussion in Sport Group and is coauthor of the 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport. He is author/co-author of over 100 academic papers and book chapters, and co- editor of Sports Neurology – a comprehensive textbook that describes the interplay between sport and the nervous system. He is Clinical Professor of Neurology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Brian is Immediate Past President of the US Tennis Association, and Vice President of the International Tennis Federation.
Dr Claudia Reardon
Programme Committee
Dr. Claudia Reardon holds an MD degree from the University of Wisconsin (USA) School of Medicine and Public Health, where she also completed psychiatry residency training. She is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin and serves as consulting sports psychiatrist for University of Wisconsin collegiate athletes. Dr. Reardon has served as Co-Chair of the International Olympic Committee’s Work Group on Mental Health in Elite Athletes and Co-Directs the IOC’s Diploma and Certificate Programs on Mental Health in Elite Sport. Dr. Reardon also has served on the International Society for Sports Psychiatry (ISSP) Board of Directors since 2010, currently serving as its Education Committee Chair, and on the National Football League’s Comprehensive Mental Health and Wellness Committee. She has published and presented widely on a number of sports psychiatry related topics and is Editor of the Book “Mental Health Care for Elite Athletes” and Co-Editor of the book “Clinical Sports Psychiatry: An International Perspective.
Prof Vincent Gouttebarge (Online)
Programme Committee
Prof. dr. Vincent Gouttebarge is a former professional footballer who played 14 seasons in France and The Netherlands. He is Extraordinary Professor at the Section Sports Medicine of the University of Pretoria and based at the Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine department of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers. He is also Medical Director at FIFPRO (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels). Prof. dr. Gouttebarge’s work focusses on a wide range of sports medicine domains being relevant in professional sports (emphasis on football), striving to protect and promote the physical, mental and social health of active and former professional athletes. He is Chair of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Mental Health Working Group, co-Director of the IOC Programs on Mental Health in Elite Sport, member of the Heading Expert Group of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), member of the Medical Committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), member of the Medical Committee of the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), member of the Medical Expert Group of the French Professional Football League (LFP), member of the Concussion in Para Sport (CIPS) group, member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Mental Health Working Group and member of the South African Sports Medicine Association (SASMA). Prof. dr. Gouttebarge is also member of the Editorial Board of the South African Journal of Sports Medicine.
Prof Alan Currie
Programme Committee
Dr Currie is founder and a former chair of the UK Royal College of Psychiatrists Sports Psychiatry Group. In 2019 he joined the International Olympic Committee mental health working group and was appointed to the Mental Health Expert Panel of the UK Sports Institute. He is former chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Society for Sports Psychiatry. He serves on TUE committees and is a psychiatric advisor to UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), the International Testing Agency (ITA) and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). He is a psychiatrist in a specialist treatment and research centre in Newcastle and visiting professor at the University of Sunderland. His research interests include sports psychiatry, mood disorders, recovery and social inclusion. He has published extensively in all these areas including editing a highly commended handbook of Sports Psychiatry (2016) and a collection of Case Studies in Sports Psychiatry (2020).
Dr Carla Edwards
Dr. Carla Edwards is a Canadian Sports Psychiatrist whose practice focuses on the treatment of mental disorders and psychological struggles in athletes. In her clinical practice, Dr. Edwards supports athletes from many National Sport Organizations, professional sports teams, Canadian Universities, NCAA, and youth sports organizations. She is the team psychiatrist for the Hamilton Tiger Cats (Canadian Football League) and Toronto Rock (National Lacrosse League), and the company psychiatrist for the National Ballet of Canada. She is a passionate advocate for the protection of athletes and safeguarding of the sport experience. Carla is the President of the International Society for Sports Psychiatry and the Secretary-Treasurer for the Canadian Academy of Sports and Exercise Medicine (CASEM).
Dr. Edwards is active in the academic setting as an Assistant Clinical Professor with the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, Chair of Student Progress for the undergraduate MD Program, and Competency Committee Chair for postgraduate psychiatry. She has published and presented extensively on various topics in Sports Psychiatry and is committed to enhancing mental health literacy among sport personnel. A particular interest for Dr. Edwards is refining practices related to athlete participation in sports when mental health symptoms and disorders are present.
Dr Brook Choulet
Brook Choulet, MD, known as The Performance Psychiatrist®, is a board-certified sports and performance psychiatrist and President of the American Board of Sports and Performance Psychiatry. As founder of Choulet Performance Psychiatry®, a multi-state concierge group practice, she serves elite athletes, executives, and high-performing professionals.
Dr. Choulet is a preferred provider for the NFLPA, NBPA, USSF, and USOPC mental health registries, serves as the contracted sports psychiatrist for ASU Sun Devil Athletics, and is the Lead Consulting Psychiatrist for the Professional Tennis Players Association and for USA Team Handball. She previously worked as a Consulting Team Psychiatrist for the NBA Phoenix Suns and WNBA Phoenix Mercury.
A frequent media contributor, Dr. Choulet has contributed articles to TIME, The Washington Post, Sports Business Journal, Forbes, and Psychology Today in addition to expert insights in USA Today and more. In addition, she regularly appears on television and at industry conferences to speak on athlete mental health, performance psychology, and mental wellness in elite populations. She has advised professional teams, athletes, and organizations on building comprehensive mental health and performance programs.
Dr Cindy Miller Aron
Cindy Miller Aron, LCSW, CGP, FAGPA, is a private practice provider/consultant to professional athletes, dancers based in Chicago, IL. USA. She is an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine/Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Ms. Aron is a national and international advocate for the provision of mental health services in sport. She is a co-founder of the Alliance for Social Workers in Sport, is a fellow in the American Group Psychotherapy Association. She is a co-coordinator of Association for Applied Sports Psychology eating disorders special interest group, Outreach co-chair for the International Society for Sports Psychiatry.
Ms. Aron was appointed to the 2013 NCAA Inaugural Mental Health Task Force, 2016 NCAA Sexual Violence and Prevention Summit, NCAA Governors’ Commission to Combat Sexual Violence, and in 2018 NCAA Sexual Violence Prevention Think Tank. In 2019 she was appointed to the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Task Force on Sexual Violence in Sport. She has been a consultant to the US Center for Safe Sport. In 2018 and 2025 Ms. Aronwas appointed to the International Olympic Committee Consensus Group on Mental Health in Elite Athletes as a content and interventional expert on trauma in sport and faculty for the International Olympic Committee Diplomate Program. She has published numerous articles and chapters on the interface of mental health and athletics.
Dr David McDuff
David R. McDuff, M.D., is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA and the founding Director of its Division of Addiction Research and Treatment and Addiction Psychiatry & Medicine Fellowship Programs. He has practiced sports and performance psychiatry for 30 years working with athletes and teams at all competitive levels including Olympic (Indian National Archery Team), Professional (MLB-Orioles, NFL-Ravens, Colts), Collegiate, and High School/Club. In addition, he is a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Mental Health Consensus Panel, Working Group and Diploma Course Advisory Board and a Founding Board Member of the American Board of Sports and Performance Psychiatry, an independent, non-profit organization established in 2024 to credential and provide mentoring opportunities for sports and performance psychiatrists who demonstrate excellence in the comprehensive care of athletes and performers, fostering mental well-being and optimal performance. He is the author of “Sports Psychiatry: Strategies for Life Balance & Peak Performance” (APA Press, 2012) that has been translated into Korean and Portuguese and The Mental Skills of Expert Archers and Coaches (D+T Peak Performance, 2024).
Dr Erin Hoare
Erin Hoare is Associate Professor of Neurodiversity and Mental Health, 2026 Fulbright Scholar, Sir Winston Churchill Fellow, psychologist, and dual code former professional athlete (netball, Australian-rules Football) with a multidisciplinary background in mental health, primary prevention, and sport. She is an Associate Professor at the University of New England where she currently acts as Acting Director, Manna Institute – a mental health research institute of over >200 affiliate researchers. She is Honorary Principle Fellow, University of Melbourne with the Neurodiversity Project Team, and Honorary Fellow at Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University. She holds a PhD (Deakin University), Master of Educational Psychology (University of Melbourne) and Master of Public Health (University of Sydney). Erin completed postdoctoral training at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, and has authored over 50 peer‑reviewed publications. She is a member of the Lancet Psychiatry Physical Health Commission. Erin also contributes to several boards, advisory groups, and public forums. In clinical practice, Erin is dedicated to neurodiversity‑affirming, culturally responsive, and trauma‑informed approaches. Outside academia and psychology, she previously played professional Australian rules football in the AFLW for Melbourne and Geelong, and netball for Melbourne Vixens and NSW Swifts. She lives and works on Wadawurrung Country, Victoria, Australia.
Prof Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen
Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen is a Professor of Physical Activity and Health at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH), affiliated with the Institute of Sports Medicine. She also serves as the Head of the Oslo Research Center for Women’s Sport, Physical Activity and Health (ORC-WSPAH) at NIH. She obtained her PhD from NIH in 1993 and has been a visiting scholar at Yale University and a visiting professor at UC Berkeley.
From 1995 to 2009, she led the Nutrition Department at the Norwegian Olympic Training Center and has held leadership positions within the Nordic eating disorder organization. She is a member of expert groups for the Norwegian Women’s Public Health Association and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), focusing on body composition, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), and mental health.
Her main research interests include the athletes’ health and specifically prevention and treatment of eating disorders, sports nutrition, REDs, elite athletes and pregnancy, and sexual harassment and abuse in sport.
With more than 250 scientific publications, Professor Sundgot-Borgen has played a pivotal role in advancing the field of women’s health in sport, particularly related to athletes and eating disorders. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to women’s health research — especially her work on athletes and eating disorders — she was awarded the King’s Medal of Merit in 2025.
She is an ACSM Fellow and has received an Honorary Fellowship from the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine (FSEM) at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI). She has also been awarded the Norwegian Research Council’s Excellence in Science Communication Award and received the Women’s Health Research Award in 2022, founded by the Norwegian Women’s Public Health Association.
In addition to her academic work, she provides guidance to elite athletes and coaches regarding REDs, eating disorders, pregnancy, and safeguarding in sport. Earlier in her career, she was a member of the Norwegian national gymnastics team and later served as a national team coach.
Dr Mark Allen
Dr. Mark Allen is a double board-certified psychiatrist specializing in child, adolescent, and adult mental health. He completed his medical education and general psychiatry residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, followed by a child psychiatry fellowship at New York-Presbyterian Hospital of Columbia and Cornell. He is the Founder of Peak Sports Psychiatry
Dr. Allen has pursued extensive, sport-specific training, including the International Olympic Committee’s Diploma in Mental Health in Elite Sport, the FIFA Diploma in Football Medicine, and the International Society for Sports Psychiatry’s Certificate of Additional Training in Sports Psychiatry. He currently serves as Chairman of the American Board of Sports & Performance Psychiatry (ABSPP) and sits on the editorial board for Sports Psychiatry: The Journal of Sports & Exercise Psychiatry.
Dr Paul Gorczynski
Paul Gorczynski (he/him), PhD, HCPC, CPsychol, AFBPsS, is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow with the British Psychological Society and a Registered Practitioner Psychologist with The Health and Care Professions Council in the United Kingdom. He works as an Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology and Mental Health at the University of Greenwich. He is a faculty member on the IOC Diploma in Mental Health in Elite Sport. His research expertise lies in the promotion of mental health within clinical, educational, and elite sport settings. Since 2021, he has co-developed and co-delivered the Mental Health in Sport training programme and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity in Sport and Exercise Psychology training programme for the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences. From 2021 to 2022, Paul served as a Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Fellow for the Women and Equalities Committee in UK Parliament, addressing LGBTQIA+ mental health service access and use during COVID-19. Paul also consults on ethics within the NHS Health Research Authority, where he chairs the London-Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee. In 2018 and 2025, Paul was an expert panel member for the IOCconsensus statement on mental health in elite athletes.
Prof Rosemary Purcell
Professor Rosemary (Rosie) Purcell is the Head of Elite Sports and Mental Health research at the Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and Orygen, Australia’s national centre for early intervention in mental health. She trained in and is a registered psychologist.
Rosie’s primary research interests are understanding mental health challenges in elite sport and developing optimal strategies to improve mental health in high-performance sporting environments. She is an external scientific advisor on mental health to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and a member of the IOC Expert Consensus Group on Elite Athlete Mental Health and the Expert Consensus Group on Youth Elite Athlete Development. As the Mental Health Consultant to Cricket Australia, she developed its Mental Health Strategy for high-performance Cricket.
Rosie has published 2 books and over 170 peer-reviewed publications, and has authored more than 30 mental health reports for various Australian sports.
Scott Sloan
Scott has over 15 years of experience in sport, mental health, and international development. He is currently the Senior Project Manager for Mental Health at the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland, where he has worked since 2022. Scott lead the team culminating in the IOC’s Mental Health Action Plan, the IOC’s strategic roadmap on the topic. Previously, he founded and led School of Hard Knocks South Africa, a sport-for-development organization serving over 3000 South African youth. He has worked across South Africa, Zambia, USA and Switzerland in various nonprofit and development roles. Scott has received awards including the MTN Social Impact Award. He holds a Master of Science in International Development from Lund University and a BA in History and Politics from Queen’s University Belfast.