Our Mission Statement
The mission of the international center is to support and facilitate multidimensional, multidisciplinary, national and international, comparative, integrative, dialogue among social scientists and scholars of other relevant fields to:
1) raise awareness of the universal importance and the ubiquitous suffering incurred through multigenerational legacies of trauma; these professionals will further develop and disseminate scientifically valid measures and growing knowledge of the nature and transmission mechanisms of trauma,
2) find ways to prevent its destructive legacies from being perpetuated to succeeding generations; as well as devise principles and programs to promote resilience, treat and assist affected individuals, families and communities to cope with their traumatic histories toward a peaceful, fulfilling future, and 3) utilize informed, stigma-free, advocacy to raise sociocultural awareness of and commitment to preventing trauma and its multidimensional, lifelong and multigenerational effects.
Specific objectives and purposes of this organization include:
* Serve as a clearinghouse for existing multidisciplinary literature and expertise, providing up to date knowledge, guidance and technical know-how for continuing national and international research on the study, prevention and treatment of multigenerational legacies of trauma. As much of the existing information is in hard copy, one function of the center will be to digitize as much of it as possible over time for broader accessibility.
* Advocate for and spearhead the implementation of these multidisciplinary strategies. Grants/awards could be made to initiatives in any relevant media to ethically, stigma-free, most effectively, sensitively and responsibly, convey findings, promote and disseminate developing knowledge. A core function of the Center is to provide ongoing training and networking opportunities, including encouraging related meetings and events.
* Devise optimal multidimensional strategies for prevention, intervention and treatment of pathogenic multigenerational legacies of trauma as well as for enhancing resilient and healthful ones. An important aim in this regard is to integrate relevant advances in all related dimensions and disciplines, such as traumatology, neuroscience, family theory, culture, anthropology, history, political science, justice, law, victimology and religion.
ICMGLT Bylaws
Download the bylaws that govern ICMGLT below.
Yael Danieli
PhD, Founder and Executive Director, New York, NY, USA and Israel
Board Of Directors
Shay Kun
MFA, Officer: Acting President, SK Art Enterprise LLC, New York, NY, USA and Israel (Son of two Holocaust Survivors)
Shay Kun has served as a member of our Executive Committee since December 2018
Dustin Stein
JD, Officer: Treasurer. Lawyer in Private Practice, New York, NY, USA
Dustin Stein has served as a member of our Executive Committee since December 2018
Dean Ajdukovic
Prof. Board Member, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Dean Ajdukovic has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2019
Diane Elmore Borbon
PhD, MPH. Board Member; Policy Program Director UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, Washington, DC, USA
Diane Elmore Borbon has served as a member of our Board of Directors since December 2019
Mary R. Fabri
Psy.D. Board Member, Co-chair Working Group on Indigenous Peoples Issues. Clinical Psychologist and Independent consultant, Women's Equity in Access to Care & Treatment (WE-ACTx) Chinle, AZ, USA
Mary R. Fabri has served as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2023
Christine Kinealy
Ph.D. Board Member, Irish Historian. Founding Director of Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University. Director of African American Irish Diaspora Network.
Ireland
Christine Kinealy has served as a member of our Board of Directors since July 2022
Harold Kudler
MD. Board Member, Chair of the Library Committee. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Harold Kudler has served as a member of our Board of Directors since January 2019
Andre Laperriere
MA, MBA, Board Member, Executive Director Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN), First Executive Director of the Trust Fund For Victims, Québec City, Canada
Andre Laperriere has served as a member of our Board of Directors since March 2019
Youssef Mahmoud
PhD, Board Member, Youssef Mahmoud is Senior Adviser at the International Peace Institute (IPI) supporting the Africa, Middle East, and peace operations programs and serving as focal point on prevention and mediation policies and practices. Tunis, Tunisia and New York, USA
Youssef Mahmoud has served as a member of our Board of Directors since January 2023
Advisory Council
Nabil Ahmed
Professor, Advisory Council Member, Trondheim Academy of Fine Art, NTNU and co-principal, INTERPRT, Norway and Bangladesh
Juan Almendares
MD, Advisory Council Member, an internationally known Honduran medical doctor, human rights activist, environmental leader and alternative medicine practitioner. Mr. Almendares is the Executive Director, Center for the Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture and their Families, Honduras
Peter Bahlawanian
Advisory Council Member, Chair of the Armenia Working Group. A producer/director with over 30 years of experience in almost every aspect of the entertainment industry, Peter is a grand-child of orphans of the Armenian genocide and an active force in protecting the Armenian culture through music, art, and film.
David M. Benedek
M.D., D.L.F.A.P.A COL (Ret) USA, Advisory Council Member, Dr. Benedek is Professor & Chair of Psychiatry, and Associate Director/Senior Scientist at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University. He is a past president of the Society of Uniformed Service Psychiatrists — the Military District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association, and a past representative to the APA Assembly.
Vera Bekes
PhD, Advisory Council Member, Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychologist. Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, New York, USA and Canada and Hungary
Fernanda Frizzo Bragato
PhD, Advisory Council Member, CNPq researcher and Full Professor of Law at Unisinos Law School (Brazil) since 2007 where she coordinates the Law Graduate Program (Masters and PhD ), teaches in Undergrad and Graduate Program, and supervises Master and PhD students. She conducts research and publishes articles in human rights theory, decolonial thinking, and indigenous rights,
Porto Alegre Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil
Donivan Brown
Advisory Council Member, the Founder and Director of the Horton-Keller Center for Traumatic Healing, Chair of the Ed Johnson Project and consultant and speaker on racial equity, justice, and healing. Based in Chattanooga, TN, USA
Caecilie Böck Buhmann
MD, PhD, MPH, LLM, Advisory Council Member, Psychiatric consultant and Medical Director of Psychatric Center North Zealand in Denmark and head of psychotraumatology committee of the Danish Psychiatric Association, Copenhagen, Denmark
Kathleen Burkinshaw
Advisory Council Member, an award winning Japanese American author/speaker and a 2nd generation Hibakusha. Her novel, The Last Cherry Blossom is a United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs Education Resource for Students and Teachers. For the past 10 years she has spoken to thousands of students around the world about the humanity under the mushroom clouds, amplifying her message of the imperative need for nuclear disarmament, Charlotte, NC, USA
David Donat Cattin
PhD (Law) Advisory Council Member, Chair of the Justice Committee. The Outgoing Secretary-General of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), and Adjunct Professor of International Law at New York University Center for Global Affairs and of the Law of International Organizations at the University of Verona Faculty of Law, Rome Italy, and New York, USA
Aaron Cohen
Film Director, Advisory Council Member Mexico City, Mexico
Roger Clark
JSD, LID, Advisory Council Member, Board of Governors Professor of Law, Rutgers Law, Camden, NJ, USA and New Zealand
Amina Duraković
MA, Advisory Council Member, Psychologist, researcher, author and activist who focuses on the Bosnian war, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Haider Elias
B.A, MS, Advisory Council Member, Co-founder, and the President of Yazda Organization. He previously worked for the U.S. government in Iraq as a translator and cultural advisor. Haider lost his younger brother in the attack against the Yazidi people in August 2014. He then became involved in helping the victims and in advocating to prevent future genocides against minorities. He co-founded Nadia’s Initiative in December 2015, dedicated to rebuilding communities in crisis and globally advocating for survivors of sexual violence. He has been traveling around the world to raise awareness of the Yazidi Cause.
Brian Engdahl
PhD, Advisory Council Member, Clinician Investigator, Brain Sciences Center, Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Shari Eppel
MSc, Advisory Council Member, Forensic Anthropology, Psychologist, Director of Ukuthula (Peace) Forensic Anthropology Team in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Catherine Filloux
Advisory Council Member, is an award-winning playwright and librettist, who has been writing about human rights and social justice for over twenty-five years. She lives in New York City, New York.
Iryna Frankova
M.D., PhD, Advisory Council Member, Chair Working Group on Ukraine Issues. Is an assistant professor at the department of clinical, neuro- and developmental psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. And she is an assistant professor at the department of medical psychology, psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy of Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine. She is a chair of Traumatic Stress Network, European college of Neuropsychopharmacology, Leiden, Netherlands
Laura Garland
Advisory Council Member, Human rights lawyer, specialised in indigenous peoples' rights (in Australia, Latin America, and Africa). Most recently, as a Human Rights Officer for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Guatemala. PhD candidate, Monash University (Australia). Granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. Melbourne, Australia
D.W. Gregory
Advisory Council Member, an award-winning playwright (Radium Girls, Salvation Road), and educator residing in Washington D.C.
Pablo de Greiff
PhD. Advisory Council Member, Senior Fellow and Director, Transitional Justice Program, Past Founding Board Member. Center for Human Rights and Global Justice School of Law, New York University, NY, USA and Colombia
Souleymane Guengueng
Advisory Council Member, a Chadian torture victim and human rights activist, who was instrumental in bringing legal action against the former dictator Hisséne Habré. Bongor Chad and New York, USA.
Zirak Hammed
BA, Advisory Council Member, educator and humanitarian advocate, Zirak is a seasoned educator, administrator, and humanitarian leader with over a decade of experience in contributing to the positive impact of education in Iraqi Kurdistan. With a BA in English Language Arts, Zirak has taught English to hundreds of children, youth and adults instilling belief in their potential. Since 2016, as founder and program manager of the Panaga Organization for Education, Zirak has led initiatives to provide quality provide programs to promote the community welfare and trauma recovery. Committed to lifelong learning and positive impact, Zirak continues to inspire and uplift others in their journey toward realizing their full potential."
Judith Lewis Herman
M.D. Advisory Council Member, Professor of Psychiatry (Part Time) at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of the Victims of Violence Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA, USA
Ajna Jusić
Advisory Council Member,
The President of 'The Forgotten Children of War' Association (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Ajna is a young activist fighting for gender equality, against sexism and sexual violence both nationally and internationally. Her primary focus is on legal and social recognition of children born out of war which includes children born of rape, children born from forced marriage, peacekeepers’ babies, and children whose fathers served in humanitarian organizations during and after war,
Bosnia, Sarajevo
Olga Kulinchenko
Advisory Council Member, Educator, researcher, member of an international team on the creation of online educational platform "Learning with interviews. Forced labor 1939-1945" and its further dissemination (2015-2020). Voronezh, Russia
Aviâja Egede Lynge
MSc., Advisory Council Member, Social Anthropology, Indigenous Rights Advocate.
Nuuk, Greenland
Adam Lupel
PhD, Advisory Council Member, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer International Peace Institute United Nations Plaza, New York, USA
Benetick Kabua Maddison
Advisory Council Member, Executive Director, Marshallese Educational Initiative, Inc. Through educational programming, MEI promotes the cultural, intellectual, and historical awareness of the Marshallese people and facilitates intercultural dialogue to foster positive social change. Springdale, AR, USA and Marshall Islands
Becky Alexis-Martin
PhD, Advisory Council Member, a Lecturer in Cultural and Political Geography at Manchester Metropolitan University. England
Francisco J. Rosado May
PhD, Advisory Council Member, Rector Fundador, Profesor Investigador Founding President, Full Professor Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo Intercultural Maya University of Quintana Roo José María Morelos, Quintana Roo, México
Sandy McFarlane
Advisory Council Member, Sandy McFarlane is Professor of Psychiatry and the Head of the University of Adelaide Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies. He is an international expert in the field of the impact of disasters and posttraumatic stress disorder. He is a Past President of both the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
Kevork Mourad
Advisory Council Member, is an Armenian artist from Syria living in New York, whose animated and live visuals have been performed in venues around the world. New York, USA
Donatilla Mukamana
Advisory Council Member, Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery / University of Rwanda Rwanda, Africa
Jacqueline Murekatete
JD, Advisory Council Member. Survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and internationaly recognized genocide prevention and human rights activist. Founder of Genocide Survivors Foundation, a New York based nonprofit organization dedicaed to genocide prevention education and providing comprehensive services & support to survivors of genocide and other mass atrocity crimes.
Donna Nagata
Prof. Donna Nagata, PhD, Advisory Council Member, Department of Psychology University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Barbara Newsom
Advisory Council Member, Communications and Management Consultant, daughter of a Nagasaki atomic veteran. Chicago, IL, USA
Fikiri Nzoyisenga
LLM, Advisory Council Member, Human rights and gender equality advocate, peace educator, and community organizer from Bujumbura, Burundi
Irene Ochem
BA, MBA, Advisory Council Member, Listed as one of Nigeria’s 100 Most Inspiring Women, Irene Ochem is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), an award-winning, pan-African organisation dedicated to fostering women’s economic inclusion and empowerment through entrepreneurship support and development. AWIEF has Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). AWIEF is a continental platform for driving inclusive economic transformation for women and works to close the gender gaps in entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa.
Victor Ochen
BSc, Advisory Council Member, Victor Ochen is the Founder and Executive Director for African Youth Initiative Network, a Ugandan human rights NGO. A United Nations Global Ambassador for Peace and Justice prompting SDG Goal 16, since 2005 Ochen serves as global advisor to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Gender, Forced Displacement and Protection. Lira, Uganda
Mary Olson
Founder, Gender and Radiation Impact Project. Advisory Council Member, Mary Olson is founder and Director of the Gender and Radiation Impact Project since 2017. She served from 1991 to 2019 as Staff Biologist and Senior Radioactive Waste Policy Analyst at US-based Nuclear Information and Resource Service, a non-government organization. Contact info: www.genderandradiation.org Cary, NC, USA
Maria Giovanna de Melo Pessoa
Advisory Council Member, Lawyer, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Ivory Coast in Pernambuco-Brazil, and Special Assistant of the State General Public Defender Office since 2016, Recife-Brazil
Leila Nadya Sadat
Prof. JD, LLM, DEA, Advisory Council Member, Leila Nadya Sadat is the James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law and Director of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute at Washington University School of Law. She has served as Special Adviser on Crimes Against Humanity to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor since 2012 St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Miriam Schiff
PhD. MSW, MA Advisory Council Member, Professor and Zena Harman Chair in Social Work at Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. She is also the chair of the Hebrew University Authority for Research Students in the humanities and the social sciences. Miriam is a social worker (MSW), a licensed school psychologist and a licensed family therapist.
Raquel Schlosser
Advisory Council Member, is a pioneering Mexican professional committed to social responsibility. A psychologist, founder, and director of civic organizations and academic institutions, she has dedicated 27 years to studying the multigenerational transmission of violence. She is a doctoral candidate in Psychotherapy with a thesis focused on creating peace communities for youth. Founder of the Bert Hellinger Institute of Mexico, she currently serves as the Rector of the Institute of Transgenerational Studies (IET).
David Seaborg
Advisory Council Member, an evolutionary biologist, passionate environmentalist educator, President of the World Rainforest Fund, speaker and poet, Nobel Prize winning chemist Glenn Seaborg's son. California, USA
Ethan Hee-Seok Shin
PhD, Advisory Council Member, Lecturer, Catholic University of Korea (Rep. of Korea); Researcher, Institute for Legal Studies, Yonsei University; Legal analyst, Transitional Justice Working Group (Seoul-based human rights NGO).
Amit Shrira
PhD, Advisory Council Member, head of the Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences Bar-Ilan University, Israel
Tuiloma Neroni Slade
LL.B., Advisory Council Member, one of the first elected Judges of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Netherlands. He has served extensively and in senior capacities in Samoa, the Pacific region and internationally. More recently he served as Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum based in Suva, Fiji; and previously as Samoa’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the United Nations based in New York, and concurrently Ambassador to the USA and High Commissioner to Canada. Samoa and Pacific Islands
Zahava Solomon
Prof., Advisory Council Member, Head of Research Center for Mass Trauma, Bob Shapell School of Social Work,
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Jennifer Trahan
Prof. JD, LLM, Esq., Advisory Council Member, Convenor, The Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression (GIPA). She is also a Clinical Professor at NYU's Center for Global Affairs and Director of their Concentration in International Law and Human Rights. New York, USA
Kan Yang
Advisory Council Member, Team Lead, Instrument Design Lab (IDL) Vice-Chair, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group (AANHPI ERG) New Opportunities Lead for Astrophysics, Instrument Systems and Technology Division (Code 550) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Antonio Zavala
PhD, Advisory Council Member, a public affairs consultant for international markets for pharmaceutical companies, and previously worked advising energy, banking, and health companies. He is currently a professor of Ethics and Political Philosophy at the Pan-American University in Mexico City, Mexico
Honorary Board
Youk Chhang
Honorary Board Member. Executive Director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia and a genocide survivor of the Khmer Rouge’s “killing fields”. Khan Daun Penh Phnom Penh, Cambodia
F. Lincoln Grahlfs
Honorary Board Member.
A World War II Navy veteran and a sociologist who has studied the effects of radiation exposure on the United States military veterans.
Madison, WI, USA
David Grossman
Honorary Board Member. A prolific, both nationally and internationally acclaimed Israeli writer, translated into over 40 languages, and an outspoken peace activist. Jerusalem, Israel
- Photographer: Michael Lionstar.
Hereditary Chief Phil Lane Jr.
Honorary Board Member. An enrolled member of the Ihanktonwan Dakota and Chickasaw Nations. The founder and chairman of the Four World's International Institute (FWII), an organization dedicated to "unifying the human family through the Fourth Way" White Rock, BC, Canada and USA
Prof. Dr. Judge Sang-Hyun Song
Honorary Board Member. Professor of Law emeritus, Seoul National University Honorary President, Korean Committee for UNICEF The 2nd President, International Criminal Court.
Setsuko Thurlow
Honorary Board Member.
Hiroshima survivor; Campaigner for International Campaign for Abolishing Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) - a recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.
Toronto, Canada and Japan
Thomas Buergenthal
Judge (Retired), International Court of Justice;
Lobingier Professor Emeritus, George Washington University Law School.
Washington, DC, USA and Czech Republic
In Memoriam
Ben Ferencz
Last surviving Nuremberg War Crimes Prosecutor.
Miami, FL, USA
In Memoriam
Hedi Fried
A Holocaust survivor, writer, and psychologist who dedicated her life to spreading the message of the importance of democracy to combat xenophobia. She was born in 1924 in the town of Sighet in Hungary (now Romania) and lived since 1945 in Stockholm, Sweden
In Memoriam
Edward Mortimer
Distinguished Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford; former Director of Communications for UNSG Kofi Annan.
United Kingdom
In Memoriam
Richard Rockefeller
MD With gratitude for his generous support for the establishment of the Center. Maine, USA In Memoriam
Donald W. Shriver
The Rev. Dr. Donald W. Shriver Jr., acclaimed ethicist and President Emeritus of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. New York, USA In Memoriam
Fred Terna
Painter, Holocaust survivor. New York, USA and Czech Republic. New York, USA In Memoriam
ICMGLT Working Groups
Intergenerational Traumatic Impact of Enslavement, Colonization on the Haitian Population Working Group
Monette Étienne Donat-Cattin
Co-founder and chairperson of the Association “Fraternita' Haitiana,” an Italian non-profit focused on Haitian cultural heritage and solidarity, Monette co-chair the ICMGLT Working Group on Haiti. Monette holds a BA in International Relations from ILERI (Paris), a Master's in Applied Social Sciences in Latin America from Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III), a Master's in International Humanitarian Law from Università “Roma Tre”, and is completing a licentiate in Leadership and Management (MA) at Pontifical Gregorian University (Rome).
Leslie Des Mangles
Leslie G. Desmangles is an anthropologist of religion who studies the religions of Africa and the Caribbean. He is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He was first president of the Haitian Studies Association and founder of the Journal of Haitian Studies. He has published widely, one of which is an award-winning book The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti.
Georges Eugene Fouron, PhD
Distinguished Professor of Africana Studies at Stony Brook University (SBU), Dr. Fouron is a seasoned educator with a career spanning more than four decades, having begun as a primary school teacher in 1979 and joining SBU in 1985. As a teacher, he speaks powerfully to the complexities of racial politics, calling attention to the Haitian diaspora and issues of transnationalism.
Dr. William Leslie Balan-Gaubert
A native of Haiti, William is a Haitian History & Society Scholar in Residence and Lecturer at the University of Chicago. With extensive studies in Haiti, France, and the United States, he focuses on and explores Haitian Vodun as both cultural memory and ethical life. Through numerous lectures and writings, Balan-Gaubert has significantly contributed to the understanding and appreciation of Haitian Vodun and its profound impact on societal and cultural dynamics.
Dr. Marie Lemy
Dr. Marie-Edith Lemy, Ph.D., MPH, is an accomplished clinical psychologist and global social justice advocate. She holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Seton Hall University and has postdoctoral training in Neuropsychology. Dr. Lemy is committed to working with at-risk youth and their families, teaching and training future psychologists and educators, and providing professional development in her field.
Ukraine Working Group
Nataliya Dobrova-Krol, Msc, PhD
Nataliya Dobrova Krol is a psychotherapist, researcher and a Doctor of Philosophy obtained in Child and Family Studies at Leiden University, The Netherlands. She works as a psychotherapist and scientific researcher at the Netherlands National Psychotrauma Center ARQ Centrum 45, Child and Family department. In addition to clinical and research work, she has a demonstrated history of working as an international consultant in the field of Early Childhood Development for such organizations as UNICEF, Eurlyaid, HealthProm.
Iryna Frankova, MD., PhD
Dr. Frankova is an ICMGLT Advisory Council Member, she is an assistant professor at the department of clinical, neuro- and developmental psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. And she is an assistant professor at the department of medical psychology, psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy of Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine. She is a chair of Traumatic Stress Network, European college of Neuropsychopharmacology, and senior researcher at ARQ Centrum 45, the Netherlands.
Iryna Maydan, MD, PhD
Dr. Iryna Maydan is a medical doctor specialized in psychiatry and psychotherapy. She works as a researcher at the Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv. As well, she is a member of ICMGLT’s Working Group on Ukraine.
Orest Suvalo, MD
A psychiatrist, coordinator of community-based mental health services development at the Ukrainian-Swiss project Mental Health for Ukraine, executive director of Institute of Mental Health of Ukrainian Catholic University, consultant of Malteser Ukraine and co-chair of the Lviv region local MHPSS group, member of Lviv military administration psychosocial working group, expert od Lviv health care department in mental health.
Mariana Velykodna, PhD
Mariana has a PhD in Psychological Sciences, is a Clinical Psychologist, EuroPsy registered psychologist (EFPA), Head of the Psychoanalytic Psychology and Psychotherapy Division of the National Psychological Association of Ukraine, certified Psychoanalyst of the Ukrainian Association of Psychoanalysis, certified Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist of the European Confederation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies (Vienna, Austria), Psychoanalyst in private practice (Kyiv, Ukraine), an Associate Professor of Practical Psychology Department, at Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University (Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine), and an Associate Professor of Psychology Department, at Ukraine Sigmund Freud University (Kyiv, Ukraine).
Oksana Yakushko
A licensed psychologist, psychoanalyst, scholar, professor, and consultant based in Santa Barbara, California, USA, Oksana grew up in Kyiv under Soviet rule through the early 1990s. Focusing her clinical and scholarly work on immigrant and refugee mental health, she currently supports efforts to aid Ukrainian against Russian aggression.
Yezidi Working Group
Zareef Abdullah
Zareef Abdullah, a 26-year-old psychology graduate from the University of Duhok, has been dedicated to providing psychological and social support after the genocide in 2014. Living with her family in Khanke displacement camp in Duhok, she navigates challenges like overcrowding and limited services at the camp. Despite these hardships, she remains committed to securing meaningful work to support her family and contribute to her community.
Basma Al Ali
She is a 24-year-old teacher from Borek village, Shingal. she holds a Bachelor's degree in English Language from the Catholic University of Erbil. She currently volunteers as an online English instructor for the Yezidi community. With over three years of experience in education, livelihoods, protection, and emergency response, She is dedicated to humanitarian work. Her first experience of humanitarian work begins as a volunteer in 2014 in refugee camps in Turkey and Iraq. She is fluent in English, Kurdish, and Arabic and she is committed to making a meaningful impact through her work.
Antisar Badal
Antisar Badal, a 22-year-old from Shingal, lives in Khanke camp and works as a translator with an NGO. Having completed 12th grade, she plans to start college this year. She has worked with various organizations as a translator and taught literacy. From 2019 to 2022, she documented Yezidi girls’ stories but paused due to their emotional toll. Antisar was once invited to Canada’s parliament but couldn’t attend due to life circumstances.
Haider Elias, BA, MS
A globally-renowned expert on Yazidis, Haider travels worldwide to advocate for Yazidis. Hader is the co-founder and former president of YAZDA, a Yazidi NGO and the co-founder of Nadia’s Initiative, an NGO headed by Yazidi survivor, Nadia Murad. Haider has served as a translator and cultural advisor for the US government in Iraq. Haider is a member of the Advisory Council of the ICMGLT.
Zirak Hameed
BA, Advisory Council Member, Co-chair Working Group on Yezidi Issues, educator and humanitarian advocate, Zirak is a seasoned educator, administrator, and humanitarian leader with over a decade of experience in contributing to the positive impact of education in Iraqi Kurdistan. With a BA in English Language Arts, Zirak has taught English to hundreds of children, youth and adults instilling belief in their potential. Since 2016, as founder and program manager of the Panaga Organization for Education, Zirak has led initiatives to provide quality provide programs to promote the community welfare and trauma recovery. Committed to lifelong learning and positive impact, Zirak continues to inspire and uplift others in their journey toward realizing their full potential.”
Dalia Jameel
Dalia Jameel, a 24-year-old master’s student at Leibniz Universität Hannover in Germany, is pursuing a Master of Arts in the North American Studies program. Dalia is originally from Iraq and is deeply passionate about literature and its power to address complex social and cultural issues. Through her studies, she focuses particularly on Yazidi-related issues and the injustices they have endured during the genocide.
Shireen Shekh Kalo, BA
A Yezidi mother of two, Shireen lives in Germany. She is a writer, poet, and researcher who has published a collection of short stories in Arabic and a book about the Yazidi Genocide on August 3, 2014 in English. Shireen has a BA in English and is pursuing an MA in English Literature. She is fluent in Arabic, Kurdish, German, and English.
Dawood Murad Khatari, MA
A Yezidi born in Hatara (a village near Mosul), Dawood is a teacher and researcher who has authored 48 collections of works related to the Yazidi Genocide, Lalish Temple, and Campaigns and Fatwas Against Yazidis during the Ottoman Empire. Dawood has an MA in Modern History and is the Head of Studies and Research at the Lalish Cultural Center in Kurdistan, Iraq.
Amelda Khudeeda
A Yazidi woman from Sinjar, with a degree in Civil Engineering, after the 2014 genocide, Amelda Khudeeda transitioned to humanitarian work, collaborating with organizations, to support survivors and communities affected by ISIS. She has advocated for victim/survivors’ rights in conferences across Iraq, aiming to secure their rightful support. Her focus is on empowering women and addressing their unique challenges in crisis zones, striving for positive, sustainable change in society.
Pir Mamou Othman
A researcher, lecturer, and the Founder of the Institute of Psychotherapy and Psychotraumatology at the University of Duhok, Kurdistan, Dr. Othman has degrees in English Literature, Psychology, and Political Science from the University of Baghdad and the Free University of Berlin. He served as a Legal Interpreter and Minister of State for Civil Society in Baghdad and was Chief of International Relations for the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Dr. Michelle Sanders
M.S.Ed., Psy.D., Advisory Council Member, Co-chair Working Group on Yezidi Issues. A clinical psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of trauma, currently works with Yezidi survivors of ISIS captivity and their children. Co-Founder and Vice Chairperson of Female Advocacy Foundation International (FAFI), a New York-based NGO
Interns
Ayda Donne
Chief Librarian, NYU, English department - PhD student
Lisa Cyuzuzo
Intern, Psychology graduate from the University of Alberta with experience in mental health research and community-based projects.
Bonnie Kirkland
Cataloging and Community Outreach Intern
Jaden Lynn
Lead Library Intern for the ICMGLT. Born and raised in Rochester, she aspires to become a BIPOC outreach librarian, dedicated to uplifting the communities she comes from. As a first-year MLIS student, she is passionate about ICMGLT’s mission and is honored to collaborate with such an incredible team.
Alexandra McMullen
Alexandra McMullen is a skilled professional with expertise in technical writing, documentation, and project management. Currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh, she has supported organizations like the LITES Network and UnitedHealth Group by managing technical documentation, social media, and user training. Her experience spans creating educational content, developing marketing materials, and improving user experience across various platforms.
Cynthia Ng
Cataloging Intern at the ICMGLT. She has almost completed her MLIS at the University at Albany and hopes to work as a full-time digital archivist.
Ann Marie Watson
Ann Marie Watson (she/her) is a library and information science graduate student at Drexel University. She is interested in creating greater access to information and hopes to use her MLIS degree to work in an archive or other information center, ideally managing content related to 20th-century history.