Dr. Karyotaki will focus on the critical question of how-to better match psychotherapy to individual patients. Although research has shown that psychotherapy effectively reduces symptoms of mental disorders, many patients do not benefit. Her research seeks to find the reasons behind these outcomes and develop more personalised, evidence-based treatments. ‘I use individual patient data (network) meta-analysis to examine clinical data. This way, we can identify which patients benefit most from specific types of treatments, with a special interest in scalable treatment delivery formats like internet-based interventions and task-sharing.’

Prioritising timely and effective mental health treatment

Mental disorders affect millions worldwide. This leads to significant suffering and a persistent global health burden. Unlike other major causes of morbidity such as heart disease, the burden of disorders like depression has not improved much over the past decades. ‘Precision interventions can help us optimise existing treatment resources and reduce the global burden of mental illness, offering hope and relief to individuals worldwide.’, says Karyotaki.

Eager to help train the next generation

Dr. Karyotaki looks forward to collaborating with colleagues in the department’s strong experimental clinical psychology research community. She aims to expand her work on precision interventions for complex mental health issues and contribute to the development of innovative education in psychopathology and precision psychology. ‘This chair offers an exciting opportunity to explore how personalised treatments can truly make a difference for people living with mental disorders,’ Karyotaki explains. ‘I am eager to help train the next generation of researchers and clinicians who will lead advancements in this important field.’

About Eirini Karyotaki

Dr. Karyotaki has an academic background in research in clinical psychology. Her work has been widely published in leading journals, with particular recognition for her contributions to understanding the effectiveness of psychological interventions for depression. During her Ph.D. trajectory, she focused on systematic reviews with specialization on conventional and individual participant data meta-analyses. She has been involved in several international projects, such as the EU Horizon 2020 E-Compared project and in the development of treatment guidelines, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Gap programme.