Dr. Wubalem Fekadu Named the 2026 Global Research Awardee
Wubalem Fekadu is an Assistant Professor at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Research and Capacity Building, Department of Psychiatry, Addis Ababa University, where he also coordinates the Mental Health Epidemiology PhD program. His research focuses on psychosis in low-resource settings, recovery-oriented measurement and care, and the intergenerational impact of severe mental disorders. He is a country lead within SCOPE (Studying the Context of Psychoses to Improve Outcomes) in Ethiopia and has contributed to participatory recovery research, servicemapping for early identification and care, and the development and validation of the ReConnect Personal Recovery Scale for Ethiopia.
A Message from Wubalem Fekadu
I am deeply honoured to receive the SIRS Global Schizophrenia Award. This recognition affirms the importance of context-sensitive psychosis research and reflects the collective efforts of my mentors, colleagues, collaborators, service users, caregivers, and trainees in Ethiopia and internationally. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue advancing equitable and pragmatic science on psychosis—linking rigorous epidemiology to implementation and policy—so that evidence can translate into better outcomes and dignified care for people living with schizophrenia and related conditions.
