Marco Colizzi is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Udine. He received a PhD in Neuroscience from the King’s College London where he investigated the environmental and genetic risk factors as well as the neurochemical and neurophysiological mechanisms leading to the manifestation of severe psychiatric symptoms. At the beginning of his scientific career, his work was predominantly focused on the neuropsychopharmacology and neurocognitive function of psychosis, with a special interest into the role of cannabinoids. More recently, his clinical research activity has been focusing on the implementation of psychosocial and psychopharmacological preventive strategies throughout the neurodevelopmental stages of life, with the final goal of positively modifying the course of psychiatric disorders among youth populations. His scientific work has been awarded by a number of national and international institutions.Mirella Ruggeri is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Verona. She is also the Director of the University Hospital Institute of Psychiatry, of the South Verona Community – based Mental Health Service and of the Specialization School in Psychiatry. Due to her long-lasting expertise in psychiatry epidemiology, she has been recently appointed President of the International Federation of Psychiatry Epidemiology. Over the years, she has oriented her research activity into the risk factors increasing vulnerability for severe mental disorders, by leading multicentre trials in patients who have experienced a first episode of severe psychiatric symptoms. Furthermore, she has investigated the effect of multi-element psychosocial interventions in improving severe mental disorder outcome. Recently, she has been taking her research activity one step further, by focusing into preventive strategies that may positively change the trajectory and outcome of such disorders
