Early Career Network

Psychiatrist; Master of Psychiatry; PhD candidate, Institute of Mental Health, Peking University.
Huizi Li is a psychiatrist. After obtaining her master's degree, she worked as a resident at Shenzhen Kangning Hospital for one year, after which she chose to pursue her PhD. She currently works at Dementia Care & Research Center, so she is required to evaluate elderly people suspected of having cognitive decline. She travels to the community several times a year to conduct free assessments and clinics for the elderly in the community in order to promote awareness of dementia prevention and treatment, and often gives lectures at online networking events. Her main research interests are brain imaging of frontotemporal dementia and providing care options for families with frontotemporal dementia and follow-up.

Areas of interest: Early diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation training of (frontotemporal) dementia; Brain structure and function; Social cognition.

Dr. Mustafa Atee, PhD (Australia)

Dr Mustafa Atee is a Research and Practice Lead at The Dementia Centre, HammondCare in Australia. Dr Atee is a clinical pharmacist with a PhD that focused on improving pain management in dementia.  Dr Atee is one of the co-founders of PainChek^®, an artificial intelligence-powered pain assessment tool using automated facial recognition and analysis, and clinical pain behaviours to evaluate the presence and intensity of pain in non-verbal adults, including those living with dementia. His work has been recognised in several innovation, research, and technology awards in Australia such as the Innovator of the Year, and Western Australia Premier’s Science Awards. In 2016, he was selected as the Gold Disruptor/ICT Researcher of the Year at the Australian Computer Society’s Digital Disruptor Awards. Recently, Dr Atee has been the winner of the 2021 Curtin Alumni Innovation Award for his contribution to pain and dementia research. Dr Atee holds adjunct and honorary positions at Curtin Medical School, Sydney Pharmacy School, and Edith Cowan School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Research interests include pain in dementia, pain behaviours (e.g., facial expressions), pain management, pain education, dementia and geriatric disorders, novel models of dementia care, neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia, psychosocial interventions and person-centred care, polypharmacy and deprescribing in older adults with dementia, and use of technology in healthcare.

Dr. Tomás León, MD (Chile)

Over the past ten years, Tomas Leon – a geropsychiatrist working at the Hospital del Salvador (Chile) – has worked in several teams, both as a leader and as a member, to improve older people's mental health, people living with dementia, and their caregivers, focusing mainly on Chile and Latin America. He has participated in producing several books, articles and training programs for primary care on dementia and old age mental health, even creating free and open access programs for medical and non-medical professionals. Tomas has also participated in open community talks about dementia, ageism and old age mental health and has even written children's books about dementia to raise awareness and better explain dementia. He was also instrumental in creating the first old age mental health task force and participated in support groups for relatives of people living with dementia. From a political point of view, Tomas Leon has participated in the development of Chile’s national dementia plan and several worktables on mental health in older age. In 2022 he was named one of the Healthy Ageing 50 by the UN, 50 leaders transforming the world to be a better place to grow older.

Areas of Interest: Dementia, non-cognitive symptoms, the interaction between psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders and public policies.

Anna Tjin (United Kingdom)

Anna is a psychiatric epidemiologist based in London, Dublin, and Singapore, whose multidisciplinary research focuses on sustainable care and support systems for people living with cognitive conditions and their caregivers. Her expertise includes mixed-methods research, co-design and participatory methodologies, and the development and evaluation of mental health interventions. Her research examines how health and social care systems can better support and improve quality of life for both caregivers and people with dementia. She is particularly interested in person-centred, system-wide approaches that integrate community, clinical, and policy perspectives. She is passionate about “supporting the supporters” by highlighting the needs of those who care for others, fostering international collaborations, strengthening local research capacity, and translating research into practical interventions that improve everyday care.

Areas of interest: Dementia care, Family care, Palliative and end-of-life care, Psychosocial and person-centered care, social determinants of health inequalities.