Antonios Dakanalis

Antonios Dakanalis

Professor & Principal Investigator in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

University Bicocca of Milan, Italy

Antonios Dakanalis (Αντώνιος Ντακανάλης), Professor and Principal Investigator in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Milan (Unimib), was ranked among the 50 best scientists worldwide in the mental health field in 2022 and he is at the forefront of revolutionising mental health services through the innovative use of cutting-edge technology such as Virtual Reality and Artifical Intelligence.
He is director of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology & Psychiatry, the National Research Centre of Excellence for the Treatment of Eating Disorders and Weight Management, the Laboratory for Applied Digital Mental Health and many funded research and clinical projects in collaboration with leading universities.
The innovative Artifical Intelligence-based apps for smartphones developed by his team attracted mass media interest with their ability to detect early symptoms of burnout and mental distress, like anxiety and depression, having an enormous socio-economic impact, and enhance the mental health and well-being of employees, athletes and college students, offering personalised, holistic and scaled support and clinically validated wellbeing solutions accessible to everyone, anytime and anywhere.
He has also contributed to the development of the nutritional and lifestyle psychiatry field, which underscores the importance of dietary and lifestyle quality on wellbeing.
He is a member of the European Council on Mental Health and Digital Medicine Academy and has received over 45 international awards for his clinical and scientific work, which includes more than 200 publications in the most prestigious journals and encyclopaedias. His last handbook is in press and dedicated to evidence-based Telepsychotherapy and Innovative Digital Mental Health Services.
He is a member of international scientific committees that set guidelines on mental health services and provides consultancy services to public and private bodies on the prevention and promotion of mental health and the development of innovative and impactful corporate mental health and wellbeing programmes.
He is also interested in improving the quality of life of people with disabilities, chronic illnesses and psychological difficulties. He is actively involved in humanitarian and medical missions in Africa and is an initiator of campaigns to combat psychological violence and destigmatise mental illness.