CV

Education/Career
Residency in psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, Beijing Medical University, (1988-1993 )
Psychiatrist, Institute of Mental Health, Beijing Medical University, (1993-1998)
Pfizer/Old Age Psychiatry Fellowship, St. George Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne University, Australia (1996-1997)
Hubert Humphrey Fellowship, School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, USA (1998-1999)
Head of Geriatric Psychiatric Department, Institute of Mental Health Peking University, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Geriatric psychiatrist (1999-2001)
Assistant Director, Institute of Mental Health, Peking University (2000-2001 )
Executive Director, Peking University, Institute of Mental Health (2001-2004 )
Director, Peking University Institute of Mental Health (2004-2013)

Major research fields
Dementia, late life depression and psychosis, substance abuse, first onset schizophrenia, mental health and HIV/AIDS, bipolar disorders, neurocognition assessment in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Publications and Awards
Co-authored more than 165 original articles and more than 15 book chapters; Editor-in-chief of Chinese Mental Health Journal and editors of more than ten domestic and international peer-reviewed journals

Present Appointments and Titles
President of Chinese Society of Psychiatry (2013-2015);
Founding president of Chinese Psychiatrist Association (2005-2007);
Vice Chairman of Alzheimer’s Disease of China (2014-20017)

CONFERENCE ABSTRACT
Late life depression and psychosis
Depression in the elderly occurs commonly and is a major public health problem. We believe that the prevalence rates of depressive disorders among elderly people range from 0.8% in community to 5% in primary care clinics to 15% in nursing homes. Late life depression is also a heavy burden for public health in this particular age group. Depressed patients are consistently more physically and socially dysfunctional than their peers with chronic physical conditions. Moreover, late life depression can shorten the survival of patients. Psychosocial factors such as bereavement, lack/loss of social support, low income seem to play more important roles in the development of late life depression. However, biological changes in the brain are the main determination of causal mechanism in late life depression although the whole process is not very clear. Another less common mental disorder in late life is psychosis. It may include patients of early onset of schizophrenia age with psychotic symptoms as well as patients develop psychosis after 65. The therapeutic strategies against two types of late life psychosis (early onset vs. late onset) are quite different. Since the underlying pathophysiology are different: the former has more neurodevelopmental abnormalities while the latter has more neurodegenerative changes. Moreover the late onset psychosis demonstrate more visual hallucinations, more active emotional reactions, less neurocognitive impairments, and more sensitive to neuroleptics compared to those with early onset. Physical and psychosocial factors are also involved in the development of late life psychosis such as sensory impairment (e.g. vision or hearing disability), isolation, and social-economic deprivation. In summary, late life depression and psychosis need more integrated input in terms of trans-disciplinary team working: old age psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, geriatricians, psychiatric nurse, social worker, and physiotherapist.