Jana D. Javakhishvili

Jana D. Javakhishvili is a Professor of Psychology at Ilia State University. She actively contributes to the projects of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, focused on building resilience among media professionals and organizations. She is also heavily engaged in the projects of the Federation Global Initiative on Psychiatry (FGIP) developing institutional mechanisms for human rights-based mental health care in various countries, affected by armed conflicts and/or political oppression. She is on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and a Trustee of the Dart Center Europe (DCE).

Gavin Rees

Gavin Rees is Senior Advisor for Training and Innovation at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, an organisation which is dedicated to promoting ethical approaches to the coverage of trauma and violence. With a previous background in broadcast journalism and documentary filmmaking Gavin has been working since 2008 as a trainer and consultant to news organisations, film production companies and media support organisations in more than 25 countries. His work focuses on building journalists’ capacity to work safely and effectively on challenging stories that involve profound human rights abuses.

Luisa Ortiz Pérez

Dr. Luisa Ortiz Pérez works at the intersection of journalism, mental health, and gender-equality. As the executive director and co-founder of Vita-Activa.org, Luisa conceptualized and launched a helpline to aid women and LGBTIQ+ journalists, activists, and freedom of speech defenders, facing online violence and harassment. She has been a producer for NPR, WNYC and the BBC, and an executive manager for Yahoo! Hispanic Americas and Televisa Interactive Media. She is a mental health advocate, civic media expert, social design thinker, and nonviolent decision maker.

Diana Ivanova

Diana Ivanova is a freelance journalist, writer, documentary filmmaker, trauma-yoga therapist, and an art curator. Over the years, she has received a number of international journalistic awards for reporting. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Sofia University and specialized in cultural management in Salzburg (2003) and group psychoanalysis in Austria (2008-2014). Through her reporting as well as through her therapy and documentary work, she explores the mental impact of life under a totalitarian regime and how it affected families of former state security agents. Diana currently lives and works mostly in Germany, where she conducts seminars and workshops on the topics of trauma in the body and collective trauma. Her work also focuses on overcoming the traumatic effects of climate change on mental health.

Katerina Sergatskova

Katerina Sergatskova is an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, and safety trainer. With two decades of experience as a journalist and editor, Katerina has extensively covered wars, conflicts, and human rights issues, particularly in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Katerina was awarded the Kurt Schork Award in 2015 for her coverage of the Ukrainian conflict. She co-founded and leads the non-profit organization Daily Humanity (based in Denmark) and its Ukraine initiative, the 2402 Foundation, which provides safety training for media and civil society actors. Katerina also co-founded Zaborona Media, an independent Ukrainian online magazine focusing on human rights and contemporary culture.

Irene Caselli

Irene Caselli is a multimedia reporter and writer, with two decades of experience in radio, TV and print, now focusing on early childhood, reproductive rights, and carers. For a decade, Irene was a foreign correspondent in Latin America, reporting for the BBC, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The New York Times and others. In 2019, she started covering early childhood for The Correspondent. In January 2021, she launched her own newsletter, The First 1,000 Days, where she continues covering early childhood, partly influenced by her experience as the mother of Lorenzo and León. She is also a senior advisor for The Early Childhood Reporting Initiative at Columbia University’s Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.

Michaela Vatcheva

Michaela Vatcheva is a Bulgarian-Turkish visual storyteller. Raised during the dying days of the communist regime and the dawn of democracy, she started migrating from country to country at the age of 18. Her scrappy background and unique path inform her authentic, vulnerable storytelling. Vatcheva is moved by stories that relate to her lived experience: stories about borders, migration, state-sanctioned assimilation, and the presence or absence of family. Vatcheva had a career in television which included the French national television TF1 and PBS Wisconsin. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, a 2020 Pulitzer Center fellow, and a RTDNA scholar. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, The LA Times, Bloomberg, Der Spiegel, Brand Eins, and others.

Alexei Lazarov

Alexei Lazarov is a media professional with over 25 years of experience in journalism, media management, and research. He has a strong track record in transforming traditional media into digital platforms and has led editorial teams at Capital, a leading business publication in Bulgaria. From 2018 to 2024, Alexei served as editor-in-chief, overseeing both digital and print content and shaping editorial strategy. Prior to this role, he held positions as Managing Editor, Visual Editor, and Political Editor, where he was instrumental in producing high-profile stories and was recognized for his contributions to visual storytelling.