Editorial Office

Currently, an interdisciplinary group consisting of 14 academic professionals (sociologists, psychologists, doctors) works together in four teams.

Editor-in-Chief: Beáta Dávid, PhD Coordinator of the Editorial Office: Ildikó Danis, PhD Editorial Secretary: Orsolya Sármásy, Melinda Winkler
Development Strategy Group Bálint Balázs, PhD Zoltán Brys Ildikó Danis, PhD Beáta Dávid, PhD Zsuzsanna Papp, PhD Szabolcs Török, MD, PhD Orsolya Sármásy	Manuscript Management Group Georgina Csordás Ildikó Danis, PhD Beáta Dávid, PhD Cinderella Komolafe Krisztina Kopcsó, PhD Ágnes Lukács J., PhD Melinda Pénzes, MD, PhD Klára Soltész-Várhelyi, PhD Orsolya Sármásy Melinda Winkler	PR and Scientific Communication Group Ildikó Danis, PhD Zsuzsanna Papp, PhD Orsolya Sármásy	International   Relations Group Ildikó Danis, PhD Beáta Dávid, PhD Zsuzsanna Papp, PhD Szabolcs Török, MD, PhD

Editor-in-Chief

Background

I have been a professor and the director of the Institute of Mental Health at Semmelweis University since 2013. I am the coordinator of the sociological doctorate program of Mental Health Sciences and the vice-dean of Scientific and Educational Affairs at the Faculty of Health and Public Services of Semmelweis University. I serve as a research chair at the Centre for Social Sciences, HUN-REN. Since 2011, I have been the president of HUNNET, Hungarian Network for Social Network Analysis, and the chair of Home Start Hungary Trustee Board since 2016. I serve as the scientific and ethical board member of the Cohort '18 - Growing Up in Hungary research of the Hungarian Demographic Research Institute, and as a member of the habilitation committee of ELTE TáTK. I hold an MA Degree in Sociology and in English Language and Literature, and graduated at Eotvos Lorand University in 1992. My research interests include social network analysis, ego and closed networks, ethnicity networks and family and health sociology, social capital, sociology of health and family. I have written several books and papers, so far three of these latter published in Social Networks, one of the most prestigious journals in social network analysis.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

I was on the Editorial Board of the European Journal of Mental Health since my directorship at the Institute. From 2022, I have been the Journal’s Editor-in-Chief.

Purpose

I am determined that the European Journal of Mental Health will be scored higher and reach an IF in a few years. To achieve this goal, I have applied for all kinds of support; in 2022 for the first time I succeeded in acquiring a significant subsidy from Semmelweis University to renew the Journal.  Believing in teamwork, I try to encourage it through my editorial decisions to promote the Journal’s development.

Research interests

• social network analysis
• the sociology of family
• interpersonal relationships

Professional Coordinator of the Editorial Office

Background

I earned an MA and a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Eotvos Lorand University Budapest. At the beginning of my career, I worked on attachment research at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Later I served as an expert in EU-co-funded early childhood projects in the fields of health, social and educational sciences. Since 2014, I have been working at the Institute of Mental Health at Semmelweis University in several teaching and research positions. Currently, I am a senior research fellow, one of my main tasks is coordinating our doctoral program, as well as mentoring doctoral students, and another one is coordinating the work of the Editorial Office of the European Journal of Mental Health. I possess qualifications in clinical health psychology, parent-infant/young child consultation, couple and family therapy, and relaxation therapy, thus I also work as a psychologist with children, adults, couples, and families.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

From spring 2022, I have coordinated the work of the Editorial Office. Involved in all working groups of the Journal monitoring the progress of manuscripts in the editorial team, I participate in the PR and science communication as well as international relations, but a large part of my job is to define and coordinate tasks related to the strategic planning and development directions of the journal.

Purpose

In the Journal, I encourage the developmental and life span perspectives, the systems approach, and the social-ecological aspects in the background of mental health. I believe in resource-based and resilience-focused approaches in promotion, prevention and intervention programs supporting mental health. I would like the journal to be able to publish manuscripts and provide a space for professional discourse that places mental health in a broader, complex context.

Research interests

• infant and early childhood development and mental health (IECMH)
• transition to parenthood, parenting, couple relationship, and family functioning
• impact of relational trauma on the life course

Editorial Team

Bálint Balázs, PhD

Background

After I completed an MA in Sociology at Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE) and an MA in History at Central European University (CEU), I did my PhD in Environmental Sciences at Szent Istvan University (now MATE). As a founding member and Senior Research Fellow of the Environmental Social Science Research Group (ESSRG), I have acted as managing director of the ESSRG Nonprofit Ltd team since 2009. 

As an environmental sociologist, I enjoy working on knowledge co-creation in transdisciplinary, deliberative settings with diverse stakeholders. Acting as a Board member of the Environment & Society Research Network (RN12) of the European Sociological Association (ESA), I am an enthusiast of qualitative (participatory, cooperative) research methodologies.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

In the editorial team, I am responsible for optimizing editorial processes, quality assurance of the review process, and pre-screening manuscripts.

Purpose

Our well-being, mental health, resilience, and natural environment are immensely intertwined. At the European Journal of Mental Health, I am committed to strengthening the Journal’s focus on the profoundly complex mental health impacts of climate change and biodiversity extinction. I believe resilience thinking creates a solid conceptual link between mental health and the natural environment.

Research interests

• sustainable food systems and policies
• participatory methods, cooperative research
• integration of well-being, mental health, resilience thinking with access to nature, complex impacts of climate change and biodiversity extinction on our society’s mental health

 

Zoltán Brys

Background

I am a PhD-student at Semmelweis University and a Junior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Science in Budapest. I serve as a health sociologist using computational methods. My PhD research focuses on the correlates of tobacco-use-free homes. In the past, I worked as a medical editor for Clinical Neuroscience and LAM.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

In the editorial team, I am responsible for improving the Journal’s scientific and editorial quality.

Purpose

It is long known that mental health is a dynamic and multicausal phenomenon; as such, it requires a multidisciplinary approach to understand. I hope that the European Journal of Mental Health will become an important information source regarding the bio-socio-ecological approach to mental health.

Research interests

• health sociology
• social psychology of health
• sustainability and ecology

 

Georgina Csordás

Background

I obtained my bachelor and master's degrees in psychology at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, where during my studies I also worked as a peer helper and statistical demonstrator. I am completing my Ph.D. studies at the Doctoral School of Semmelweis University, in the Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Doctoral Program. The topic of my thesis is meaningful work and basic psychological need fulfillment at the workplace. I work full-time as an assistant lecturer at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology at Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, and I also teach at the Psychology Institute of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University as an external lecturer.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

In the editorial team, I am responsible for improving the Journal’s scientific and research methodological quality.

Purpose

I believe that in order to understand complex social and psychological phenomena, such as mental health and well-being, an interdisciplinary approach is essential. The European Journal of Mental Health can be a significant scientific platform where a wide range of social science practitioners and researchers can get to know each other's perspectives in order to achieve a common goal, that is: to improve the well-being of society.

Research interests

• meaningful work
• well-being at the workplace
• Self-Determination Theory

 

Cinderella Komolafe

Background

I have a bachelor’s degree in nursing (Semmelweis University) and a master’s degree in sociology (Pázmány Péter University). Currently, I am attending the Sociology Program at the School of PhD Studies at Semmelweis University. My main topic in the PhD program is Roma–non-Roma interethnic relationships and integration.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

In the editorial team, I am responsible for the pre-screening of manuscripts.

Purpose

The European Journal of Mental Health provides an opportunity for the publication of research from different scientific fields within the topic of mental health, thereby supporting the scientific dialogue on the topic. Since mental health affects several aspects of human life, we need places like this where we can read authentic scientific papers on the subject. I believe that as the issue of mental health gains more and more space in scientific life, the role of the European Journal of Mental Health will also become more and more integral.

Research interests

• ethnicities and interethnic relations
• the sociology of family
• the sociology of health

 

Krisztina Kopcsó, PhD

Background

I completed my Master's degree in Psychology at the University of Pécs in 2014, where I also obtained my PhD in the Developmental and Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programme. Since 2017, I have been working at the Hungarian Demographic Research Institute, in the Cohort ’18 Growing Up in Hungary research project, which is a nationally representative and multidisciplinary birth cohort study. In this study, I am involved in the processes of fieldwork planning, questionnaire development, data analysis, and disseminating results to academics and lay people. I have taught several courses on developmental psychology, research methodology, scientific communication and statistics at the University of Pécs and the Pázmány Péter Catholic University. I am a qualified person-centered counselor.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

As an Associate Editor, I am responsible for screening, managing the review process, and handling manuscripts from submission until publication.

Purpose

I am committed to contributing to the publication of high quality, methodologically rigorous and scientifically relevant papers in the European Journal of Mental Health. I believe that this open access journal serves as a valuable medium for interdisciplinary scientific discourse.

Research interests

• perinatal psychology
• infant and early childhood development
• socioeconomic gaps in child development

 

Ágnes Lukács J., PhD

Background

I am a sociologist, working as an assistant lecturer at the Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Semmelweis University. I currently teach sociology of health. I did my PhD in Sociology (Semmelweis University) in 2019. My research primarily focuses on social relations and social support.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

I serve as an Associate Editor, responsible for screening and following the manuscripts from submission to publication.

Purpose

The European Journal of Mental Health creates a very special and inspiring interdisciplinary forum displaying the latest research results on well-being from the viewpoint of different disciplines.

Research interests

• social network analysis
• the sociology of health
• ethnicities

 

Zsuzsanna Papp, PhD

Background

I hold master’s degrees in communication and media studies, Hungarian language and literature, and psychology from Eotvos Lorand Science University. I consider myself a psychologist with an interdisciplinary approach and systemic thinking both in practice and in research. I carried out my PhD studies at the Mental Health Sciences Doctoral School of Semmelweis University. My research is focusing on the effectiveness of psychosocial rehabilitation programs for children with serious illnesses and for their families. Since 2020, I have worked at the Institute of Mental Health in curriculum development, also lecturing in various graduate and postgraduate programs. 

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

In the editorial team, I am responsible for internal and external communication.

Purpose

Mental health is in the “zeitgeist”, and is evolvingly present in more and more facets of our societies. The European Journal of Mental Health is committed to supporting and publishing quality research grasping the inter- and transdisciplinary complexity of mental health, contributing to its better understanding. I believe the European Journal of Mental Health has the potential to become a lively, diverse, in-depth- and scientifically significant platform for the common cross-sections of various applied sciences.  

Research interests

• psychosocial rehabilitation programs for seriously ill children
• wellbeing of families raising children with chronic conditions
• couple and family interventions from a systemic perspective

 

Melinda Pénzes, MD, PhD

Background

I hold an MD degree from the University of Szeged, Hungary, and have a postgraduate specialty in preventive medicine and public health. I did my PhD in Health Sciences (Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary), and I am also a trained smoking cessation counselor. Currently, I work at the Health Services Management Training Centre at Semmelweis University as an assistant professor. I am involved in national and international research projects in the field of tobacco and nicotine science, adolescent health behavior, and prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases since 2007.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

I am an Associate Editor of the European Journal of Mental Health; responsible for screening and handling manuscripts.

Purpose

The broad spectrum of mental illnesses and the changing landscape of threats to mental well-being highlights the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in mental health research. The European Journal of Mental Health provides an open-access scientific platform for scientists to share their most recent findings on mental health issues in culturally and socially diverse European populations.

Research interests

• health behavior related to significant lifestyle risk factors,
• individual and population-level behavior change interventions,
• public health aspects of mental health.

 

Klára Soltész-Várhelyi, PhD

Background

I am a data scientist working in the field of humanities and social sciences as a researcher and statistician. I also work as a teaching assistant at Pázmány Péter Catholic University. I graduated in psychology and cognitive sciences but studied computer science and data visualization as well. I consider free information sharing essential for the development of science; therefore, I regularly give open lectures on methodological topics, and I have more than 500 freely available tutorial videos and numerous tutorial documents at stathelp.hu.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

In the editorial team, I am responsible for the methodological review of manuscripts.

Purpose

The European Journal of Mental Health strives to offer a reliable platform for mental health research. I hope that my methodological skills will help the Journal to publish well-founded quality research and stand as a scientifically significant platform in its field.

Research interests

• Complex structural modeling of human psychological states
• Exploring the factors moderating or mediating the observable effects.

 

Szabolcs Török, MD, PhD

Background

I am a pediatrician, psychotherapist, family therapist, and professor at the Institute of Mental Health, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

I am one of the editors at the European Journal of Mental Health, mainly responsible for international connections.

Purpose

I am convinced that to find real answers to current challenges to our mental health means/equals taking a systemic approach to the impacts we all face. The European Journal of Mental Health can be an excellent forum for the scientific study of all these impacts and answers.

Research interests

• connection between adult attachment and romantic relationships
• theory and practice of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
• systemic approach to psycho-social rehabilitation of chronic and life-threatening pediatric diseases

 

Orsolya Sármásy

Background

I hold a master’s degree in Sociology and English Language and Literature. In my previous positions, I have worked as a coordinator of projects related to humanitarian aid and social inclusion. I also gained experience in the funding-monitoring aspects of project implementation. Visibility of scientific results is another field I have been active in.   

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

As one of the editorial assistants, my main role is to follow the life of manuscripts from submission to publishing and provide support for authors and editors in the publishing process.

Purpose

I do hope that my organizational skills will contribute to the smooth workflow of the Editorial Office. I am also keen to develop the publishing process to be more suitable for prospective authors.

Professional interests

• visibility of organizations active in the field of social sciences
• dissemination of scientific results
• sociology and psychology in general

 

Melinda Winkler

(on maternity leave)

Background

I hold a master’s degree in Sociology (Pazmany Peter University, Piliscsaba, Hungary) and completed a Mental Health and Organizational Development Specialist Training Course (Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary). For the most part of my professional activities, I have worked in social inclusion programs for adults with disabilities as a social worker. I am interested in a wide range of projects aimed at social inclusion.

Role at the European Journal of Mental Health

As one of the editorial assistants, my main role is to communicate, organize, and watch the deadlines carefully.

Purpose

In my opinion, the European Journal of Mental Health provides a great forum for promoting quality research on human well-being, and exploring new ways of tackling ecological problems. The European Journal of Mental Health also offers a good opportunity to support international collaboration between scientists.

Professional interests

• social inclusion programs for marginalized groups or minorities
• mental health prevention programs
• support schemes for local community programs