Peter Ventevogel

UNHCR Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Specialist

Peter Ventevogel is a medical doctor who specialized in psychiatry at the University of Amsterdam, where he also earned a PhD in medical anthropology. He has over 22 years of experience in programming for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for populations affected by violence and displacement. From 2009 to 2013, he served as Editor-in-Chief of Intervention, the Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas.

Since 2013, Peter has been working with the Public Health Section of UNHCR as their Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Specialist. He has played a pivotal role in fostering interagency consensus and guidance on humanitarian mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies, including through the IASC Reference Group for MHPSS and Sphere Standards. Additionally, he has significantly contributed to clinical tools in global mental health, such as the mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide.

Peter has been involved in operational research on mental health among refugees and conflict-affected populations, participating in several research consortia focused on scalable psychological interventions. He has (co)authored over 150 academic publications.

You can follow him on X (@VentevogelPeter) and LinkedIn (peterventevogel).