Alberto Fergusson

Alberto Fergusson Bermudez, MD is a Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst from Universidad del Rosario and Consiliario of the University since 2011. Founder and director of the Foundation for the Advancement of Accompanied Selfrehabilitation in the USA, as well as entities dedicated to research, assistance and teaching in the area of mental health. He was the first to describe and use the Theory of Accompanied Selfrehabilitation; a technique that allows the rehabilitation of severe mental illness, which, after being rigorously evaluated at Yale University, is now applied in different rehabilitation centers in the US and Europe. He concurrently held the positions of Head of Mental Health and Technical Coordinator at the Ministry of Health, Bogota. As Medical Director of Caprecom, he was able to incorporate the psychological component into standard medical practice for the first time, as well as implementing the use of systematized clinical histories. He has been a recognized activist for the defense of the rights of the sick, especially the mentally ill. His abilities for social entrepreneurship and innovation made him one of the first Colombians to acquire the status of Ashoka Fellow, an entity dedicated to identifying and promoting social entrepreneurs. He has been a professor at Universidad del Rosario, Javeriana University, Universidad de los Andes, Universidad Católica, and the Colombian School of Rehabilitation where he was a member of the Higher University Council for more than twenty five years. He is currently a professor at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at Universidad del Rosario. A renowned speaker nationally and internationally, he has published more than 70 peer reviewed articles and two recent books. He is a member of the board of directors of the WAPR (World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation) and acted as its Vice President until 2018. A central promoter of the peace process in Colombia, he served as a member of the government delegation in the dialogues with the ELN. He is a frequent guest speaker at universities in Colombia, the United States and Europe.