Introducing 3 New CREST Network Members!

We’re delighted to announce the addition of three new members to the CREST network! Please join us in congratulating Dr. Tamsyn Van Rheenen and Maj. Gen. Gregg F. Martin, and Sara Schley in becoming network members.

All 3 new members have also participated in our 2023 World Bipolar Day “Ask Me Anything” event. Sara and Gregg, who both live well with bipolar disorder, also shared their stories our talkBD podcast this year. Read their bios to learn more about their contributions:

Dr. Tamsyn Van Rheenen

Associate Professor Tamsyn Van Rheenen is a Principal Research Fellow, Al and Val Rosenstrauss Fellow, and Head of the Mood-Psychosis Spectrum Group in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her research aims to characterize cognitive difficulties in mental health conditions, particularly bipolar disorder, and understand the mechanisms behind them. She also holds several leadership appointments, including as the Department of Psychiatry Research Committee Deputy Chair, Chair of the Early-Mid Career Committee of the Australian Centre for Research Excellence in Bipolar Disorders (CORE-BD) and as the incoming Oceania Regional Director on the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Board of Directors.

Maj. Gen. Gregg F. Martin

Gregg F. Martin, PhD, Major General, US Army (Retired), served on active duty for 36 years, until May 2015. He is a combat veteran, Bipolar Survivor and Thriver, Airborne-Ranger-Engineer qualified soldier, and Army Strategist. He is married with three sons, two of whom are Army combat veterans, and one an artist. His wife is an “Army brat” and heroine for persevering though their Army career and surviving and overcoming their bipolar ordeal, which has been the toughest fight of their lives. They live in Cocoa Beach, FL, where he is writing, speaking, and sharing his story of “battling bipolar disorder” to help save lives and stop the stigma.

He is author of the highly acclaimed book, “BIPOLAR GENERAL: My Forever War with Mental Illness”. To learn more, visit www.bipolargeneral.com

Sara Schley

Sara Schley is the author of the acclaimed memoir, BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum. She is a business consultant, speaker, and author who has led organizational transformations at renowned companies around the world. She is a mother, grandmother, community leader, and has been married to a great guy for twenty-six years. She also has a Bipolar II brain, on the Bipolar Spectrum. Sara has kept this mostly a secret for four decades. Until now. She is choosing to tell her riveting story – from broken to blessed – to save lives, end stigma, and optimize healing for millions. Sara is also a writer and producer of BrainStorm – an upcoming film inspired by her memoir.