Constance Scharff, PhD

Constance Scharff, PhD, is an explorer of both landscapes and the human spirit. An award-winning, best selling author and passionate advocate for global mental health, she journeys to some of the world’s most remote and sometimes overlooked communities to uncover how people survive and thrive in the face of adversity. As founder and director of The Human Resilience Project, she leads international expeditions that investigate the intersection of trauma, conflict, and climate change, gathering insights that challenge conventional approaches to healing.

Her work reimagines mental healthcare by integrating Indigenous knowledge, complementary therapies, and new ways of understanding resilience. From desert crossings to mountain villages, Dr. Scharff brings back stories of courage, survival, and transformation that inform her writing and research. A recent recipient of St. Lawrence University’s Sol Feinstone Humanitarian Award and a member of The Explorers Club, she embodies the union of adventure and advocacy.

Our mission is to explore and enrich human wellbeing in a dynamic global environment.

Over the next three years, Dr. Scharff will lead ten expeditions to some of the most remote Indigenous communities on Earth. Carrying the Explorers Club flag, we work in reciprocity with local researchers, elders, and healers to uncover how communities sustain mental health while facing trauma, cultural erasure, and climate disruption. These expeditions are an exchange of knowledge that blends ancestral wisdom with contemporary inquiries to build culturally grounded, globally relevant resilience practices.

This is more than research; it’s a global quest to amplify Indigenous voices and chart a stronger, more resilient future for humanity.

The time is now. Help launch the next expedition. Join us through our GoFundMe campaign and carry these voices forward into the world.