VISION:
To establish research activities and implement interventions of mental health to promote mental well-being and limit the damage caused by mental illnesses across the life span.
To organize efforts of various research and policy forums to streamline processes and guidelines under the umbrella of the health services academy.
The Academy has established robust collaborations with all provincial health departments, provincial health academies, health sector reform units, and a diverse array of development partners. These include prominent organizations such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), World Health Organization (WHO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), World Food Programme (WFP), Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KFW), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These partnerships encompass a wide range of collaborative activities, including technical inputs, scholarships, research initiatives, and multi-sector workshops.
We aim to establish implementation research at the Public Mental Health Department at HSA from the existing collaborations and mental health research carried out in Pakistan.
Our stakeholders mentioned above understand the need for sustainable local capacity in implementation research. There is a commitment from key organizations responsible for providing the environment and support to build future local leadership in implementation research. The public mental health department will promote bidirectional learning and capacity building with the help of the University of Liverpool and the University of Manchester.
There is an extreme dearth of meaningful capacity building in mental health in developing countries and we will address this by developing a structured curriculum with the help of our collaborators who have been the champion of meaningful research in low and middle-income countries. We have carefully considered key barriers to sustainable capacity-building in mental health in LMIC and address these by a) developing a tailored curriculum for implementation research, informed by real-world implementation challenges in LMIC and developing local capacity to provide sustainable leadership in this field.
Under the visionary leadership of renowned experts such as Prof. Dr. Abid Ali Malik, Prof. Dr. Atif Rahman, and Prof. Dr. Siham Sikander, the Public Health Department, in collaboration with the Human Development and Research Foundation (HDRF), has been at the forefront of revolutionizing mental health care. Since 2017, HSA has secured and successfully executed sixteen groundbreaking research grants, amounting to an impressive USD 2.0 million, primarily funded by the World Health Organization (WHO). These invaluable grants have empowered HSA to launch transformative research initiatives tackling the most urgent public health challenges. Our cutting-edge projects have seamlessly translated research findings into real-world applications, significantly enhancing health outcomes and elevating public health standards across Pakistan.
Highlighted below are some of the impactful interventions developed and tested by HDRF and the Public Mental Health Department. Through rigorous implementation research, we are providing critical insights and recommendations to policymakers at the Ministry of Health, Pakistan, driving forward our mission to create a healthier nation.
A groundbreaking initiative aimed at maternal mental health, the Thinking Healthy Program, developed and implemented by our institute, has provided cognitive-behavioral therapy-based interventions to expectant and new mothers. This program has significantly reduced postpartum depression rates, improving maternal and child health outcomes. This program was further up taken by the WHO in 2013.
We have successfully implemented the PM+ program, a WHO-recommended mental health intervention, in various communities across Pakistan. This program has equipped non-specialist health workers with the skills to support individuals experiencing common mental health problems, demonstrating significant improvements in mental health outcomes.
We have developed, adapted and implemented WHO’s school mental health program in multiple sites in Pakistan as well as internationally. Health professionals and teachers from different countries like Afghanistan, Nepal have been trained in SMHP by our team. This initiative has created a supportive environment for students, enhancing their overall academic and social development.
Recognizing the critical importance of early intervention, the EASE program has been implemented to address emotional regulation and resilience among adolescents. This program has been instrumental in fostering emotional well-being in young populations, and reducing the incidence of mental health issues.
Mental Health Department
Health Services Academy
PM’s National Health Complex, Park Road Chakshahzad , Islamabad
Email : Oric@hsa.edu.pk