Dr. Saadia Aseem

Prof Dr. Saadia Aseem

Introduction

Advanced mental health professional and scholar with a passion for teaching and clinical research. She is a certified trainer & Life Skills Coach, and a Mental Health First Aider. Her expertise lies in primary mental healthcare, cultural psychiatry, and global mental health. She has an extensive organizational experience in the National Health Services (NHS) and National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) in the United Kingdom leading research.

She is working as the Director and Mind Health & Well-Being Consultant at HSA Health & Wellness Centre, Health Services Academy, Ministry of National Health Services. She has established a unique Health & Wellness Centre, focusing on health promotion and disease prevention creating a comprehensive approach that addresses various aspects of well-being.

Dr. Aseem is a member of the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR). She is a Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, UK (honorary), where she supports the ethical and governance aspects of various health sciences faculty projects. She also serves as Program Coordinator for the Global Mental Health and Cultural Psychiatry Research Group (GMHCP), a multi-disciplinary team focused on promoting global mental health research. She is a Consultant at Pakistan Institute for Living and Learning Resource Centre (PILL), providing clinical research supervision and support. She conducts mental health awareness seminars and workshops.

Publications

  1. Hard to engage or easy to ignore – A multi-centre randomised controlled trial for postnatal depression in British South Asian women – ROSHNI-2:Nusrat Husain, Farah Lunat, Karina Lovell, Jahanara Miah , Carolyn A. Chew-Graham, Penny Bee, Ahmed Waqas, Matthias Pierce, Deepali Sharma, Najia Atif, Saadia Aseem , Kamaldeep Bhui , Traolach Brugha, Nasim Chaudhry , Akbar Ullah, Linda Davies, Nadeem Gire, Joe Kai, Jillian Morrison, Naeem Mohmed, Shanaya Rathod, Najma Siddiqi, Siham Sikander, Waquas Waheed, Ilyas Mirza, Christopher Williams, Nosheen Zaidi, Richard Emsley, Atif Rahman, Richard Morriss. (Submitted in Lancet 03.03.2024Under review)
  2. Psychosocial characteristics and trends of Self-harm episodes in Pakistan: Analysis of Suicide Attempt Self Injury Interview (SASII)Nasim Chaudhrya; Tayyeba Kirana; Sehrish Tofiquea; Deepali Sharmab; Ayesha Khaliqa; Sehrish Irshada; Madeha Omera, c; Amna Naureena; Usman Arshada; Afshan Qureshia; Maria Panagiotid; Sadia Aseem; Helen Bee; Nusrat Husain(Submitted in BMJ Open: Under review).
  3. Varese F, Sellwood W, Pulford D, Awenat Y, Bird L, Bhutani G, Carter LA, Aseem S, Davis C, Hefferman-Clarke R, Hilton C, Horne G, Keane D, Logie R, Malkin D, Potter F, Van Berg DD, Zia S, Bentall R. (2023). Traum-focused therapy in early psychosis: Results of a feasibility randomised controlled trial of EMDR for psychosis (EMDRP) in early intervention settings. Psychological Medicine.
  4. Chaudhry, N., Kiran, T., Obaid, M S., Tofique, S., Aseem, S., Ara Mian, J.,  Khalid, T., Qureshi, A.,  Sattar, R., Husain, N. (2022). Contextualization of Mental Health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) in primary care settings of Pakistan: A qualitative study, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110869.
  5. HusainN, Tofique S, Chaudhry IB… Aseem S. [30th author].. et al. Youth Culturally adapted Manual Assisted Problem Solving Training (YCMAP) in Pakistani adolescent with a history of self-harm: protocol for multicentre clinical and cost-effectiveness randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2022;12: doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056301
  6. Husain N, Tofique S, Chaudhry IB, Kiran T, Taylor P, Williams C, Memon R, Aggarwal S, Alvi MH, Ananiadou S, Ansari MA, Aseem S, Beck A, Alam S, Colucci E, Davidson K, Edwards S, Emsley R, Green J, Gumber A, Hawton K, Jafri F, Khaliq A, Mason T, Mcreath A, Minhas A, Naeem F, Naqvi HA, Noureen A, Panagioti M, Patel A, Poppleton A, Shiri T, Simic M, Sultan S, Nizami AT, Zadeh Z, Zafar SN, Chaudhry N. Youth Culturally adapted Manual Assisted Problem Solving Training (YCMAP) in Pakistani adolescent with a history of self-harm: protocol for multicentre clinical and cost-effectiveness randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2022 May 13;12(5):e056301. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056301.
  7. Varese, F., Sellwood, W., Aseem, S., Awenat, Y., Bird, L., Bhutani, G., Carter, L., Davies, L., Davis, C., Horne, G., Keane, D., Logie, R., Malkin, D., Potter, F., Berg, D., Zia, S., & Bentall, R. (2020). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy for psychosis ( EMDRp ): Protocol of a feasibility randomized controlled trial with early intervention service users. Early Intervention in Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13071
  8. Husain, N., Lunat, F., Shah, S., Zehra, N., Aseem, S., Begum, J., & Chaudhry, N. (2020). Culturally adapted group psychosocial intervention for BSA women with postnatal depression in UK. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 133, 110065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110065
  9. Webb, A. R., Aseem, S., Kift, R. C., Rhodes, L. E., & Farrar, M. D. (2016). Target the message: a qualitative study exploring knowledge and cultural attitudes to sunlight and vitamin D in Greater Manchester, U.K. British Journal of Dermatology, 175(6), 1401–1403. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.14800
  10. Waheed, W., Husain, N., Allen, G., Atif, N., Aseem, S., Waquas, A., Garrett, C., Sheikh, S., Syed, A., Gask, L., & Bower, P. (2015). Recruitment strategies for British South Asians in 5 depression trials: A mixed method study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 185, 195–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.06.046
  11. Lovell, K., Lamb, J., Gask, L., Bower, P., Waheed, W., Chew-Graham, C., Lamb, J., Aseem, S., Beatty, S., Burroughs, H., Clarke, P., Dowrick, A., Edwards, S., Gabbay, M., Lloyd-Williams, M., & Dowrick, C. (2014). Development and evaluation of culturally sensitive psychosocial interventions for under-served people in primary care. BMC Psychiatry, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-014-0217-8
  12. Dowrick, C., Chew-Graham, C., Lovell, K., Lamb, J., Aseem, S., Beatty, S., Bower, P., Burroughs, H., Clarke, P., Edwards, S., Gabbay, M., Gravenhorst, K., Hammond, J., Hibbert, D., Kovandžić, M., Lloyd-Williams, M., Waheed, W., & Gask, L. (2013). Increasing equity of access to high-quality mental health services in primary care: a mixed-methods study. Programme Grants for Applied Research, 1(2), XXXX–XXXX. https://doi.org/10.3310/pgfar01020
  13. Gask, L., Bower, P., Lamb, J., Burroughs, H., Chew-Graham, C., Edwards, S., Hibbert, D., Kovandžić, M., Lovell, K., Rogers, A., Waheed, W., Dowrick, C., & Group, A. R. (collaborator) (2012). Improving access to psychosocial interventions for common mental health problems in the United Kingdom: narrative review and development of a conceptual model for complex interventions. BMC Health Services Research, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-12-249
  14. Schofield, P., Crosland, A., Waheed, W., Aseem, S., Gask, L., Wallace, A., Dickens, A., & Tylee, A. (2011). Patients’ views of antidepressants: from first experiences to becoming expert. British Journal of General Practice, 61(585), e142–e148. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp11x567045
  15. Gask, L., Aseem, S., Waquas, A., & Waheed, W. (2011). Isolation, feeling ‘stuck’ and loss of control: Understanding persistence of depression in British Pakistani women. Journal of Affective Disorders, 128(1–2), 49–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2010.06.023
  16. Schofield, P., Crosland, A., Waheed, W., Aseem, S., Gask, L., Wallace, A., Dickens, A., & Tylee, A. (2011). Patients’ views of antidepressants: from first experiences to becoming expert. British Journal of General Practice, 61(585), e142–e148. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp11x567045
  17. Kovandžić, M., Chew-Graham, C., Reeve, J., Edwards, S., Peters, S., Edge, D., Aseem, S., Gask, L., & Dowrick, C. (2011). Access to primary mental health care for hard-to-reach groups: From ‘silent suffering’ to ‘making it work.’ Social Science & Medicine, 72(5), 763–772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.11.027
  18. ater, R., Waheed, W., Husain, N., Tomenson, B., Aseem, S., & Creed, F. (2010). Social intervention for British Pakistani women with depression: randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Psychiatry, 197(3), 227–233. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.109.066845
  19. Dowrick, C., Gask, L., Edwards, S., Aseem, S., Bower, P., Burroughs, H., Catlin, A., Chew-Graham, C., Clarke, P., Gabbay, M., Gowers, S., Hibbert, D., Kovandzic, M., Lamb, J., Lovell, K., Rogers, A., Lloyd-Williams, M., & Waheed, W. (2009). Researching the mental health needs of hard-to-reach groups: managing multiple sources of evidence. BMC Health Services Research, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-9-226
  20. Dowrick, C., Gask, L., Edwards, S., Aseem, S., Bower, P., Burroughs, H., Catlin, A., Chew-Graham, C., Clarke, P., Gabbay, M., Gowers, S., Hibbert, D., Kovandzic, M., Lamb, J., Lovell, K., Rogers, A., Lloyd-Williams, M., & Waheed, W. (2009). Researching the mental health needs of hard-to-reach groups: managing multiple sources of evidence. BMC Health Services Research, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-9-226