Join us at the launch of Project SAMA.

About this event

The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, NIMHANS (India) and the University of Leeds (UK) jointly host the launch of Project SAMA.

Date: Wed 29th September

Time: 2:00pm-4:30pm IST / 9:30am-12:00pm BST

Venue: Online

Cost: Free of charge

Book your tickets here.

Who should attend: This event can be attended by stakeholders of adolescent mental health: Block Education officers, Heads of schools, Teachers, Researchers, Mental health professionals, personnel from the NGOs working in the area of school and adolescent mental health.

Event Programme

2:00pm Welcome Address

Dr. Dhanasekara Pandian, HOD, Dept. of Psychiatric Social Work, NIMHANS, Bengaluru

2:05pm Background of Project SAMA

Dr Janardhana N. Professor & Principal Investigator Dept. of Psychiatric Social Work NIMHANS, Bengaluru

2:10pm Key aspects of Project SAMA

Dr Siobhan Hugh-Jones Associate Professor in Mental Health Psychology School of Psychology University of Leeds, UK

Launch of the event

2:20pm Inaugural Address

Hon’ble Minister, Sri B.C. Nagesh Dept. of Primary and Secondary Education, Government of Karnataka

Mr. Vishal, IAS Commissioner Dept. of Public Instruction, Government of Karnataka

2:45pm Presidential Address

Dr Pratima Murthy Director NIMHANS Bengaluru

2:55pm Vote of Thanks

Dr. B. S. Shankaranarayana Rao Registrar NIMHANS Bengaluru

Scientific Sessions

Moderator Dr Pavan Mallikarjun, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham.

3:00pm Session 1 : Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Dr. Janardhana N Professor Dept. of Psychiatric Social Work NIMHANS, Bengaluru

3:15pm Session 2 : Engaging with Policy Makers

Dr Tolib Mirzoev Professor of Global Health Policy Department of Global Health and Development London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Effective policymaking typically entails inclusive decision-making and use of rigorous evidence in policy decisions. Involvement of policy actors beyond the policymakers e.g., practitioners and beneficiaries of policies and service users – enables making policies more responsive to the local needs.

In this session, we will share results of our analysis of the role of evidence in mental health policy-making in India, specifically focusing on the opportunities for enhancing the engagement of youth groups and utilisation of available evidence.

This session will deploy a participatory approach, informed by initial presentation of emerging findings from the SAMA study, to leverage and unleash participant experiences to (a) validate the findings and (b) jointly reflect on the feasible strategies for improving inclusive and evidence-informed mental health policymaking in Karnataka.

3:30pm Brief summary of Session 2 in Kannada

Dr. Mutharaju A Project Manager SAMA, NIMHANS

3:35pm Session 3 : School Mental Health Programme

Dr Rameela Shekhar, Mental Health Professional, Manashanthi Clinic, Mangaluru

3:50pm Networking and Way Forward

Dr Poornima Bhola Professor Dept. of Clinical Psychology NIMHANS

4:00pm Q&A

Moderated by Dr. Pavan Mallikarjun, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham

4:15pm Event Conclusions

Dr Siobhan Hugh-Jones, Associate Professor in Mental Health Psychology, University of Leeds, UK