The Global Mental Health Action Network is a free to access membership organisation established to connect people and resources to promote better mental health awareness and provision.

 

We are a community of advocates, focused on building the political and social will to make mental health services accessible globally. Our work is guided by the most pressing issues identified by our members. 

Joining the network will connect you to others who share your commitment to mental health for all; and give you access to up to date resources, ideas, and perspectives from around the world.

It will also give you the chance to work together with other members on campaigns and projects. We refer to the WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030 to guide our work.

 Why join the network?

  • Collaborate

    There is power in partnerships. With the breadth of members in the network, you will find people to work with across sectors, topics and regions. Fresh ideas, different perspectives and new relationships with like-minded people from around the world.

  • Coordinate

    Learn what others are doing, as well as how and when they are doing it. You will discover new opportunities to join in and align with the work of other members, and to amplify and recruit more advocates to your own initiatives.

  • Knowledge

    Enjoy direct access to experts and expert resources from around the globe, to inform your own work. And take the chance to contribute your own expertise, working together with other members to build evidence to develop policy positions, recommendations and campaigns that will deliver lasting change.

  • Reach and influence

    As the largest global mental health network focused on advocacy, our members participate in working groups designed to accelerate political and financial support for global mental health through joint communications and advocacy projects.

Please note that network members who work for pharmaceutical companies will be asked to declare this, as well as to cite any conflicts of interest, when participating in any network forums. 

Further information on this and the principles that drive our network can be found in our Terms of Reference

Our advisory board

Our advisory board provides the strategic direction for our network and, as a part-appointed and part-elected body, it represents. 
Appointments and elections to the advisory board take place on an annual basis. Appointed Board Members: 2021 - 2022


 

Devora Kestel

World Health Organisation representative (observer): Devora Kestel, WHO Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use.

Country Base: Switzerland

 

Ann Willhoite

UN agency: Ann Willhoite, Mental Health Advisor, UNICEF

Country Base: South Africa

 

Sarah Kline

Host Organization: Sarah Kline, Co-founder and CEO, United for Global Mental Health

Country Base: UK

Elected Board members

  • Africa Region: Khira Geoffrey Omega

    Project Manager - Mental Health and Wellbeing,
    Basic Needs Basic Rights.
    Country base: Kenya

    Khira is a Medical Psychologist and Clinical Researcher with extensive experience as a psychiatric practitioner, from community level to major referral hospitals in the country. He is currently working extensively across Kenyan Universities to improve the provision of mental health support services, and is very passionate about changing the mental health narrative globally.

  • Americas Region: Erin Pfeiffer

    Senior Technical Advisor in Health and Nutrition, Food for the Hungry
    Country base: USA

    Erin is a Senior Technical Advisor in Global Health and Nutrition with 15 years experience designing and managing development and research initiatives worldwide. She spearheaded a Ugandan randomized controlled trial on maternal depression and actively led a global Knowledge Sharing Series on caregiver mental health and its connection to health, agriculture and nutrition outcomes.

  • South-East Asia Region: Raj Mariwala

    Director, Mariwala Health Initiative
    Country base: India

    Raj is Director of Mariwala Health Initiative (MHI) - an organization that works toward a community-based, nation-wide mental health ecosystem. MHI works with civil society, funders, business and government to foreground mental health. With a background in feminist organising, experience of working in Mercy Corps International and in the for-profit field, Raj undertakes strategic thinking, communication and philanthropic outreach.

  • Europe Region: Robert van Voren

    Chief Executive, Human Rights in Mental Health - FGIP
    Country base: Lithuania

    Robert van Voren is Chief Executive of the international foundation - Human Rights in Mental Health-FGIP, and Professor at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania and Director of the Andrei Sakharov Research Center. He is an Honorary Fellow of the British Royal College of Psychiatrists and Honorary Member of the Ukrainian Psychiatric Association.

  • Western Pacific Region: Brian J. Hall,

    Professor, University of Macau; John Hopkins Bloomberg School
    of Public Health
    Country base: China

    Brian is a clinical psychologist, psychiatric epidemiologist, and Director of the Global and Community Mental Health Research Group, University of Macau, and Associate Faculty, Department of Health Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Inaugural APA-IUPsyS Global Mental Health Fellow of the World Health Organization. He has published over 160 journal articles.

  • Lived Experience: Charlene Sunkel

    Founder and CEO, Global Mental Health Peer Network
    Country base: South Africa

    Ms Sunkel is the Founder/ CEO of the Global Mental Health Peer Network. Her work in mental health, advocacy and human rights was inspired by her own lived experience with schizophrenia. She authored several papers from a lived experience perspective and provides technical assistance on several boards and committees.

  • Eastern Mediterranean Representative: Brigitte Khoury

    Associate professor, Clinical psychologist,
    American University of Beirut
    Country base: Lebanon

    Brigitte is associate professor and clinical psychologist at the American University of Beirut. She is also a consultant, working with the World Health Organization, other UN bodies and NGOs. She is the founding president of the Lebanese Psychological Association, and the vice president of the Arab Union of Psychology, the President of Division 52 (International), American Psychological Association. Brigitte is also an Executive board member at the International Union of Psychological Science.

  • International agency: Stella Tan

    UNDP
    Country base: Malaysia/Switzerland

    Stella is a public health and policy professional, with experience in research, policy advocacy, strategy and project management. She is passionate about global health issues specifically in mental health, public-private partnerships, health security and diplomacy. Stella is experienced in multi-stakeholder engagement with governments, foreign missions, academia, private sectors, and NGOs to implement UN standards in laws and policies concerning public health and gender equality. She holds a Master of Public Health and enjoys music, dance, traveling (put on hold for now) and trying new recipes during her free time. She’s excited about using innovative solutions to address gaps and achieve equitable access to mental health services in low-resource countries.

  • Youth: Lian Zeitz

    Director of Youth Engagement, citiesRISE
    Country Base: USA

    Lian is a young mental health advocate with lived experience working to make sure all people are supported with dignity. As a young leader in the global mental health sector, he has served in an advisory role for a United Nations Special Envoy for Mental Health and serves on international committees hosted by the World Psychiatric Association and The Lancet Commission.

  • International CSO: Damian Juma

    East Africa Program Director, International Mental Health Association Country base: Kenya

    Damian Juma is a medical psychologist and mental health advocate from Mombasa, Kenya. He has been involved in several global mental health initiatives, where he strives to elevate the voices of young people. Starting in 2019, he was a Kenyan Representative to My Mind Our Humanity. In this role, he worked with a team to organize events for hundreds of students that brought music, art, dance and story-telling together to tackle stigma and educate about mental health. In 2020, he served on two Advisory Boards, one that he continues to serve on (Healthy Brains Global Initiative). Damian strives to build spaces that are increasingly inclusive and accessible, taking into account the voices that aren't at the table and advocating tirelessly. He stays actively involved with The Lancet Commission and is currently the East Africa Program Director for the International Mental Health Association. In this role, Damian is working to engage young people across five coastal counties in Kenya in the design, implementation and evaluation of a youth-focused mental health capacity building program. Damian's ethics, insight and passion for this field would make him an excellent addition to our Advisory Board.

 Our secretariat

United for Global Mental Health is the host organization for the network and manages the secretariat.

How we are funded

The Global Mental Health Action Network is supported by the generosity of corporate philanthropy and private foundations. We do not accept funding from pharmaceutical companies.

As a member of the Global Mental Health Action Network you will have access to our: 

With more than 1800 members from academia, governments, international organisations, NGOs and the private sector, from over 110 countries there are many reasons to be part of our growing network.

Mental health campaigners and advocates – including those with lived experience – come from an incredibly diverse range of backgrounds. Our membership reflects this, including representatives from the World Health Organization, UN agencies and other global policymakers; and a wide variety of civil society organisations, international non-profits and funders, and private companies. 

We know that mental health is influenced by everything from socio-economic conditions, gender and ethnicity, to sexuality and the attitudes and beliefs of individual communities. We therefore endeavour to work with partners who reflect this diversity. 

Through our work, we amplify voices of multiple perspectives – securing and promoting platforms for communities to represent themselves, while seeking to identify and support the mental health needs of those most often marginalised in their societies. Central to this approach are international norms and standards, most notably the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This calls for the full realisation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all people with disabilities, without discrimination of any kind on the basis of disability.