"After the wonderful experience of my training In the iMHLP fellowship program I returned home with a hope to do research and I was very successful… The programme gave me an insight to the research and I started few projects. With the support of my friends and colleagues I was able to publish seven research articles in indexed journals. Moreover I have trained about nine trainees of psychiatry in research and thesis writing. This achievement is all because of the fellowship program which gave me an insight into research and the basics of
programmes for policy implementation."
Dr. M. Nasar Sayeed Khan,Pakistan
2008 iMHLP
This is the 7th year that the Melbourne-Harvard International Mental Health Leadership Program (iMHLP) has been offered. It was the first program of its kind and has now been joined by a number of mental health leadership programs being offered in various parts of the world, including a program designed specifically for Australian mental health clinicians, the Australian Mental health leadership Program (ausMHLP).
There is now a network of almost 100 graduates of iMHLP in 18 countries and territories, predominantly in Asia and the Pacific. Many of these graduates are making substantial contributions to mental health system development in their own settings and internationally. The program is linked to the annual International Mental Health System Development Conference, which has been held in Melbourne, Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei. The December 2008 IMHSD Conference will be held in Hanoi, in Indonesia in 2009, and Thailand in 2010. The program is also linked to workshops focused on specific topics that have been held in a number of countries.
Note: Participants can enroll for either one of these courses or both Leadership for Mental Health System Development and Mental Health Systems Research
Leadership for Mental Health System Development
2008 Dates: Two-week program: 4-15 August 2008
Program location: University of Melbourne
Program Description
Course objectives:
“The global situation for people with mental illness – in developing and developed countries – is dire. Legislative and human rights protections are frequently lacking. Mental health budgets are inadequate. There are insufficient numbers of skilled policy makers, managers and clinicians. Communities are poorly informed about mental health and illness and not well organised for purposes of advocacy. In most of the world, mental health services are inaccessible or of poor quality. Most people who would benefit from psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation do not have affordable access to such services. Leadership – at all levels – for mental health system development needs to be greatly strengthened… There is a need to focus on the development of effective, appropriate urge, affordable mental health services.”
Minas & Cohen, Why focus on mental health systems? International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 2007, 1:1
Who is the program for?
Mental health professionals of all disciplines who wish to make a contribution to the development of mental health systems that protect and enhance the human rights of people with mental illness and that are effective, appropriate, accessible and affordable.
Teaching content:
Evidence for scaling up CMH services:
• Why scale up
• What to scale up
• Where to scale up
• Impediments to scaling up
How to scale up CMH services:
• Policy and legislative context
• Current mental health systems: challenges and opportunities
• Mental health system performance
• Levers for change
• Leadership for system change
• Stakeholder and political analysis
• Mental health system design
• Mental health workforce
• Mental health in primary care
• Sustaining development and reform
Relevance:
The program will enable participants to constructively engage in, and to lead, policy and service development
Mental Health Systems Research
2008 Dates 5-day program: 18-22 August 2008
Program location: University of Melbourne
Program Description
Course objectives:
“The research effort in mental health is committed to neuroscience and clinical research – discovering causes of and treatments for mental disorders. Of course these areas of research are vital and will continue to be vigorously pursued. However, it is well to remember that the new and better treatments that are discovered cannot be delivered in the absence of functioning mental health systems. While mental health research attention and funds are devoted predominantly to neuroscience and clinical research, we believe that the highest global mental health research priority is mental health systems research.”
Minas & Cohen, Why focus on mental health systems? International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 2007, 1:1
Because the evidence for mental health system development is weak – due to neglect of mental health systems research – the most important decisions on mental health policy and service design are made on the basis of opinions held by decision-makers. An important early strategy in developing the necessary evidence is to identify expert consensus where it exists. This is a strategy that is widely used, for example in the development of clinical practice guidelines. One of the most rigorous research methods for identifying consensus is the Delphi method.
Who is the program for?
Mental health professionals of all disciplines who wish to make a contribution to the development of mental health systems that protect and enhance the human rights of people with mental illness and that are effective, appropriate, accessible and affordable by carrying out research that will inform mental health system development.
The course will examine different types of mental health systems research studies and will particularly focus on Delphi studies.
Teaching content:
? Introduction to mental health systems research
? Uses of, and proficiency in, Delphi consensus methods
? Designing a specific research project
Relevance:
This 5-day intensive course will introduce participants to the principles of mental health systems research and will focus on the skills required to carry out Delphi studies. At the end of the course participants will have a clear understanding of the principles of mental health system research and will be able to carry out Delphi consensus research. Course participants will be invited to collaborate with Centre for International Mental Health academic staff in the conduct of research projects in their home settings.
Applications close Friday 13 July.