Gender (in)equity in global mental health research: A call to action

In this commentary, we build on work by Gurung and colleagues which highlighted gender inequity in the global mental health research workforce in Nepal (Gurung et al., 2021). We seek to increase awareness of the under-representation of women in global mental health research and its consequences, and we call for change. By women, we refer to all people who identify as women, including trans people. The commentary is informed by conversations with women who are global mental health researchers in the Global North and South at various stages of their careers.

Members of the Women in Global Mental Health Research Group who have contributed to and signed this call to action:

Melanie Amna Abas, MD (Res), Professor, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Binita Acharya, BPH, Research Officer, TPO Nepal, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pokhara University
Ayesha Ahmad, PhD Reader in Global Health Humanities, St. George University London
Shalini Ahuja, PhD, Lecturer in Health Systems & Implementation Science, King's College London
Katie H. Atmore, MSc, GMH Researcher, Department of Global Health & Social Medicine, King's College London
Sofia Astorga-Pinto, MSc/PhDc, Health Services and Population Research Department, King's College London
Barbara Barrett, PhD, Reader in Health Economics, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Urvita Bhatia, Msc, Global Challenges Research Fund Doctoral Researcher, Sangath, India and Oxford Brookes University
Dominique Behague, PhD, Associate Professor and Reader, Vanderbilt University & Department of Global Health & Social Medicine, King's College London
Dörte Bemme, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, King's College London
Theresa Betancourt, ScD, MA, Salem Professor in Global Practice, Boston College School of Social Work
Mary Bitta, Bsc, Msc, DPhil, Neurosciences department, KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Rochelle A. Burgess, PhD, Associate Professor in Global Health, Institute for Global Health, University College London
Erica Breuer, PhD, Honorary Lecturer, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Australia
Liana E. Chase, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Durham University
Cemile Ceren Sönmez, PhD, Assistant Professor and Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty at Koç University and Postdoc at King's College
Enryka Christopher, MSc, Clinical Research Specialist, 1. Trauma and Community Resilience Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; 2. Center for Global Health, University of Illinois at Chicago
Jayati Das-Munshi, PhD, FRCPsych, Clinical Reader, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London
Paola Dazzan, PhD, Professor, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London
Mekdes Demissie, PhD, Assistant Professor, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Ethiopia; Centre for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Studies for Africa (CDT-Africa), College of Health Science, Addis Ababa University
Sumaiyah Docrat, MPH (Health Economics) PhD, Health Economist & Health Systems Consultant, Independent Scholar
Nicole D'souza, PhD, Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University
Ngozi Enelamah, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of New Hampshire, College of Health & Human Services, Department of Social Work
Sara Evans-Lacko, PhD, Associate Professorial Research Fellow, Care Policy and Evaluation Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science
Hena Faqurudheen, MSW, Psychotherapist, Hank Nunn Institute, India
Gracia Fellmeth, DPhil, Clinical Research Fellow, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford
Helen L. Fisher, PhD, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, 2. ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, King's College London
Jane Fisher, Professor of Planetary Health, Monash University
Kimberley Goldsmith, MPH, PhD, Professor of Medical Statistics and Complex Intervention Methodology, Department of Biostatistics & Health Informatics
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Executive Director, Rozaria Memorial Trust
Dristy Gurung, MSc, Research Manager/PhD candidate, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal; Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King's College London
Rachel Greenley, MSc, Research Fellow in Global Mental Health and Health Services Research and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Petra C. Gronholm, PhD, Research Fellow, Centre for Global Mental Health, Centre for Implementation Science, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London
Charlotte Hanlon, PhD, Professor, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Centre for Global Mental Health; Addis Ababa University, Department of Psychiatry
Seeromanie Harding, PhD, Professor of Social Epidemiology, King's College London
Weeam Hammoudeh, PhD, Assistant Professor, Institute of Community and Public Health, Birzeit University
Simone Honikman, MBChB MPhil, Associate Professor and Director, Perinatal Mental Health Project, Centre for Public Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town
Helen Jack, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
Rebecca Jopling, Research Associate, King's College London
Hannah Maria Jennings, PhD, Lecturer in Global Mental Health, 1. Department of Health Sciences, Univerity of York; 2. Hull York Medical School
Jasmine Kalha, MPhil, Research Fellow, Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, Indian Law Society, Pune
Malinda Kaiyo-Utete, PhD, Mental Health Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe
Roxanne Keynejad, PhD, NIHR Clinical Lecturer in General Adult Psychiatry, King's College London
Hanna Kienzler, PhD, Professor for Global Health, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King's College London
Duleeka Knipe, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol
Lily Kpobi, PhD, Research Fellow, Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana
Chan Lai Fong, MD, MSc, MMedPsych, Associate Professor and Consultant Psychiatrist, UKM Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Joni Lee Pow, PhD, Lecturer, Psychology Unit, Department of Behavioural Sciences, University of West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad
June Larrieta, MSc, Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation Co-Lead, Ember Mental Health, SHM Foundation
Georgia Lockwood Estrin, PhD, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, University of East London
Gergana Manolova, MSc, Distance Learning Tutor, Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Jenevieve Mannell, PhD, Associate Professor, Institute for Global Health, University College London
Lucinda Manda-Taylor, BSoc.Sci, MA, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics and Health Social Science, Department of Health Systems and Policy, School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi
Sarah Marks, PhD, Director, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Mental Health, Birkbeck, University of London
Kaaren Mathias, MBChB, PhD, Advisor (Burans) and Senior Lecturer, Burans, Uttarakhand, India and Faculty of Health, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Dorcas Efe Mensah, BA, Mental Health Review Tribunal, Ghana
Leydi Moran Paucar, BA Clinical Psychology, MPH Candidate, European Public Health Master (Europubhealth+)
Joanna Morrison, PhD, Senior Research Associate, Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Pop Health Sciences, University College London
Mercilene Machisa, MSc (Med), PhD, Specialist scientist, South African Medical Research Council; University of the Witwatersrand, School of Public Health
Akanksha A. Marphatia, PhD, Institute of Child Health, University College London
Faith Martin, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Cardiff University
Monika Müller, MD/PhD, Consultant Psychiatrist, Unit for Community Psychiatry, University Hospital of Psychiatry Bern, Switzerland
Jacqueline Ndlovu, MSc, PhD Fellow, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen
Melissa Pearson, PhD, Research Fellow, Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention, University of Edinburgh
Gloria A. Pedersen, MSc, Senior Research Associate, George Washington University
Inge Petersen, PhD, Professor, Centre for Rural Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Pooja Pillai, Msc, Burans, Herbertpur Christian Hospital, Uttarakhand, India
Mariana Pinto da Costa, MD, MSc, PhD, Senior Lecturer, 1. Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London; 2. Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto
Praveetha Patalay, PhD, Professor of Population Health and Wellbeing, University College London
Anubhuti Poudyal, MPH/PhDc, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
Indira Pradhan, MA, MEd, Clinical Coordinator, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal
Audrey Prost, Professor of Global Health, Institute for Global Health, University College London
Vian Rajabzadeh, PhD, Research Associate, Imperial College London
Meenal Rawat, PhDc, University of Edinburgh and Burans, India
Ursula M. Read, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, University of Warwick
Laoise Renwick, BNS, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Mental Health Nursing, Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester
Tessa Roberts, PhD, British Academy Post-doctoral Research Fellow, King's College London
Yulia Rozanova, PhD, Lecturer in Global Mental Health, King's College London
Kelly Rose-Clarke, BSc, MBPhD, Senior Lecturer in Global Mental Health, Department of Global Health & Social Medicine, King's College London
Grace K. Ryan, Research Fellow/PhDc, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Tatiana Salisbury, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Global Mental Health, King's College London
Manaswi Sangraula, MPH, PhD, Assistant Director of Research, New School for Social Science Research (NSSR), Department of Psychology, New York
Norha Vera San Juan, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, University College London
Poonam Sainju, BSc, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal
Ishrat Shahnaz, MSc, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Maya Semrau, PhD, Senior Research Fellow in Implementation Research, Centre for Global Health Research, Brighton & Sussex Medical School
Medhin Selamu, MSW, PhD, Associate Postdoctoral Fellow, MHPSS and Migration officer at WHO Ethiopia, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Ethiopia; Centre for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Studies for Africa (CDT-Africa), Collage of Health Science, Addis Ababa University
Seble Shewangizaw, MPh, AMARI PhD Fellow, College of Health Science, Addis Ababa University
Pragya Shrestha, Clinical Coordinator/Research Fellow, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal
Kripa Sigdel, Psychologist/Mental Health Researcher, PhD Candidate, Department of Psychology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Nikita Simpson, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, SOAS, University of London
Katherine Sorsdahl, PhD, Professor of Public Mental Health, Alan J. Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town
Jane Brandt Sørensen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen
Prasansa Subba, MPhil, Project Coordinator/PhD Fellow, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal; Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool
Lena Skovgaard Andersen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Director of the School of Global Health, Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Copenhagen, University of Cape Town
Amelia M Stanton, PhD, Assistant Professor, Boston University
Claire van der Westhuizen, MBChB, PhD, Associate Professor, Alan J. Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town
Lena Verdeli, PhD, MSc, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Psychology Program, Teachers College, Columbia University
Marisha Wrickemsinhe, PhD, Research Fellow, LSHTM, Department of Public Health, Environments and Society
Samantha Willan, PhD, Senior Researcher, South African Medical Research Council
Angi Yoder-Maina, Executive Director, Green String Network
Helena Zavos, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London