Training Program : Interventional and Implementation Research in Mental Health and
Neurosciences

About the Program

The Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS Guwahati has initiated a capacity-building program aimed at
strengthening mental health research across the eight Northeastern states of India — Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.

The program is designed to mentor early-career researchers in psychiatry, mental health, and
neurosciences, helping them develop and implement research that is scientifically rigorous, culturally
sensitive, and locally relevant.

With support from various departments within AIIMS Guwahati, as well as collaborations with regional,
national, and international institutions, the initiative hopes to bridge critical research gaps in the region
and improve access to evidence-based mental health care.

Topics of Research Focus

Participants are encouraged to focus on a wide range of psychiatric and neurological disorders, in
alignment with WHO-classified mental health blocks, including:

  • Neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
  • Mood and anxiety disorders
  • Stress-related and trauma-related disorders
  • Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
  • Substance use and addictive behavior disorders
  • Neurocognitive disorders
  • Personality and impulse control disordersEating, sleep-wake, and sexual dysfunctions
  • Mental and behavioral disorders related to pregnancy, medical illnesses, or other health conditions

Number of Participants

A total of 86 researchers from all Northeastern states have been selected to participate in this training
program.

Programs Conducted So Far

5th June 2025 – Webinar on “Establishing a Mental Health & Demographic Surveillance System”
Speaker: Dr. Sanjay Juvekar, PhD (Anthropology)
Professor, KEM Hospital Research Centre, Pune

This webinar marked the beginning of knowledge-sharing sessions under the program, emphasizing the
importance of building robust data systems to inform mental health policy and interventions.

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