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Shekhar Saxena, MD

Former Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health
Department of Global Health and Population
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Biography

Shekhar Saxena is a former Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health at the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. A psychiatrist by training, he was in the faculty of AIIMS, New Delhi before he joined World Health Organization (WHO) in 1998. From 2010 to 2018 he was the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at WHO. Author of more than 350 academic papers, he was an editor of the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development 2018. His expertise includes providing evidence-based advice and technical assistance to policy makers, businesses and civil society on mental health promotion and prevention and management of mental, developmental, neurological and substance use disorders and suicide prevention. He is a member of GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard. 

Upcoming Courses

Mental Health Leadership: Transformation Through Innovation

December 7 - 10, 2026

Transform your approach to mental healthcare by addressing the critical need to reduce the mental healthcare gap. Explore innovative strategies and key topics such as social determinants of mental health, digital technologies, and rights-based approaches while learning how to scale effective innovations in mental healthcare globally and in the U.S.

Online
Mental Health and Well-Being

Program Fees

  • Standard Price $2,900.00