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Work & leadership

Mental health beyond the consulting room.

Mental health is shaped by families, communities, institutions, law and public services. These are the six areas where Dr. Desai's work has reached past individual care — each with the record that documents it.

Public Mental Health Policy, Law & Rights Institution Building Disaster Mental Health Substance Use & Recovery Teaching & Mentorship
Pillar 01

Public Mental Health

Who gets care, who doesn't, and why. Dr. Desai has argued for two decades that mental health must be planned for whole populations, not only treated one patient at a time.

  • Public Mental Health: An Evolving ImperativeA 2006 paper setting out the case for treating mental health as a public-health priority in India.Indian Journal of Psychiatry · 2006
  • WHO–ICMR Pilot Project on Urban Mental Health ServicesMulticentre study of service distribution, human resources, access barriers and unmet need in Indian cities.Peer-reviewed · 2004
  • Taking Psychiatry to the PublicWriting on how psychiatry can reach the communities that need it most.Peer-reviewed essay
  • Independent Consultant in Psychiatry and Public Mental HealthContinues to contribute to national discussions on access, youth mental health, teleconsultation and integrated care.International Patient Summit
Pillar 02

Mental Health Policy, Law & Rights

Laws only matter if services are organised to deliver them. Dr. Desai has worked inside the governance of mental-health care, not just commented on it.

  • Member Secretary, later CEO — State Mental Health Authority, DelhiLed the capital's mental-health authority, including through the transition to the Mental Healthcare Act 2017.Government of NCT of Delhi
  • NHRC Core Group on Mental HealthContributed to the National Human Rights Commission's work, including advocating that mental illness be covered by general health insurance.National Human Rights Commission · 2017
  • Implementing the Mental Healthcare Act 2017Co-authored analysis of how services must be organised under the new law.Indian Journal of Psychiatry · 2022
Pillar 03

Institution Building

Twenty-three years at the Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences, Delhi — from heading its Department of Psychiatry to leading the whole institute.

  • Professor & Head of Psychiatry, and Medical SuperintendentResponsible for the department's clinical, teaching and research work, and for hospital operations.IHBAS · from 1998
  • Director, IHBASInstitutional leadership, governance and quality systems for eleven years.IHBAS · 2010–2021
  • Government of India Centre of ExcellenceIHBAS was recognised as a Centre of Excellence in mental health.Government of India
  • Full NABH accreditationIHBAS became one of the first mental-health and neuroscience hospitals in India with full NABH accreditation.NABH
  • Reforming Mental Hospitals to Government Mental Health Institutions: an Indian ModelBook chapter drawing on this experience of institutional reform.Book chapter
Pillar 04

Disaster Mental Health

Disasters leave psychological wounds that outlast physical damage. Dr. Desai helped write the national framework for responding to them.

  • Coordinator, Core Group — National Disaster Management GuidelinesPsycho-Social Support and Mental Health Services in Disasters, issued by the National Disaster Management Authority.NDMA · 2009
  • Mental-health morbidity after an urban fire disasterICMR-supported study of psychological effects on survivors of a slum fire in Delhi.ICMR-supported research
  • Psychological stress, adaptation and psychosocial careTraining contributions on the NDMA guidelines.National Institute of Disaster Management · 2021
Pillar 05

Substance Use, Recovery & Prevention

Alcohol, tobacco and drug use are among the largest causes of preventable harm. His work spans treatment, prevention and national policy.

  • Initiating tobacco-cessation services in IndiaCo-authored study on establishing tobacco-cessation services.WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health
  • Harmful use of alcohol — the national scenarioOpening presentation at a National Academy of Medical Sciences symposium.National Academy of Medical Sciences
  • Recovery and evidence-based treatmentInternational webinar for substance-use professionals.ISSUP · 2024
Pillar 06

Teaching, Scholarship & Mentorship

Generations of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and social workers trained under him at NIMHANS, AIIMS and IHBAS. He continues to teach and to serve his profession.

  • Around 100 research papers, 10 book chapters and 10 monographsFive national research awards and one oration award.See selected publications →
  • Honorary Editor, Indian Psychiatric Society national journalEditorial leadership of the profession's principal journal.Indian Psychiatric Society · 2005–07
  • Organising Chairperson, ANCIPS 202677th Annual National Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society.Indian Psychiatric Society · 2026
  • President, Manovikas Charitable SocietySupporting education and inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.Manovikas

Read the ideas behind the work.

Ideas & Research