I am a Professor at the Irsay Institute, Indiana University, and a Visiting Researcher at the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science. I also hold visiting positions at Mackenzie University in São Paulo, Brazil and the University of California Berkeley.

My research addresses key questions in global mental health, particularly how social and economic disadvantage both shapes and is shaped by mental health across diverse settings. I use an interdisciplinary approach integrating economics, social sciences and psychiatry to build evidence for improving access to care and support, with a particular focus on youth, families and populations facing disadvantage. My work spans three interconnected areas: the social and economic consequences of mental health problems across the life course; the development and evaluation of public mental health interventions and reducing stigma to advance equity in mental health. Across these areas, I draw on implementation science to understand how interventions work in real-world settings and what enables them to reach the people who need them most.

I lead large international research programmes with more than £25 million in grant funding and currently have formal research collaborations across 12 low- and middle-income countries including Brazil, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, South Africa and Tunisia. My teams bring together researchers across disciplines alongside policymakers, practitioners and people with lived experience.

Awards and Recognition

  • European Research Council Starting Grant (2014)

  • Klaus Koeppen Award for Social Innovation (2019)

  • Time to Change evaluation recognised as a top 20 public health achievement of the 21st century (Royal Society for Public Health)

  • Learning on Screen Award nomination for Holding onto Hope (2024)

Advisory Roles

  • International Advisory Board Member, Alzheimer's Disease International

  • Scientific Advisory Council Member, Bring Change to Mind

  • Medical Research Council Global Health Faculty of Experts

  • UK Prevention Research Partnership International Expert Review Group

  • World Psychiatric Association Section on Urban Mental Health