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“I want to contribute building a society where everyone is aware about their mental health needs, have access to relevant services that is readily available and affordable”
After becoming a physician, I realised, I want to be involved in something that can have greater impact for the lives of the people. This led me to pursue a career in public health and contemplating on an often stigmatised yet very vital aspect of human life - mental health and wellbeing. Sadly, in Bangladesh we give huge attention to our physical health, but very little to our mental health and wellbeing. Since 2014, I have worked on 15 mental health research initiatives covering various  vulnerable groups, such as adolescents, women, urban slum population and children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and managed to drew more wider attention on this neglected issue.
I am trained in epidemiology, global mental health research methodology, systematic reviews, qualitative analysis, and implementing multi-country trials in low and middle-income country settings. I have published more than 20 articles in international peer reviewed journals and have also acted as a peer reviewer for different journals including JMIR, and Elsvier. In 2019, I completed my Masters in Global Mental Health from the King's College London, UK as a Chevening scholar sponsored by the UK Government.
I also consider myself to be a social activist and have been playing an instrumental role in raising mental health and wellbeing awareness among women in Bangladesh. The US Government supported me with a social initiative grant in 2018 to launch the "Women Support Initiative Forum (WSIF)", which aims to empower women with mental health care.
I am privileged to have many awards, some of which include, the 'Mental Health Team of the Year' by the British Medical Journal for South Asia in 2017. In 2021, I have won an award for the mental health related support I provided to women through WSIF during the Covid-19 pandemic by the United Nations Volunteer, Bangladesh. I was also selected as a global health mentor by International Global Health Mentorship to nurture future public health leaders coming from all over the world.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, in collaboration with A2i of Bangladesh Government, I have developed the first national-level mental health guideline for teachers who would act as psychosocial supporters for school-going adolescents. I also led the development of the doctors training manual and provision of psychosocial supports to the victims of the Narayangonj factory fire in 2021 with ths support of USAID.
Currently, I am leading the Bangladesh stream of a multi-country project entitled "Global dementias: Examining structural vulnerability and dementia outcomes,' funded by the Australian Research Council (2020-2023). This project aims to assess the sociocultural influences on dementia care-seeking patterns or management from both caregivers and patients perspectives.
Why I work at icddr,b:
icddr,b has recognised the importance of mental health and wellbeing and has been preparing me since the beginning to keep on working on this issue. My work in mental health has also influenced icddr,b to include mental health as a priority working area in the icddr,b 2019-2022 work plan.
Future Plans:
I want to continue working on mental health and to make it acknowledged, considered and included in the health system of the country. Â
2019
Masters in Global Mental Health, Kings College London and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
2018 - till date
Assistant Scientist, Health System and Population Studies Division, icddr,b
2016
MPH, North-South University
2015 - 2017
Research Investigator, Health System and Population Studies Division, icddr,b
2013 - 2015
Research Officer, Centre for Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, icddr,b
2013
Research Fellow, Centre for Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, icddr,b
2009
MBBS, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Ageing and Dementia, Quality of life, Adolescent Mental Health, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Women Mental Health, Intervention Development, Health System Strengthening
Recognitions/ Award
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Volunteer Activities: (Mental Health Advocate, Public Health Mentoring)
Founder: Women Support Initiative Forum-WSIF (The first and largest mental health support group focused on women with around 45,000 members) (www.wsifbd.com)
Founder:Â Bangladesh Society of Women in Public Health
Academic Patron:International of Federation of Medical Student Association, Bangladesh
Formal Mentor:Technical Training Unit, icddr,b (I host around 5 interns per year to groom them as a public health professional)
1.    Koly, K.N.,Baskin, C., Khanam, I., Rao, M., Rasheed, S., Law, G.R., Sarker, F. and Gnani, S. (2021). Educational and Training Interventions Aimed at Healthcare Workers in the Detection and Management of People With Mental Health Conditions in South and South-East Asia: A Systematic Review. Front. Psychiatry, 12:741328. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.741328
2.    Koly, K. N.,Islam, M. S., Reidpath, D. D., Saba, J., Shafique, S., Chowdhury, M. R., & Begum, F. (2021). Health-Related Quality of Life among Rural-Urban Migrants Living in Dhaka Slums: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Bangladesh. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19), 10507. doi:10.3390/ijerph181910507
3.    Koly KN,Khanam I, Islam M, Mahmood SS, Hanifi SM, Reidpath DD, Khatun F, Rasheed S. Anxiety and Insomnia among Urban Slums Dwellers in Bangladesh: The Role of COVID-19 and Its Associated Factors. Frontiers in Psychiatry.:2115.
4.   Koly, K.N., Islam, M.S., Potenza, M.N., Mahumud, R.A., Islam, M.S., Uddin, M.S., Sarwar, M.A.H., Begum, F. and Reidpath, D.D., 2023. Psychosocial health of school-going adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a nationwide survey in Bangladesh. PLoS One, 18(3), p.e0283374.
5.    Koly, K.N., Martin-Herz, S.P., Islam, M.S., Sharmin, N., Blencowe, H. and Naheed, A., 2021. Parent mediated intervention programmes for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders in South Asia: A systematic review. PloS one, 16(3), p.e0247432.
6.    Koly, K.N., Sultana, S., Iqbal, A., Dunn, J.A., Ryan, G. and Chowdhury, A.B., 2021.Prevalence of depression and its correlates among public university students in Bangladesh. Journal of Affective Disorders, 282, pp.689-694.
7.    Koly, K.N., Abdullah, R., Shammi, F.A., Akter, T., Hasan, M.T., Eaton, J. and Ryan, G.K., 2021. Mental health and community-based rehabilitation: a qualitative description of the experiences and perspectives of service users and carers in Bangladesh. Community mental health journal, pp.1-15.
8.    Koly, K.N., Naheed, A., Ahmed, H.U., Akhter, S., Uddin, M.J., Fawzi, M.C.S., Chandir, S., Mannan, M., Hossain, S., Nelson, C. and Munir, K., 2017. Implementing a mental health care program and home-based training for mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in an urban population in Bangladesh: Protocol for a feasibility assessment study. JMIR research protocols, 6(12), p.e8260.
9.   Koly, K.N., Saba, J., Muzaffar, R., Modasser, R.B., Colon-Cabrera, D. and Warren, N., 2022. Exploring the potential of delivering mental health care services using digital technologies in Bangladesh: A qualitative analysis. Internet Interventions, 29, p.100544.
10. Afaq S, Uphoff E, Borle AL, Brown JV, Coales K, Dawson S, Elduma AH, Iqbal M, Jarde A, Koly KN, Murthy NSrinivas, Rahman FN, Rajan S, Rana R, Rawal T, Siddiqi N, Zavala GA. Behavioural activation therapy for anxiety disorders in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD015026. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD015026. Accessed 18 November 2021.
