The Scotland Malawi Mental Health Project (SMMHEP) is a charity which works with the Malawi College of Medicine and the Malawi Department of Health to support mental health training in the country. We focus on medical students and postgraduate doctors but also support clinical officers, psychiatric nurses and other health professionals where we can.

Philosophy

To respond to local needs as identified by our Malawian colleagues and our aim is to help Malawi develop enough appropriately qualified professionals to run its own mental health training programmes in the future.

Management

We are managed by a group of voluntary trustees, with the help of an accountant. There are currently eleven trustees, all of whom are senior psychiatrists. Other trainee and consultant psychiatrists also generously contribute to SMMHEP's management.  We have no paid suport in the UK.

Although Dr Kazione Kulisewa the Head of the Mental Health Department at the Malawi College of Medicine is not a trustee he is a pivotal figure in SMMHEP's work. He runs the Department, organises undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, supervises research and provides a clinical service. He also supports and supervises SMMHEP volunteers.  Both he and Dr Olive Liwimbi, Psychiatrist at Zomba Mental Hospital were supported through their training by SMMHEP. Dr Liwimbi plays an integral role with teaching medical students in Zomba where she is the only psychiatrist. She also has a clinical managerial role in the hospital and leads on a Quality Improvement initiative support by SMMHEP.

Trustees

  1. Dr Madeline Osborn (Convener)
  2. Mr Iain MacLeod (Treasurer)
  3. Dr Carol Robertson (Secretary)
  4. Dr Sarah Leslie (Volunteer Coordinator)
  5. Dr Lindsay Mizen (Social Media)
  6. Dr David Crossley (Safeguarding)
  7. Dr Rob Stewart
  8. Professor Douglas Blackwood
  9. Dr Jen Ahrens
  10. Dr Sheila Gilfillan
  11. Dr Jen Mutch
  12. Dr Anita Ganai

We are very grateful for the IT Support kindly provided by Mr Peter Falconer and our thanks also go to Lucy Ashton for all her work on in designing our new website.