Sauharda Rai, PhD

Sauharda Rai, PhD, is an Assistant Research Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at George Washington University (GWU). Over the past decade, Dr. Rai has worked in the field of global mental health, focusing on stigma, health system strengthening, integrating technology in mental health care, and studying the psychosocial impact of conflict and migration. His research employs mixed methods, combining intervention research, implementation science, and participatory approaches in low-resource settings. He has extensively collaborated with individuals with lived experience of mental health conditions to develop participatory approaches in mental health research and practice.

At the GWU Center for Global Mental Health Equity, Dr. Rai leads studies in Nepal and Uganda to develop and test interventions aimed at improving mental health care at the primary care, community, and home levels via stigma reduction and collaborating with people with lived experience. His current projects (Role: Co-PI) include an NIMH R01 study RESHAPE (Reducing stigma among healthcare providers in Nepal); NIMH R34 study EQUIP-SU (Ensuring Quality in Psychological Support – Service User Quality Assessment); and a Wellcome Trust-funded study in Uganda SCAPE-U (Strengthening care in collaboration with individuals with lived experience of psychosis). He is also working on an NIMH R21/33 study testing passive sensing technology to enhance depression treatment for mothers in Nepal, as well as the Jumla Mental Health Study, which examines the long-term mental health impact of conflict across the life course.

In addition to his research, Dr. Rai teaches Global Mental Health at GWU and runs an annual summer course in Nepal on developing, adapting, and validating mental health assessments and measures.