Mental Health SIG Committee:
Co-Convenor: Dr. Nazmul Huda
E: [email protected]
Dr Md Nazmul Huda is a multi-award winning mixed-method researcher working at Ingham Institute and South Western Sydney Local Health District, NSW Health. He is also a Conjoint Lecturer at Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health of the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. His name was listed among the top 2% of scientists in the field of clinical medicine in 2025, as recognized by Elsevier and Stanford University. He completed a PhD in public health with full scholarships and worked as a lecturer and post-doctoral researcher in various universities and organisations in Australia. He authored over 53 publications (90% in Q1 and Q2 journals) with growing citations of 8,904 as of 5 January 2026. He is an Associate Editor of Frontiers in Public Health and Academic Editor of Plos One and Plos Global Public Health. He reviewed and edited more than 50 articles for many international journals. He is guest-editing a special issue on “Physical and Mental Health Promotion Among Marginalised Communities: A Holistic Approach” for the Healthcare Journal. Dr Huda is privileged and proud to have worked with multidisciplinary researchers at PHAA MH SIG over the last one year.
Co-Convenor: Ms. Deena Mehjabeen
E: [email protected]
Deena Mehjabeen is an early-career public health researcher specialising in culturally informed mental health and self-care for refugee and migrant communities. Her doctoral research at the Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), Western Sydney University examined culturally grounded mental health self-care strategies for Arabic-speaking individuals from refugee backgrounds using mixed-methods approaches.
Her research sits at the intersection of mental health promotion, health equity, and community engagement. Since 2020, she has contributed to interdisciplinary projects spanning multicultural mental health, migrant health, women’s health, and program evaluation, resulting in peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and national and international conference presentations. Her work emphasises prevention-focused approaches and the translation of research into accessible, practice-relevant outputs.
Deena has served on the Mental Health Special Interest Group Committee of the Public Health Association of Australia since 2021. Her contributions include leading national mental health policy position statements, supporting member engagement, and authoring public-facing policy position statements and advocacy pieces.
Her work has been recognised through competitive scholarships and awards, including conference scholarships from the Translational Health Research Institute and the Australian Institute of Family Studies, and the Australian Health Promotion Association Leading Lights Under 30 “Shooting Star” Award (2021). She is committed to advancing culturally responsive mental health research that supports equity, wellbeing, and inclusive policy development.
Committee:
- Tasdik Hasan
- Sumudu Hewage
- Ajmal Kakar
- Luke Duffy
- Elise Sampson
- Mary Macapili
- Trinh Huynh
- Manika Saha
- Md Mahmudul Hasan Sagar
- Abdullah Mamun
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contributing to policies and position papers, participate in advocacy
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