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Raghu Raghavan is a Professor of Mental Health at Â鶹ӰԺ, Leicester. His work encompasses global mental health (public mental health perspectives), resilience and wellbeing, culturally appropriate mental health literacies, conflict and gender-based violence, intellectual disabilities, and health disparities. As Director, he leads the Social Sciences Research and Innovation Institute (SSRII), an interdisciplinary research institute advancing social science research and innovation that not only challenges theoretical boundaries but also offers tangible, empowering solutions.

He is passionate about inclusive research methodologies with diverse ethnic and cultural communities for developing collective community action for mental health and wellbeing.  He is an international expert in community action research using interdisciplinary participatory research methodology with creative arts-based approaches for co-creating knowledge of lived expertise and cultural mental health perspectives in the UK and in India. He holds a number of UKRI and NIHR research grants, and has published widely with over 170 publications in peer reviewed journals and digital media on the theme of mental health knowledge and awareness of diverse cultural communities in the UK and India. He presented his work of resilience and forced displacement to the Overseas Development Committee at the UK Houses of Parliament. He is a Trustee of MeHeLP India Foundation, NGO working in urban and rural India promoting culturally appropriate mental health literacies.

Using participatory and creative research methodologies, he works closely with diverse cultural communities in the UK and India on co-producing mental health, wellbeing and resilience knowledge and practices focussing on strength-based model of mental health, wellbeing and resilience. The notion of ‘mental health literacy’ has been proposed as a way of improving mental health problem recognition, service utilisation and reducing stigma. In creating mental health awareness thorough mental health literacies, he led the MeHeLP India  a highly collaborative international cross-disciplinary partnership that examined the applicability and promotion of mental health literacies (MHL) in urban and rural communities using  storytelling practices -  and through a multi-centre study in Kerala (India). This project, the first of its kind in India was funded by UKRI - Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

Mental health literacies programme has had the impact of directly engaging with schools, colleges and Universities in India on promoting mental health literacies. Major Non-Governmental Organisations such as the and  have integrated mental health literacies programme in the training of front-line public health workers and community mental health programmes.

In addressing the wellbeing and resilience of  internal migrant slum dwelling communities in Pune, India he led  innovative interdisciplinary research on how internal migrant communities create resilience in the midst of adversities using community theatre AHRC Mental health and Resilience Pune Project

I have supervised several PhD students to completion on the theme of mental health, intellectual disabilities, health inequalities and cancer care.

• Social Sciences Research and Innovation Institute
• Mary Seacole Research Centre 

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• Raghavan R, Brown B, Hussain S, et al (2023) How do Muslim service users, caregivers and community members in Malappuram, Kerala, India use their faith to address the challenges associated with mental ill health? Mental Health Religion and Culture
• Woods R.H, Woods L.F, Raghavan R, Cornelius P, Brown A and Kerr D (2023) Children and Young Adults with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities: Evidence of Intelligible Subvocal Language, Research in Developmental Disabilities
• Raghavan R and Jones K (2023) Family networks and voluntary sector participation in the care of people with intellectual disabilities. In. Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability Across Cultures (Eds. Samuel Tromans, Regi Alexander, Satheesh Kumar Gangadharan, Chaya Kapugama, and Sabyasachi Bhaumik). Oxford University Press: Oxford. ISBN: 9780198857600
• Raghavan R, Brown B, Horne F, Ram Kamal S, Parameswaran U, Raghu A, Wilson A, Venkateswaran C, Svirydzenka N, Lakhanpaul M, Dasan C (2022) Multiple Mental Health Literacies in a Traditional Temple Site in Kerala: The Intersection Between Beliefs, Spiritual and Healing Regimes. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry  
• Raghavan R, Brown B, Horne F, Kumar S, Parameswaran U, Ali A B, Raghu A, Wilson A, Svirydzenka N, Venkateswaran C, Kumar M, Ram Kamal S, Barrett A, Dasan C, Varma A (2022) Stigma and mental health problems in an Indian context. Perceptions of people with mental disorders in urban, rural, and tribal areas of Kerala, International Journal of Social Psychiatry  
• Mooney, R., Newbigging, K., McCabe, R., McCrone, P., Halvorsrud, K., Raghavan R., Joseph, D., Bhui, K (2022) Experience-based investigation and codesign of approaches to prevent and reduce Mental Health Act use (COPACT): a protocol. BMJ Open
• Farooqi A, Jutlla K, Raghavan R, Wilson A, Shams Uddin M, Akroyd C et.al.(2022) Developing a toolkit for increasing the participation of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities in health and social care research, 16 BMC Medical Research Methodology (2022) 22:17
• Raghavan R, Brown B, Coope J and Sivakami M (2022) Resilience, Mental Health and Migration. In Oxford Text Book of Social Psychiatry (Eds. Dinesh Bhugra, Driss Moussaoui, and Tom J Craig), Oxford University Press, ISBN: 9780198861478 52
• Raghavan R, Brown B, Svirydzenka N (2022) Mental health literacy in lowand middle-income countries. In. Oxford Text Book of Social Psychiatry (Eds. Dinesh Bhugra, Driss Moussaoui, and Tom J Craig), Oxford University Press, ISBN: 9780198861478
• Raghavan R; Brown B; Coope J; Crossley M; Muthusamy S; Gawde N; Pendse T; Jamwal S; Barrett A; Dyalchand A; Chaturvedi S; Chowdary A and Heblikar D (2021) Idioms of resilience: Mental health and migration in India, International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 68, 8, 1607-1613.
• Raghavan R, Coope J, Brown B, Sivakami M, Jamwal S and Pendse T (2021) The Untold story of mental health and resilience of internal migrants’ in India D. Moussaoui et al. (eds.), Mental Health, Mental Illness and Migration, Mental Health and Illness Worldwide,
• Collaboratives on addressing racial inequity in Covid recovery April 2021– Mental Health Briefing paper – Race Equality Foundation
• Raghavan, R., Coope, J., Jamwal, S., Pendse, T (2020) Reflections on the use of mental health resilience concepts in migration and global mental health. International Journal of Mental Health, special issue on Global Mental Health: training in an international context.

• Mental health and intellectual disability
• Resilience and mental health
• Ethnicity, cultural Diversity and service access
• Transcultural mental health
• User and carer perspectives
• Assistive technology  

• Mental health literacies for wellbeing and resilience
• Creative research methodologies
• Participatory action research
• Culture, mental health and disabilities
• Migration and Global mental health 

• PhD (Oxford Brookes University)
• Post Graduate Certificate in Higher and Adult Education (University of Wolverhampton)
• M.Sc. in Medical Psychology (University of Surrey)
• BA in Psychology (University of Kerala, India)

• Nursing and Midwifery Council
• International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disability (IASSID)
• British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD)
• Association for Research Training and Integration in Europe (ARFIE)

• Registered Nurse (Learning Disabilities), East Surrey school of Nursing, Redhill, Surrey

Keynote speaker: Making the invisible Visible: Embedding mental health and wellbeing in everyday life, Mind India Consultative meeting, 8-9 September 2023, Guwahati, India.

Invited Workshop: Promoting Culturally appropriate Mental Health Literacy in Rural and Urban Kerala using applied theatre, International Community Arts Festival, Rotterdam 2022.

British Science Festival 2022, Mental health through creative methodologies.

Invited Speaker: Mental Health literacies for community health, International Conference of Royal College of Psychiatrists 2022 119. Symposium for the World Association of Social Psychiatry on Mental health literacy in South Asian Countries September 2021

Keynote speaker: Positive Psychology and mental health: Issues and Challenges. Jain University (Bengaluru) India, Department of Psychology International conference on Hope, Efficiency, Resilience, Optimism towards Holistic Living, 14 May 2021

Keynote speaker: Participatory research and mental health. Taxila American University 3rd virtual international conference 22-23 2021

Keynote speaker: Heritage and mental health. UNESCO UK Heritage and Our Sustainable Future: Research, Practice, Policy and Impact. Zoom conference 1 March 2021

Keynote Speaker: Untold stories of mental health and resilience of internal migrants in India. Mobilising Global Voices: Perspectives from the Global South 2019. House of Parliament London. AHRC, UKRI, GCRF, International Development Committee 27-28 February 2019.

Prof. Raghavan provides consultancy for a range of health and social care organisations in the UK and in India. His portfolio of activities includes Mental health literacies programme for NGOs; Specialist staff training on behaviour and mental health interventions, Creative participatory research methodologies, inclusive research methodologies, and ethnicity and cultural perspectives. 

I supervise post-graduate research students on the broad theme of mental health, wellbeing; resilience and migration; disabilities; and health inequalities.

Paul Mulvenna: Relationship of bipolar disorder with selective attention and emotion identification.

Alan Lo: Mental Health Literacy of Chinese Community in the East Midlands.

Sanjana Kumar: Creative exploration of identities, mental health and wellbeing of sexual minorities in Kerala, India.

Ebun Makinde: Exploring the perspectives and experiences of Leicester’s black women and health professionals in perinatal care.

Monia Turcan: A cultural exploration of self-love and its correlation to the adoption of self-care practices.

Kathleen Dabbs: A concept analysis of trust between the parents of children with learning disabilities and their support workers/carers in the home setting.

Dr Hari Subrahmanyam:  Health Inequalities within Dementia Health Care amongst Ethnic minority communities

• Public Health Research (£200,000) Loneliness and social isolation in migrant communities (CI) ( PI Sarah Salway, University of Sheffield) 2017
• Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) (£150,000Diagnosis of dementia in Black Asian and Minority Ethnic communities (CI) (PI Andrew Wilson University of Leicester) 2017
• Hope against cancer (£61,500) Improving access and uptake of breast cancer screening and treatment services by Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) citizens in Leicester City  ( Ph.D. studentship) 2017
• Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group and East Midlands Academic Health Sciences Network (£16,000) Toolkit  improving research participation  of people from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic communities to  health research, 2016 
• East Midlands CLAHRC ( Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care) (£55,000) Conceptualization of dementia in multi-ethnic communities (PI) (PhD studentship)
• Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (£10,000) Exploring South Asian young people perspectives on healthy eating, eating disorders and access to services (CI)
• EU Lifelong Learning programme – Developing web-based training modules for professionals and front line staff caring for older people with disabilities. This is a two year study (Commenced in January 2012) in association with the University of Vienna and four service partners from Bologna, Belgium, France and Luxembourg.
• Northumbria University research development fund - Mapping of emotional resilience activities by special schools for children and young people with disabilities (2011)
• EU Grundtvig Lifelong learning programme – Elderly disabled integration gets new innovative tools in European Societies. In association with CADIAI, Bologna, Italy and other eight other European partners (2010 -2012)
• From Services to Children and young people (Bradford District Council) – Access to inclusive play, sport and leisure provision for disabled children and young people as part of the Government initiative on Aiming High for Disabled Children. December 2009 to July 2011 (Raghavan) (£65000)
• From Barnardos - To evaluate family carer training programme for supporting children with autism spectrum disorders, 2009 (£10,000)
• From MENCAP -Leisure opportunities for young people with learning disabilities. This is two year action research project, 2007 to 2008 (Raghavan) (£55,000).
• From Mencap – To investigate the issues and needs of older carers (60+) of people with a learning disability.(£10,000) September 2007  
• From Joseph Rowntree Foundation – Application with International Centre for Participation Studies (Department of Peace studies, Bradford University) to investigate participation structures in the marginalised groups in the South Asian community in Bradford. This was a nine month project using participatory research methods (July 2005, £29.000).
• From West Yorkshire Education and Training Consortium – production of a theatre  about transition of young people with disabilities from school to adult services with Mind the Gap theatre company (£15,000) (2005)
• From Bradford District  Care Trust – To investigate lifespan perspectives – assessment and intervention – in the care of people with autism spectrum disorder (£10,000) in January 2003  (with Upadhyaya S, Dobson S, Bradford District Care Trust).
• From Bradford District Care Trust - To explore the therapeutic aspects of touch in the care of people with profound and multiple disabilities (£5000) in January 2002 with (Dobson S and Upadhyaya, Bradford District Care Trust)
• From the Foundation of People with Learning Disabilities (Mental Health Foundation) in July 02- The implementation of self-defined service models via a liaison worker in a multi-ethnic inner city population (£90,000). Two year study. (Raghavan R, Small N and Newell R) (2002 to 2004)
• From the Department of Health – Learning Disability Research Programme to investigate social inclusion of children with learning disabilities from minority ethnic background in Bradford. Three-year research project (£140,000). (Raghavan R and Small N)  (2002 to 2005).

Editorial board: International Journal of Social Psychiatry

Lead for Â鶹ӰԺ – India Research Hub

Collaboration and partnership: Public Health Resource Society (India); Foundation for Medical Research (India); Kindled Spirits (UK); Providence College for Women (Kerala, India); Mind India (Assam, India); University of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe); Midlands State University (Zimbabwe); Tata Institute of Social Sciences (India); National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Bengaluru, India). 

• HEIF: ‘MindfulConnect’ – Interactive CPD programme on Mental Health Literacies. (January to June 2025) £8200
• Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) India-UK Gender based violence research network (GenViR) (Dr SvirydzenkaPI) (Raghavan Co-I), (£60,000) 2022
• Derbyshire Health Care NHS Foundation Trust, Organisational Inclusion for Equal, Safe, and Thriving workspaces for all. (Dr Svirydzenka -PI) (Raghavan CoI) (£20,000) 2021
• National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Experience based investigation and Co-design of approaches to Prevent and reduce Mental Health Act Use (C0-PACT) NIHR (PI Prof. Kam Bhui, University of oxford) (Co-I Raghavan) (£843,395) 2021
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Mainstreaming Global Mental Health: A Praxis Nexus Approach - EPSRC/ GCRF (£150,000) (PI Professor Madill, University of Leeds) (Co-I Raghavan) (£150,000) 2020
• Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Gender Based Violence in India: Building resilience through applied theatre (GenViR India) AHRC/GCRF (199,734) (Raghavan PI) in collaboration with the Royal School of Speech and Drama, London, excavate theatre, Nottingham, NIMHANS Bangalore, Swadhar and Cesvi (NGOs based in Pune) 2020 (Due to COVID pandemic we were unable to commence this project). 2021
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) COVID-19 impacts on children under 5 in temporary accommodation-codeveloping solutions from lockdown to the recovery phase-A mixed-methods study. ESRC (PI Prof. Monica Lakhanpaul, UCL) (Co-I Raghavan) (£567,690) 2020
• CESAME: Culturally Engaged and Sensitive Approaches to Mental health Education Exploring opportunities for supporting good mental health of young people from BAME groups during transition from primary to secondary school. TRIUMPH University of Glasgow (PI Dr Sneha Raman, The Glasgow School of Art) (Co-I Raghavan) (£30,000) 2020
• Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Mobilising Global Voices: Perspectives from the Global South 2019 - Untold Stories of Internal Migrants in India – House of Parliament meeting and conference 27-28 February 2019, Arts and Humanities Research Council & Global Challenges Research Fund (£4000) 2019
• NHS England: Mental Health service access of people from Minority Ethnic communities in East Midlands (Funded by NHS England, East Midlands) April 2019 – March 2020 (PI Raghavan) (£20,000) 2019
• Mental Health and Wellbeing of older people In Leicester City (Funded by Workers Education Association and Leicester Ageing Together) (PI Raghavan) January 2019 – October 2019) (£4000)
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) - Mental health literacy in urban and rural communities in Kerala India: An interdisciplinary approach using applied theatre methodology (PI) (£679,448) 2018-2021
• Medical Research Council, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Global Challenges Research Fund – Mental health and resilience narratives of internal migrants in India using community theatre methodology (November 2017 to November 2019) (PI) (£199,584)
• Hope against cancer -Improving access and uptake of breast cancer screening and treatment services by Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) citizens in Leicester City, Ph.D. studentship (PI) (January 2018 – December 2020) (£61,500)
• Public Health Research (£200,000) Loneliness and social isolation in migrant communities (CI) ( PI Sarah Salway, University of Sheffield) 2017
• Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) (£150,000) Diagnosis of dementia in Black Asian and Minority Ethnic communities (CI) (PI Andrew Wilson University of Leicester) 2017
• Hope against cancer (£61,500) Improving access and uptake of breast cancer screening and treatment services by Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) citizens in Leicester City (Ph.D. studentship) 2017
• Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group and East Midlands Academic Health Sciences Network (£16,000) Toolkit improving research participation of people from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic communities to health research, 2016
• East Midlands CLAHRC (Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care) (£55,000) Conceptualization of dementia in multi-ethnic communities (PI) (PhD studentship)
• Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (£10,000) Exploring South Asian young people perspectives on healthy eating, eating disorders and access to services (CI)
• EU Lifelong Learning programme – Developing web-based training modules for professionals and front-line staff caring for older people with disabilities. This is a two-year study (Commenced in January 2012) in association with the University of Vienna and four service partners from Bologna, Belgium, France and Luxembourg.
• Northumbria University research development fund - Mapping of emotional resilience activities by special schools for children and young people with disabilities (2011)
• EU Grundtvig Lifelong learning programme – Elderly disabled integration gets new innovative tools in European Societies. In association with CADIAI, Bologna, Italy and other eight other European partners (2010 -2012)
• From Services to Children and young people (Bradford District Council) – Access to inclusive play, sport and leisure provision for disabled children and young people as part of the Government initiative on Aiming High for Disabled Children. December 2009 to July 2011 (Raghavan) (£65000)
• From Barnardos - To evaluate family carer training programme for supporting children with autism spectrum disorders, 2009 (£10,000)
• From MENCAP -Leisure opportunities for young people with learning disabilities. This is two year action research project, 2007 to 2008 (Raghavan) (£55,000).
• From Mencap – To investigate the issues and needs of older carers (60+) of people with a learning disability.(£10,000) September 2007 
• From Joseph Rowntree Foundation – Application with International Centre for Participation Studies (Department of Peace studies, Bradford University) to investigate participation structures in the marginalised groups in the South Asian community in Bradford. This was a nine month project using participatory research methods (July 2005, £29.000).
• From West Yorkshire Education and Training Consortium – production of a theatre  about transition of young people with disabilities from school to adult services with Mind the Gap theatre company (£15,000) (2005)
• From Bradford District  Care Trust – To investigate lifespan perspectives – assessment and intervention – in the care of people with autism spectrum disorder (£10,000) in January 2003  (with Upadhyaya S, Dobson S, Bradford District Care Trust).
• From Bradford District Care Trust - To explore the therapeutic aspects of touch in the care of people with profound and multiple disabilities (£5000) in January 2002 with (Dobson S and Upadhyaya, Bradford District Care Trust)
• From the Foundation of People with Learning Disabilities (Mental Health Foundation) in July 02- The implementation of self-defined service models via a liaison worker in a multi-ethnic inner city population (£90,000). Two year study. (Raghavan R, Small N and Newell R) (2002 to 2004)
• From the Department of Health – Learning Disability Research Programme to investigate social inclusion of children with learning disabilities from minority ethnic background in Bradford. Three-year research project (£140,000). (Raghavan R and Small N)  (2002 to 2005).