Saima Wazed Hossain has been listed as one of the “Innovative Women Leaders in Global Mental Health” by Five on Friday, the publication blog of Columbia University’s Global Mental Health Programmes.

The list includes individuals with lived experience of mental illness, advocates, non-profit leaders, writers, artists, scientists, academics, and clinicians, the UNB reported.

Saima Hossain, the daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is credited with bringing mental health issues to the mainstream and breaking social barriers to the acceptance of persons with disabilities.

She is currently the Chairperson of the Bangladesh National Advisory Committee for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders as well as a Member of World Health Organization’s Expert Advisory Panel on Mental Health.

Recently, she was chosen as WHO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Autism in the Southeast Asia Region for her innovative work as a spokesperson for individuals with autism in Bangladesh.

She is also the chairperson of her own NGO – Shuchona Foundation – a not-for-profit advocacy, research and capacity-building organisation based in Dhaka. She is also one of the trustees of Centre for Research and Information.

Saima Hossain is a Specialist in School Psychology, nationally certified in the United States.

A graduate from Barry University in Florida, she is an expert on neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health and an accomplished speaker. Her efforts has led to international awareness, policy and programme changes, and the adoption of three international resolutions at the UN and WHO.