Common mental disorders are on the rise in rural areas of India. In this podcast George Institute researchers describe how mental health can be taken to rural areas by empowering community health workers to diagnose common mental disorders. The program known as SMARTmental health has yielded promising results in the pilot phase and it is now being scaled up in Haryana and in Andhra Pradesh. 

Common mental disorders are on the rise in rural areas of India. In this podcast George Institute researchers describe how mental health can be taken to rural areas by empowering community health workers to diagnose common mental disorders. The program known as SMARTmental health has yielded promising results in the pilot phase and it is now being scaled up in Haryana and in Andhra Pradesh.&nbsp;

The Scan podcast from The George Institute for Global Health explores the latest research, emerging evidence, and crucial progress towards developing practical approaches towards better treatments, better care and healthier societies globally.
If you’re a medical professional, work in research, or are just passionate about global health, then this is the podcast for you.

For more, find us on social media with #TheScanPodcast 
Know more about The George Institute for Global health.

The Scan podcast from The George Institute for Global Health explores the latest research, emerging evidence, and crucial progress towards developing practical approaches towards better treatments, better care and healthier societies globally. If you&rsquo;re a medical professional, work in research, or are just passionate about global health, then this is the podcast for you. For more, find us on social media with #TheScanPodcast&nbsp; Know more about <a href="https://www.georgeinstitute.org/what-we-do">The George Institute for Global health</a>.

The Scan

The Scan podcast from The George Institute for Global Health explores the latest research, emerging evidence, and crucial progress towards improving health all over the world.
If you’re a medical professional, work in research, or are just passionate about global health and how science can improve people’s lives, then this is the podcast for you.

For more, find us on social media with #TheScanPodcast 

The Scan podcast from The George Institute for Global Health explores the latest research, emerging evidence, and crucial progress towards improving health all over the world. If you&rsquo;re a medical professional, work in research, or are just passionate about global health and how science can improve people&rsquo;s lives, then this is the podcast for you. For more, find us on social media with <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TheScanPodcast&amp;src=typed_query">#TheScanPodcast&nbsp;</a>

Tackling common mental disorders in rural areas in India

In this episode of The Scan, we speak with Registered Nurse and Associate Project Manager Clare Goodson and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Professor Andrew Metcalfe about the METEOR2 Study—a major international clinical trial investigating the most effective treatment for people experiencing persistent knee pain after a meniscectomy.

The study compares two evidence‑based options: Personalised Knee Therapy and Meniscal Allograft Transplant Surgery, aiming to determine which approach provides the best clinical and cost‑effective outcomes for patients without arthritis who continue to struggle with knee pain or functional loss.

If you’re a potential participant or a clinician interested in referring patients, you can contact the research team at meteor2.study@sydney.edu.au.

In this episode of The Scan, we speak with Registered Nurse and Associate Project Manager Clare Goodson and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Professor Andrew Metcalfe about the METEOR2 Study&mdash;a major international clinical trial investigating the most effective treatment for people experiencing persistent knee pain after a meniscectomy.
The study compares two evidence‑based options: Personalised Knee Therapy and Meniscal Allograft Transplant Surgery, aiming to determine which approach provides the best clinical and cost‑effective outcomes for patients without arthritis who continue to struggle with knee pain or functional loss.
If you&rsquo;re a potential participant or a clinician interested in referring patients, you can contact the research team at meteor2.study@sydney.edu.au.

Surgery or Therapy? The METEOR2 Debate

In this episode, host Sarah Iqbal explores the role of stories in global health research through the context of work of the NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases and Environmental Change. While data and numbers can show us what is happening, they don’t always reveal why. That’s where qualitative research comes in—helping us listen deeply, understand context, and capture the complexity of people’s lives.

Sarah is joined by Dr. Chris Mary Kurian, a seasoned qualitative researcher with two decades of experience studying how communities experience health, illness, and care. Together, they discuss the power of words and lived experience, the challenges of balancing qualitative and quantitative insights, and why spending time in communities is essential for meaningful research.

From fevers and folk remedies to the future of interdisciplinary public health, this conversation is a reminder that the voices of people themselves are not just data points—they are knowledge makers.

NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases and Environmental Change is funded by the NIHR-Global Health Research Centre award scheme (NIHR203247) using UK international development funding from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK government.

In this episode, host Sarah Iqbal explores the role of stories in global health research through the context of work of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.georgeinstitute.org/our-research/research-projects/nihr-global-health-research-centre-for-non-communicable-diseases-and-environmental-change" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.georgeinstitute.org/our-research/research-projects/nihr-global-health-research-centre-for-non-communicable-diseases-and-environmental-change&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1756142568658000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1W6f9hqwRGAGNdmuJXHipo">NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases and Environmental Change</a>. While data and numbers can show us what is happening, they don&rsquo;t always reveal why. That&rsquo;s where qualitative research comes in&mdash;helping us listen deeply, understand context, and capture the complexity of people&rsquo;s lives.
Sarah is joined by Dr. Chris Mary Kurian, a seasoned qualitative researcher with two decades of experience studying how communities experience health, illness, and care. Together, they discuss the power of words and lived experience, the challenges of balancing qualitative and quantitative insights, and why spending time in communities is essential for meaningful research.
From fevers and folk remedies to the future of interdisciplinary public health, this conversation is a reminder that the voices of people themselves are not just data points&mdash;they are knowledge makers.
NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases and Environmental Change is funded by the NIHR-Global Health Research Centre award scheme (NIHR203247) using UK international development funding from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK government.

From Numbers to Narratives - Why Stories Matter in Global Health Research

In this episode, Dr Deepika Saluja speak with Dr Kefilath Bello about how impactful research and research partnership requires an intentional sense-making process that connects and respects diverse cultural contexts. Kefi highlights through examples, that the willingness to engage with communities has to be accompanied with dedicated resources including time, budget, facilitation skills; to go beyond the tokenistic approach, that helps build trust and long-term relationships with community members and understand their contexts better. 

Dr Kefilath Bello is the Head, Health Policy and Systems Department, Centre for Research in Human Reproduction and Demography (CERRHUD) in Benin, West Africa. She is completing her PhD from the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), Antwerp and the KU Leuven in Belgium. Her work focuses on promoting evidence-informed decision-making for improving access and quality of Primary Health Care services

We hope you enjoy listening to this podcast, if you do, please share your reflections and thoughts on LinkedIn and your other networks. 

If you have any feedback or ideas for us to include in the future episodes, please write to dsaluja@georgeinstitute.org 

About the series, ‘Ubuntu Reflections: Unpacking the everyday dynamics of building equitable partnerships’

Equitable research partnerships are central to advancing academic global health, particularly to break the power hierarchies, strengthening local capacities and engaging communities in a meaningful manner. However, very little is known about the practical experiences and challenges of navigating and implementing the recommendations provided in the literature (in the form of dos and don’ts) in everyday engagement towards building and strengthening global health partnerships. 

In this series, we attempt to extend the conversation through discussing practical experiences, examples and learnings from experts based in different regions, and unpack these less talked about layers of building equitable partnerships on an everyday basis, what does it entail, the challenges encountered, and tools used to navigate these challenges. 

This series builds on our existing work at the Ubuntu Initiative

Related item ‘Why does embracing Ubuntu matter for authentic research partnerships?’ 

In this episode, <a href="https://www.georgeinstitute.org/about-us/our-people/people-at-the-george-institute/deepika-saluja">Dr Deepika Saluja</a> speak with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/k%C3%A9filath-bello-b95a4b88/">Dr Kefilath Bello</a> about how impactful research and research partnership requires an intentional sense-making process that connects and respects diverse cultural contexts. Kefi highlights through examples, that the willingness to engage with communities has to be accompanied with dedicated resources including time, budget, facilitation skills; to go beyond the tokenistic approach, that helps build trust and long-term relationships with community members and understand their contexts better.&nbsp;
Dr Kefilath Bello is the Head, Health Policy and Systems Department, Centre for Research in Human Reproduction and Demography (CERRHUD) in Benin, West Africa. She is completing her PhD from the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), Antwerp and the KU Leuven in Belgium. Her work focuses on promoting evidence-informed decision-making for improving access and quality of Primary Health Care services
We hope you enjoy listening to this podcast, if you do, please share your reflections and thoughts on LinkedIn and your other networks.&nbsp;
If you have any feedback or ideas for us to include in the future episodes, please write to <a href="mailto:dsaluja@georgeinstitute.org">dsaluja@georgeinstitute.org</a>&nbsp;
About the series, &lsquo;Ubuntu Reflections: Unpacking the everyday dynamics of building equitable partnerships&rsquo;
Equitable research partnerships are central to advancing academic global health, particularly to break the power hierarchies, strengthening local capacities and engaging communities in a meaningful manner. However, very little is known about the practical experiences and challenges of navigating and implementing the recommendations provided in the literature (in the form of dos and don&rsquo;ts) in everyday engagement towards building and strengthening global health partnerships.&nbsp;
In this series, we attempt to extend the conversation through discussing practical experiences, examples and learnings from experts based in different regions, and unpack these less talked about layers of building equitable partnerships on an everyday basis, what does it entail, the challenges encountered, and tools used to navigate these challenges.&nbsp;
This series builds on our existing work at <a href="https://www.georgeinstitute.org/our-research/areas/ubuntu-initiative">the Ubuntu Initiative</a>
Related item &lsquo;<a href="https://www.georgeinstitute.org/news-and-media/podcast/bitesize-why-does-embracing-ubuntu-matter-for-authentic-research-partnerships">Why does embracing Ubuntu matter for authentic research partnerships?&rsquo;</a>&nbsp;

Tackling common mental disorders in rural areas in India

In 1 playlist(s)

The Scan

Social links

Recent clips