First Pakistani to lead global child psychiatry body
Aga Khan University alumna will serve as IACAPAP president for the 2026-2030 term
Karachi: Pakistani psychiatrist Dr Ayesha I. Mian has been elected president of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP) for the 2026-2030 term, becoming the first Pakistani and the first South Asian to head the global organisation since it was founded in 1937.
According to a statement, her election is being seen as a milestone for Pakistan and a recognition of the growing contribution of experts from low- and middle-income countries to global mental health, Dawn reported.
An alumna of Aga Khan University (AKU), Dr Ayesha previously served on the faculty of the University of Texas and Baylor College of Medicine in the United States.
After returning to Pakistan in 2013, she joined AKU, where she served as Founding Dean of Student Experience and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry. During her tenure, she established Pakistan’s first Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship training programme, helping expand specialist mental health care for young people.
Dr Ayesha currently serves as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Synapse – Pakistan Neuroscience Institute, where she leads initiatives focused on evidence-based clinical care, education, research and advocacy aimed at strengthening the country’s mental health system.
Her appointment places a Pakistani psychiatrist at the helm of one of the world’s leading organisations dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents through international collaboration, research, education and policy development.
What is IACAPAP?
The International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP) is a global professional organisation founded in 1937 that promotes the mental health and wellbeing of children, adolescents and their families.
It brings together psychiatrists, psychologists, paediatricians, social workers, nurses, educators and other mental health professionals from around the world. The association supports research, training, clinical practice and international collaboration while advocating for stronger child and adolescent mental health services and policies.
IACAPAP also organises the World Congress on Child and Adolescent Mental Health, one of the field’s leading international scientific meetings.
The organisation is registered in Geneva, Switzerland, where it is incorporated as a non-profit association under Swiss law. It is also recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an official non-state actor in child and adolescent mental health.
