Masuma Pervin Mishu
Masuma is Lecturer in Public Health at University College London (UCL) and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the University of York.
She has worked for a number of years as a clinical dentist in Bangladesh before undertaking an MSc in Dental Public Health at University College London (UCL) in 2010-11, followed by a PhD funded by Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (2013-2017).
She joined the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York in 2017. Since July 2022, she is working as a Lecturer in Public Health at UCL and as a visiting senior research fellow at the University of York.
What do you do in the field of mental health?
Firstly improving oral health in people with severe mental illness, and secondly the treatment and prevention of depression and anxiety among adolescents, especially in culturally diverse populations.
What do you find most rewarding and inspiring in this work?
Generating research evidence on areas often neglected in research, policy and practice and being able to contribute to improving someone's quality of life.
What is the most challenging or complicated aspect of this work?
Working within the current health care provision system that compartmentalises peoples' mental health, physical health and oral health and often works in silos. Often it is difficult to make the funders and policymakers aware of this.
What impact do you hope your work is having- or can potentially have?
Better integration of mental, physical, and oral health care services and improving the quality of life of people.
Could you share with us one piece of advice that you follow for your own mental health?
Having a positive mindset and trying to connect to nature.