Spotlight Interview with Dr. Solomon Teferra  

“I think it is also important to ask ourselves, are we generating evidence that will help our communities or are we just generating for the sake of adding knowledge to the existing body of science?” – Dr. Teferra

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Bio: Dr. Solomon Teferra, MD, PhD is a psychiatrist, full-time Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. As a psychiatrist, he does clinical work specializing in addiction psychiatry, teaches and supervises medical students and residents.

Let’s start with, what is global mental health to you?

“Global mental health is a relatively new concept. It is essentially a collaborative undertaking between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It’s important to have a unified understanding of manifestations of different health problems. When it comes to global mental health, its focus is on understanding different mental health issues mainly in LMICs. You know the word “global” encompasses every part of the world. The assumption is that we learn from each other to continue contributing to understanding mental health problems and to improving the prevention and treatment of mental health problems. It’s in a way a complementary relationship between well-resourced settings and under-resourced settings.”

How did you enter the global mental health field? 

“I started engaging in mental health research as a resident in the early 2000s. I had the opportunity to attain my PhD in mental health epidemiology in Sweden and that was also my first exposure to the mental health phenomena in a western setting. My studies focused on schizophrenia and psychosis. Then my research undertaking contributed to what schizophrenia would look like in a low-income African setting. So I had the opportunity to compare my findings to studies from high-income countries. My research was able to contribute to implementing existing evidence in low-income countries. These beginnings helped me form relationships with institutions and that’s when I began my collaboration with BUMC and MGH.” 

Did you always know you wanted to be a doctor? 

“Growing up my primary ambition was to be a medical doctor, but also I knew I wanted to engage in some sort of research. My interests were always in pursuing knowledge and writing. Psychiatry has given me the ability to accomplish both with my dual role as a clinician and researcher.” 

Our Boston University Medical Campus-Massachusetts General Hospital T32 Global Psychiatry Clinical Research Training Program is a three-year postdoctoral training program that combines rigorous didactic instruction, clinical research methods training from Boston University and Harvard University, practice in working effectively with disadvantaged communities, and immersive, mentored clinical research experiences in global settings. Can you talk about your time as a mentor for the BUMC-MGH T32 Global Psychiatry Fellowship? 

“I think it's a great initiative! I currently do not have a direct mentee, but am excited to have one. I am always thrilled to have new students. I think it is a perfect opportunity to widen their perspectives. It is exciting for junior researchers to enter this field. It definitely is not for the faint of heart. This fellowship allows for exposure on the field and provides completely different experiences. Especially stark differences for students coming from highly advanced and high-income areas. It gives you a different picture of what mental health looks like for instance in an African setting. It is required of a T32 fellow to leave their home country and their comfort zone in order to learn, grow, and produce impactful research.” 

What is your favorite part of your job?

“My favorite part of my job is having diverse activities. I can never be bored.”

What is your least favorite part? 

“For me it’s difficult to focus on negatives when you are a glass half full person. I would say my least favorite part is navigating through the bureaucracy of institutions, especially dealing with delays.”

How has the pandemic affected your work personally and global mental health as a whole? 

“As you know, this pandemic is a global phenomenon, no country is spared. Some were heavily affected and others were in a better state. In Ethiopia, I’d say we are fortunate to be on the better end as our death numbers are relatively low in comparison to the U.S. and European countries. In the beginning of the pandemic, our newly established mental hospital discharged patients in the ward and quickly was converted into a hospital for infected COVID-19 patients. In our clinics we saw a reduction of patients coming in for fear of acquiring COVID-19. Our training was also affected and we had to suspend some of our research projects for nearly 6 months. However, recently we have launched a new 5-year mental health strategy in Ethiopia. As chair of the session, I led the discussions highlighting the need for more attention to mental health and prompted our minister to commit more funding to mental health needs. Mental health will always need advocacy from the people.” 

What areas within the field of global mental health need improvement?

“Global mental health is still a developing field and there are a lot of controversies still. Different people have different versions and different approaches to global mental health. The core principle is understanding mental health issues in low and middle income countries to make the understanding of mental health complete. Unless these relationships between HICs and LMICs are clearly defined, LMICs are subjected to exploitation. I think it is also important to ask ourselves, are we generating evidence that will help our communities or are we just generating for the sake of adding knowledge to the existing body of science. This ambiguity has to be clarified. The objectives need to be clarified. Through collaborative research between HIC and LMIC institutions, we can create an evolving field through open access to resources and addressing the issues in our field.” 

Any advice to youth who are interested in pursuing a career in this field? 

“One has to have curiosity to learn what mental health looks like in a country that is totally different from their own. Be open to overcoming challenges. You have to be a novelty seeker, but I assure you this field comes with many rewarding experiences.” 

If you could ask for one wish and it would be granted, what would it be? 

“Development for my country. I would like to see people come out of poverty, everyone having access to decent food, basic shelter, access to education, and have the ability to live a decent life.” 

What is one lesson in your life that you would like to share? 

“Stay focused on your goals and persevere in the face of challenges. These are my secrets to success.” 

Closing Thoughts: Dr. Teferra would like to thank his collaborative partners, Drs. Henderson, Borba, and other colleagues, whom he has worked with in the past. He would also like to extend his outreach to other future collaborators. 

By Joanne Won, September 2021