Program Manager, Center for Diversity in Public Health Leadership Training and The Office of Health, Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (O-HEID)
Kennedy Krieger Institute
707 N. Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21205
United States
Email: Ganga@KennedyKrieger.org
About
Dr. Nima Ganga serves as a Program Manager for the Center for Diversity in Public Health Leadership Training and the Office of Health, Equity, Inclusion & Diversity (O-HEID) at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is responsible for the Dr. James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement (RISE) Fellowship Program.
Dr. Ganga is committed to advancing public health knowledge and promoting well-being in diverse communities. She is involved in promoting young people’s mental health and eliminating health disparities by addressing sociopolitical determinants of health, as demonstrated by her publications and career involvements. Her health and social equity careers are expanded from academia to public health/behavioral health departments and community-based organizations internationally and in the United States. Dr. Ganga brings over two decades of leadership experience in addressing public health issues at the community level as well as global health research experience. She also has teaching and mentoring experience with social work students.
Education
Dr. Ganga holds a PhD in Public Health from Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Kerala, India and an MSW in Medical & Psychiatric Social Work. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Duke Global Health Institute in Durham, NC. She also completed a postdoctoral research (SHARE) fellowship funded by NIMH.
Research
Dr. Ganga's contributions to science include significant research in public mental health, mental health policy in India and global maternal and child health. She is skilled in scale development, mixed methods and policy research. Dr. Ganga has actively collaborated with domestic and international universities and research institutions, contributing to evidence-based practices and policy development in the field of public health, and has received awards and honors for her contributions. Dr. Ganga is an action-oriented researcher committed to translating evidence-based research into public health practice and training.
Research Publications
Turner, E. L., Sikander, S., Bangash, O., Zaidi, A., Bates, L., Gallis, J., Ganga, N., O’Donnell, K., Rahman, A., & Maselko, J. (2016) The effectiveness of the peer-delivered Thinking Healthy PLUS (THPP+) Program for maternal depression and child socio-emotional development in Pakistan: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 17(1). doi: 10.1186/s13063-016-1530-y
Maselko, J., Sikander, S., Bangash, O., Bhalotra, S., Franz, L., Ganga, N., Rajan, G. D., O’Donnell, K., & Rahman, A. (2016) Child Mental Health and Maternal Depression History in Pakistan. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 51(1). doi: 10.1007/s00127-015-1143-x
Turner, E. L., Sikander, S., Bangash, O., Zaidi, A., Bates, L., Gallis, J., Ganga, N., O’Donnell, K., Rahman, A., & Maselko, J. (2017) Erratum to: The effectiveness of the peer delivered Thinking Healthy Plus (THPP+) Programme for maternal depression and child socio-emotional development in Pakistan: study protocol for A three year cluster randomized controlled trial. Trials, 18, 74. doi: 10.1186/s13063-016-1665-x
Maselko, J., Sikander, S., Bhalotra, S., Bangash, O., Ganga, N., Mukherjee, S., Egger, H., Franz, L., Bibi, A., Liaqat, R., Kanwal, M., Abbasi, T., Noor, M., Ameen, N., & Rahman, A.. (2015) Effect of an early perinatal depression intervention on longer-term child development outcomes: Follow-up of the Thinking Healthy Programme randomised controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatry, 2(7), 609-617. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00109
Ganga, N. S. (2015) Positive mental health of young people: A policy framework. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 20(2), 256-260. doi:10.1080/02673843.2013.799039.
Ganga, N. S. & Kutty, V. R. (2015) Measuring positive mental health: Development of the Achutha Menon Centre Positive Mental Health Scale. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 27(2), 1893-1906. doi: 10.1177/1010539512444119.
Maselko, J., Sikander, S., Bhalotra, S., Bangash, O., Ganga, N., Mukherjee, S., & Rahman, A. (2015) Long term effects of a perinatal depression intervention on child development outcomes. International Journal of Epidemiology, 44(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyv096.342
Ganga, N. S., Kutty, V. R., & Thomas, I. (2014) Determinants of positive mental health: A path model. Mental Health Review Journal, 19(1), 47-60. doi:10.1108/MHRJ-05-2013-0018.
Ganga, N. S. & Kutty, V. R. (2013) Influence of religion, religiosity and spirituality on positive mental health of young people. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 16(4), 435-443. doi: 10.1080/13674676.2012.697879.
Ganga, N. S. & Kutty, V. R. (2012) Identifying key strategies to promote positive mental health of young people in the state of Kerala, India. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 14(5), 276-288. doi:10.1080/14623730.2013.789627.
Ganga, N. S., Kohrt, B., & Maselko, J. (under review) Perceived impacts of cultural change and family relationships on adolescent mental health and suicide: Pilot qualitative study in Kerala, South India. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry.