Introduction of WHO Collaborating Center
Tehran Institute of Psychiatry was established as a WHO Collaborating Center in mental health at the suggestion of Dr. Ahmad Mohit, an advisor at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO/EMRO) and his colleagues Professor Norman Sartorius, former director of the World Health Organization's Division of Mental Health An independent evaluation of the Mental Health Program was conducted in November 1995 and the evaluation process was reviewed by the mental health authorities of the WHO/EMRO on June 1, 1995. The WHO Collaborating Center was finally inaugurated on June 2, 1998 by Dr. Hussein Al-Jazayeri, Regional Director of WHO/EMRO. The opening of this center in 1998 turned Tehran Institute of Psychiatry into a major technical and advisory body in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education as well as the World Health Organization striving to meet national and regional needs in the area of mental health. Upon review of the Center’s domain of activities and its accreditation by EMRO in 2004, its status as a WHO Collaborating Center in mental health was extended according to periodic evaluation so far. The Center was established in 1998 with Dr. Jafar Bolhari and expanded the scope of its education, research, and publication activities with the help of a number of faculty members according to its ToR. It is currently a renowned mental health center in Eastern Mediterranean. From the year 2016, Prof. Seyed Kazem Malakouti was appointed Head of the Center and continues to work with faculty members. Since 2020, the institute predesignated with the new terms of reference for four years.
The Center is collaborating with the WHO on the following subjects subjects for 2020-2024
- Integration of mental health into Primary Health Care
- scale up mental health services and build capacity of primary health care
- enhancing mental health literacy to reduce stigma
implementation research in the area of the integration of mental health into primary health care scaling up mental health services and building the capacity of general health care personnel to deliver basic mental health services.