Dr. Medhin Selamu Tegegne (RN, MSW, PhD) is the National Professional Officer for Mental Health and Technical Officer at the WHO Ethiopia Country Office. She leads national efforts to strengthen mental health systems across both emergency and development settings, with a particular focus on communities affected by humanitarian crisis such as conflict, natural disasters and displacement. Her work advances mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) integration within primary care and community platforms in low-resource and crisis-affected areas.
With interdisciplinary training in nursing, social work, and a PhD in mental health, Dr. Selamu brings deep expertise in crisis-response programming, policy translation, and implementation research. She has authored more than 35 peer-reviewed publications that shed light on stress, adversity, and culturally grounded pathways, helping to shape locally informed and scalable MHPSS approaches in Ethiopia and beyond.
Recognized for her leadership in mental health systems strengthening and humanitarian MHPSS coordination, Dr Selamu champions African-led innovations that offer valuable lessons for strengthening global mental health responses to both man-made and natural disasters.