Chitra Venkateswaran

Chitra Venkateswaran-Image

Dr Chitra Venkateswaran is the founder-director of Mehac Foundation and a psychiatrist committed to making mental healthcare accessible to underserved communities. She is also a professor and the head of the department of psychiatry at Believers Church Medical College, Kerala. Chitra has worked with WHO and UICC, and led innovative programmes that integrate mental health into primary and palliative care.


Areas of expertise

Mental health, palliative care, public health, community-based models, psycho-oncology, research and education


Currently working at

Mehac Foundation


Articles by Chitra Venkateswaran


The image is set in a small open ground behind a building. A group of women are sitting on the ground in rows and they are looking ahead at a young man who is standing and addressing the group. Beside him, a young woman is standing. A third woman is seated on a chair to the side._Mental health

August 19, 2025
Panchayats at the frontlines of mental healthcare
A nonprofit’s collaboration with local governance systems in Kerala highlights how mental health services can be integrated into the public health system.
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