|| September 11: 2018 || ά. The VII London Festival 2019 will be taking place on October 14-15, Monday and Tuesday evenings, 19:30-22:00 in London. Dr Ramya Mohan is a board-certified Senior Developmental Consultant Psychiatrist in Children, Adolescents and Families, MBBS, MRCPsych, CCST, a Medical Educator, Music Composer, Singer-Songwriter, Performing Musician, exhibiting Artist, Author, Public Speaker and Humanitarian, working across India and the UK. She is well known for her work in amalgamating the Creative Arts with Neuroscience for youth and societal development. She is the Founder and Head and Medical Director of iMANAS London. Dr Mohan is the Artist in Residence at the VII London Poetry Festival 2018 at which the Festival will feature all her artistic and musical creativities, including, an exhibition of her artworks. As a musician, singer, song-writer, poet and artist she will surely add her voice and presentations to enrich the Festival.

After her Medical degree, MBBS, from her hometown Bengaluru or Bangalore Medical College in India, Dr Mohan moved to the UK and completed her training in General Psychiatry at the South London and the Maudsley NHS Hospitals Trust, a premier institute for mental health globally. She was one of the youngest doctors to complete the MRCPsych in the UK, arguably the most difficult medical post-graduate exam in the UK. After becoming a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, she completed her sub-specialisation in Developmental Psychiatry, Psychiatry of children, adolescents, young people and families at the world-renowned Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, London, UK. Dr Mohan has been a Senior Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist on the National Health Service, UK since 2008. She is the Medical Director and Head of i-MANAS London since 2015 and a Visiting Senior Consultant to healthcare clinics in India since 2017. She says that she is constantly dealing with new challenges on a daily basis, requiring ongoing re­appraisal and personal development. She has been awarded a Clinical Certificate in Psychopharmacology by the British Association of Psychopharmacology. 

Dr Ramya Mohan has been a Senior Educational and Clinical Supervisor and Educator on the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Deanery between 2012 and 2016. She has trained innumerable Medical students and post-graduates in Psychiatry, Paediatrics and Accident and Emergency from various training schemes in the region, including, Southwest:St George’s and Southampton Medical schools, UK on clinical and communication skills. She is visiting member of the Faculty for the MA in Psychotherapy course for the Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education:CCPE, London, UK. Dr Mohan is a regular leading expert contributor with health, medical and parenting publications on Child Psychology and Psychiatry. She has been published in well-regarded peer-­reviewed journals and presented at international conferences on mental health, including, the Royal College of Psychiatrists International conference, UK and the International Schizophrenia Congress, USA. Her topic ‘The role of music and non-­musical techniques in self-guided emotional regulation’ was commended as ‘innovative, original, ground-breaking and much needed’ at the International European Psychiatric Association Congress, Spain. 

A formally trained musician in Carnatic and Hindustani classical music, Dr Mohan firmly believes in the healing and therapeutic power of music and incorporates this approach into her medical practice to promote recovery from illness and aid personality development in children and young people. Her live performances include the Bhavan UK and Milapfest UK, which have won accolades and made her a popular music star. She has been a music composer, lyricist and singer for many music projects, ‘Maaya: Molten Waves' and 'Kanasallu : Of dreams and Love' are two of her music video singles, which became popular in the fusion music genre. She has, also, conceptualised , composed and sung the vocals for two internationally acclaimed ‘Music meets Medicine’ albums: CAPE and CAPE: Youth. Her music and singing have garnered acclaim on the BBC, Zee Europe and other world media. 

She has been an invited speaker on prestigious global platforms. She is a TEDx Speaker, 'A symphony of Science, Music and Art’. She has, also, been an invited speaker at The House of Lords, UK, The Mental Wealth Festival, London, UK, 'The role of music and creativity in mental health and emotional well-being’ and Liverpool HOPE University, The Creative Arts for emotional well­being, amongst many others. 

As a young National Cadet Corps Cadet, Dr Mohan’s marble art mural, On ‘Ideals of Young India’, at the Republic day Celebrations in New Delhi came first nationally and won the coveted Prime Minister’s Medal, which She received from the then Prime Minister of India Mr PV Narasimha Rao. Her solo art exhibitions have been hosted in highly prestigious art galleries in the UK, including, the Cultural Wing of the Indian High Commission and the MP Birla Millennium Art Gallery, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in West London amongst others. 

Her traditional Indian Art collection has received special commendation at the Liverpool Centre of Arts for young artists. Her Art has been applauded in international media: London Live TV, Psychologies UK and Zee TV Europe to name a few. Her art draws upon her Eastern roots, whilst integrating her working life across the West and the East. Her oils and watercolours are inspired by everyday life, situations and people she meets. 

Dr Ramya Mohan is a regular invited expert contributor to The Huffington Post, Changeboard Magazine, Topdoctorsonline, Deccan Herald etc. Her expert opinion and original articles on mental health are highly regarded and have been published in innumerable national and local newspapers, online portals, magazines and glossies like The Independent UK, The Huffington Post UK, Psychologies UK, Good Housekeeping, Closer,Stylist, Deccan Herald and Udayavani, to name a few. Her articles rapidly went to become top featured articles in various categories on the Huffington Post.  

Her article on exam stress went viral and was adopted by over 20-25 top primary, comprehensive, independent and grammar schools in the UK on their websites. She has been invited by top political news channels like LBC to provide an expert opinion on mental health of the nation in the light of topical UK issues like exiting the European Union . She has been an invited expert Psychiatrist for live call-ins on the BBC Asian Network around Asian mental health, vulnerabilities and sensitivities. 

She has consolidated her teaching, consultation, service development, clinical leadership and management experience in the context of a dynamic National Health Service. She has been a Clinical Liaison Lead in the trust and written protocols and guidelines for self-harm in children and young people. She has been an Autism champion for South Surrey and a member of the Surrey Autism board. She is a specialty champion for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the UK for Health Education England. As Medical Director and Head of i-MANAS London , she brings innovation in thinking and orientation around mental health by mobilising communities to 'Think mental health'. Having worked closely with trust business development managers and UK Trade and Investment, Dr Mohan is an expert on cross-cultural perspectives, on developing viable business and communication strategies and managing finances and budgeting issues in challenging international projects. 

As an adolescent, through the Indo-Canada Youth Exchange Programme, An international Youth Exchange Programme between Canada World Youth and the Government of India, aimed at international community development, cross-cultural exchange and language learning, she had led the music troupe and performed across Canada and India . She had participated in community development projects in both countries with a team of young people selected all across India to represent the nation as youth ambassadors. These experiences laid the foundation for her thinking and work in cultural sensitivity and inclusive working across the East and the West. 

Subsequently, she initiated multiple scientific research and community development projects bringing art and music together with the mind. In 2015, she founded i-MANAS London, an organisation created to promote the integration of Medicine, Creative Arts and Neuroscience for individual, familial and community development. Exploring the way in which we can harness the mind and brain’s potential, i-MANAS London delivers its message and work through creative global projects, that bring Science, Medicine and the Arts together across the east and the west. I-MANAS supports the logical power of neuroscience, using up-to date, evidence-based research and clinical practice and the therapeutic creativity and free expression of art. Dr Mohan travels the world as an invited guest speaker to discuss her work, as the Founder and Director of i-MANAS and Senior Consultant Psychiatrist. In 2016, she released her innovative, self-guided therapeutic technique’. 

This novel technique has a basis in her Neuroscientific understanding of music, emotions and the brain. It brings together the best of Eastern and Western music with well-evidenced therapeutic techniques like mindfulness, to support self-guided emotional processing and regulation. CAPE has been critically acclaimed by the Independent UK, BBC Arts and Culture, The Huffington Post, The Times and Deccan Herald amongst others. 

Following the international success of CAPE, Dr Mohan was invited by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, Chair of the AMAR International Charitable Foundation, Patron HRH The Prince of Wales, to talk about ‘The role of music in mental health and emotional well-being at The House of Lords, UK and explore synergies. She was invited by Professor Shelia, The Baroness Hollins of Wimbledon to present CAPE and her artwork on ‘Art and the human mind’ at the Mental Wealth Festival, London, September 2016. She is currently pioneering the use of creative arts to support mental health in high-need populations across Europe and Australasia. Hailing from Bengaluru, India and having done her schooling and medical training in India, she has always had a strong wish to share her expertise and work with her home community. The glaring gap in board-certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists in India focusing on supporting children and young people made Dr Mohan to move to India for culturally-sensitive community awareness and development projects around mental health. 

Dr Ramya Mohan’s concepts and ideas are fully in tune with the latest developments on the arts, mental healthcare, social, civil, economic, political, educational, geographical and financial fronts across the world. Her fluency in English and various Indian languages, including, Kannada, Hindi, Urdu, Sanketi and Tamil allows her to switch seamlessly from one language to another in a culturally sensitive manner, depending on the person, group or situation.

Having conceptualised and worked on international business development projects linked to the UK Department of Health, British High Commission and the Secretary of State, Dr Mohan has had the opportunity to communicate effectively across cultures and borders. Combining her Indian roots with her working life in the West, she considers herself a global citizen with local sensibilities, with a good understanding of local languages, ethos, culture and systemic structures in modern India. 

Dr Ramya Mohan’s vision is to empower our children, young people and their families with the resilience, balance and self-assurance of mental health through the powerful amalgamation of neuroscience and the creative arts. She says that the support of the scientific and artistic community in both the East and the West, has been tremendous, encouraging her efforts to build a resilient and supportive world for our young people and communities..:::ω.

Caption: Images: Dr Ramya Mohan

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