Chencho Dorji

Dr Chencho Dorji, Bhutan’s first psychiatrist trained in India, Sri Lanka, Australia, and the USA. In an illustrious career spanning more than three decades, he worked in various capacities as advisor to the Mental Health Program in Ministry of Health, as Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of Department of Psychiatry in Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH), as Professor of Psychiatry in Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan (KGUMSB) and as National COVID-19 Mental Health and Psychosocial Response Team Leader. He was instrumental in laying the foundations of a community-based mental health services in Bhutan. He initiated under-graduate four-years clinical counseling course and post-graduate psychiatry residency training in KGUMSB. He is recipient of Lifetime Achievement and Druk Thuksay Award from His Majesty the King of Bhutan. Dr Dorji has worked as the Regional Advisor on Mental Health in the WHO SEARO Delhi recently. He has won several awards including Asoka Grand Challenges Global Award and ZERO project global award for innovative policies and practices in mental health. He has also won several research grants including from Grand Challenges Canada and NIH and published several articles. He is also recipient of several training fellowships including that of WHO, Huppert Humphrey, British Academy and RANZCP.