Dr. Kamrun Koly is a medical doctor and mental health researcher from Bangladesh, currently in the final year of her PhD at the University of Essex, UK. Over the past 11 years, she has independently designed and implemented 18 research studies on mental health and disability, publishing more than 55 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Her expertise spans epidemiology, global mental health research, qualitative methods, and multi-country trials in low- and middle-income countries.

At icddr,b, Dr. Koly played a pivotal role in elevating mental health to a strategic priority, while also securing and managing grants from diverse donors. In recognition of this work, her team was awarded the BMJ South Asia Mental Health Team of the Year in 2017.

She is the founder of the Women Support Initiative Forum (WSIF), a digital platform empowering women through mental health awareness and support. Today, WSIF connects more than 70,000 members and reaches over 150,000 people daily, offering workshops and one-to-one psychosocial support. For this impact-driven work, she received the Inspiring Women Volunteer Award 2021 from UN Volunteers Bangladesh.

A former Chevening scholar (MSc Global Mental Health, King’s College London & LSHTM), Dr. Koly remains deeply committed to building accessible, inclusive, and stigma-free mental health systems in Bangladesh and beyond.