Editor Spotlight: Apurvakumar Pandya

For this Editor Spotlight, Dr. Apurvakumar Pandya shares his insights on PLOS’ role in promoting public mental health, his research focus on mental health equity, and the importance of mentorship in becoming proficient practitioners and researchers.

Dr. Apurvakumar Pandya is a psychologist, social and behavioural scientist. Currently he is serving as Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Behavioural Science, Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar. His research focuses on achieving equitable access to healthcare including mental health, particularly for marginalized populations.

I see PLOS ONE as a powerful instrument for advancing gender equality and overall well-being. PLOS’ commitment to open access publishing … empowers policymakers, practitioners, and the public with the knowledge to create more equitable and effective mental healthcare systems.

Apurvakumar Pandya

What role does PLOS play in promoting public mental health?

I see PLOS ONE as a powerful instrument for advancing gender equality and overall well-being. PLOS’ commitment to open access publishing ensures vital reach of the scientific work. This empowers policymakers, practitioners, and the public with the knowledge to create more equitable and effective mental healthcare systems.

Your research focuses on equitable access to mental healthcare and understanding the health behaviours of marginalized populations. What draws you to this field?

This focus stems from a deep concern about the disparities in health including mental health services, faced by marginalized populations particularly children in need for care & protection, women, sexual and gender minority. Understanding the unique health behaviours, rituals, cultural practices and challenges of these groups is essential for developing culturally competent and accessible preventive, promotive and curative mental health interventions. Furthermore, I attempt to integrate cost-effectiveness analysis and equity analysis to explore the most efficient and equitable distribution of healthcare resources for improving mental health of marginalized populations.

My ultimate goal is to generate knowledge that informs policies and establish evidence on low cost and culturally relevant preventive and promotive mental health services. It’s about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to remain healthy and thrive.

How has mentorship influenced your career and what is your approach to mentoring early career researchers?

Mentorship has been instrumental in my own career. The guidance and support I received from senior researchers and academicians were invaluable in navigating the complexities of academia and real-world practice. Now, I strive to pay it forward by fostering a similar environment for post-graduate and early-career researchers. My approach is focused on collaboration, open communication, and providing constructive feedback to help them refine their conceptualization of equity, gender, research questions, methodology, and writing skills. I also believe in creating a safe space for mentees to discuss challenges and explore career paths. Ultimately, my goal is to empower them to become not only proficient healthcare practitioners and researchers but future leaders in promoting positive mental health and well-being for all.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by contributors are solely those of individual contributors, and not necessarily those of PLOS.