Giovanni Sala

After attaining an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Philosophy, Giovanni completed the MSc in Global Mental Health at King’s College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he graduated with a thesis on the challenges and lessons learned from the implementation of 50 GCC-funded mental health projects carried out in low-income settings.

During his studies Giovanni worked for a number of NGOs in Indonesia, Uganda, Peru and Niger, mainly focusing on mental health and psychosocial support at grassroot levels. Between 2016-2019 Giovanni was responsible for managing and coordinating COOPI's MHPSS programmes in Niger, focusing on building back better mental health systems during and after emergencies. He also acted as COOPI's MHPSS technical focal point for West Africa, as well as representing the organization within the IASC MHPSS Technical Working Group at global level.

Presently, Giovanni is a consultant at the WHO in Geneva, supporting the coordination of WHO's Special Initiative for Mental Health. In this role his main responsabilities include supporting countries like Bangladesh, Jordan, Nepal, Paraguay, Philippines, Ukaine and Zimbabwe to plan for and implement mental health system reform.