Perinatal mental health is a public health priority that links maternal wellbeing with child development, making it a natural entry point for integrating mental health into primary health care.
6+ years in public health · Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria
Advancing healthier, more equitable systems
Bridging evidence, policy and practice to improve public health and strengthen health systems, with people at the centre.
Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria is a public health professional and Technical Consultant with UNICEF Maharashtra.
- Public health
- Equity
- Systems
- People
years of experience
Experience at a glance
Years of professional experience in public health
Years as District Consultant, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Mumbai
Key public health projects at UNICEF Maharashtra since July 2024
Source: Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria, professional profile (LinkedIn, opens in new tab), as of .
Key takeaways
- 6+ years across health systems, research, policy and programme implementation.
- Technical Consultant, UNICEF Maharashtra, since July 2024.
- 3 years as District Consultant with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai.
- BDS (Manipal), MBA in Hospital & Health Management (IIHMR) and PhD scholar in public health (IIHMR University).
Who is Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria?
Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria is a public health professional who strengthens health systems and integrates emerging health priorities into evidence-informed policy and practice.
She works at the intersection of health systems, research, policy and programme implementation. She is currently a Technical Consultant with UNICEF Maharashtra and previously served as a District Consultant with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai.
Ways to collaborate
- Consulting and strategic collaborations. Support with programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and integrating emerging health priorities into routine services.
- Speaking and thought leadership. Talks, panels and workshops on mental health integration, childhood NCDs, implementation research and evidence-to-policy translation.
- Research collaborations. Implementation research and evaluation partnerships with academic and research institutions.
Primary focus: perinatal, childhood and adolescent mental health, and childhood NCDs.
Which public health challenges does she help solve?
Three recurring gaps: turning evidence into action, responding to emerging and overlooked health priorities, and turning public health strategies into measurable impact.
Select a challenge to see how she approaches it.
Bridging the gap between evidence and action
Dr. Jambusaria helps public health stakeholders translate complex data and research into practical insights, informed decisions and effective policies.
- Research-to-policy translation
- Evidence-informed policymaking
- Monitoring and evaluation of public health programmes
What are her areas of expertise?
Mental health across the life course, childhood NCDs, implementation research, monitoring and evaluation, and evidence-to-policy translation, all in service of stronger primary health care.
Focuses on how health systems can respond earlier to the mental health needs of children and adolescents through routine services.
Explores how screening, care and follow-up for non-communicable diseases in children can become part of routine public health delivery.
Implementation research bridges the gap between research and practice by explaining why a programme works in one setting and stalls in another.
Covers programme indicators, data use and evaluation that feed back into better design and decision-making.
Turns complex data and research into practical insights that policymakers and programme managers can act on.
Strengthens programme design, implementation and service delivery so new priorities become part of routine care rather than stand-alone projects.
How does a collaboration work?
Every collaboration moves from understanding the context to sharing what was learned, with evidence guiding each step.
Understand the context
Clarify the health system, the population and the decision that needs to be made.
Review the evidence
Bring together existing research and programme data to see what is known and what is missing.
Co-design with stakeholders
Shape programme design, indicators and integration pathways with the people who will deliver them.
Implement and evaluate
Support implementation and monitoring and evaluation so progress is measured, not assumed.
Share learning
Translate findings into insights for policy, publications, talks and knowledge exchange.
What is her professional experience?
More than six years in public health, spanning a city health department in Mumbai and UNICEF Maharashtra.
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Technical Consultant, UNICEF Maharashtra
to present
Contributing to 3 key public health projects.
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District Consultant, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai
What does she speak about?
Dr. Jambusaria speaks at conferences, panel discussions and workshops on integrating emerging health priorities into routine care and turning research into policy.
Talk and panel topics
Integrating mental health into primary health care
Perinatal, child and adolescent mental health in India
Childhood non-communicable diseases in India
Translating public health research into policy
Implementation research and monitoring and evaluation
A life-course approach to public health
Formats: conference keynotes and sessions, panel discussions, workshops and guest lectures.
Who does she work with?
Government institutions, development organisations, academic and research partners, and public health leaders and professional associations.
Government institutions
Technical support to integrate emerging priorities such as perinatal and adolescent mental health and childhood NCDs into routine public health services, with programme design and monitoring and evaluation built in.
Aim: services that are designed for routine delivery and measured with useful indicators.
Development organisations
Programme design, implementation support and evaluation for public health initiatives, informed by experience with UNICEF Maharashtra and a municipal health department.
Aim: strategies that move from plan to measurable implementation.
Academic and research partners
Implementation research and evaluation collaborations that connect academic rigour with what happens inside public health systems.
Aim: research questions that come from, and return to, real programmes.
Public health leaders and professional associations
Talks, panels and knowledge exchange on emerging public health priorities, implementation research and evidence-informed policymaking.
Aim: conversations that leave practitioners with ideas they can apply.
Where can I follow Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria?
LinkedIn is the best place to follow her work, reflections and updates on public health.
Professional updates, perspectives and opportunities to connect.
Connect on LinkedInThis account is operated by Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria.
Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria at a glance
The essential facts in one place.
| Role | Technical Consultant, UNICEF Maharashtra |
|---|---|
| Based in | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Experience | 6+ years in public health |
| Previous role | District Consultant, BMC, Mumbai (3 years) |
| Education | BDS (Manipal); MBA, Hospital & Health Management (IIHMR); PhD scholar, IIHMR University |
| Focus | Perinatal, child and adolescent mental health; childhood NCDs |
| Open to | Consulting, speaking, research collaborations |
| Contact | dr.akankshajambusaria@gmail.com |
| Last updated |
Glossary of key terms
Plain-language definitions of the concepts used on this page.
- Perinatal mental health
- Perinatal mental health is an area of care that addresses a woman's mental wellbeing during pregnancy and the first year after birth.
- Health systems strengthening
- Health systems strengthening is a set of actions that improves how a health system's services, workforce, data, financing and governance work together to deliver care.
- Implementation research
- Implementation research is a field of study that examines how proven interventions are adopted, delivered and sustained in real-world settings.
- Evidence-informed policymaking
- Evidence-informed policymaking is a practice that uses the best available research and data, alongside context, to shape public decisions.
- Childhood NCDs
- Childhood non-communicable diseases are chronic conditions in children, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancers, that are not passed from person to person.
- Monitoring and evaluation (M&E)
- Monitoring and evaluation is a process that tracks a programme's progress and assesses whether it achieves its intended results.
- Life-course approach
- A life-course approach is a way of planning health services that addresses needs at every stage of life and how each stage shapes the next.
About Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria
A public health professional with clinical training, health management expertise and more than six years of public health practice.
Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria is a public health professional with 6+ years of experience working at the intersection of health systems, research, policy and programme implementation. She is currently a Technical Consultant with UNICEF Maharashtra, with prior experience as a District Consultant with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai.
Her areas of interest include perinatal, childhood and adolescent mental health, childhood non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and the integration of emerging health priorities into routine healthcare. She is passionate about translating evidence into actionable insights that strengthen public health systems and improve service delivery.
- BDS
- MBA, Hospital & Health Management
- PhD Scholar, Public Health
By Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria · Last updated
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about her work, focus areas and how to collaborate.
Ask a different questionWho is Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria?
Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria is a public health professional based in Mumbai with 6+ years of experience across health systems, research, policy and programme implementation. She is a Technical Consultant with UNICEF Maharashtra, previously served as a District Consultant with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and is a PhD scholar in public health at IIHMR University.
What areas of public health does she focus on?
Her focus areas are perinatal, childhood and adolescent mental health, childhood non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and the integration of emerging health priorities into routine healthcare. Across these areas she works on health systems strengthening, programme design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and translating evidence into policy and practice.
How can mental health be integrated into primary health care?
Integrating mental health into primary health care means building screening, support and referral for conditions such as perinatal depression into services people already use, rather than running them as stand-alone programmes. It typically involves programme design, training of frontline teams, referral pathways and monitoring indicators. This kind of integration of emerging priorities into routine healthcare is a core area of interest for Dr. Jambusaria.
What is implementation research in public health?
Implementation research is a field of study that examines how proven health interventions are adopted, delivered and sustained in real-world health systems. It asks why a programme works in one setting and stalls in another, and uses that evidence to improve design, delivery and scale-up. It is central to bridging the gap between research and practice.
How can organisations collaborate with Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria?
Government institutions, development organisations, academic and research partners, and professional associations can reach out for consulting and strategic collaborations, research partnerships, and speaking engagements. The simplest way to start is the contact form on this page or an email to dr.akankshajambusaria@gmail.com, with a short note on your context, timeline and what you hope to achieve.
Is she available as a public health speaker for conferences and panels?
Yes. Dr. Jambusaria welcomes invitations to conferences, panel discussions, workshops and knowledge-exchange events. Topics include integrating mental health into primary health care, perinatal, child and adolescent mental health, childhood NCDs in India, implementation research, and translating public health research into policy. Share the event date, audience and format when you get in touch.
How does she help translate research into policy?
Dr. Jambusaria helps public health stakeholders turn complex data and research into practical insights, informed decisions and effective policies. Her experience spans monitoring and evaluation, programme implementation and technical support to public health systems, which helps connect what the evidence shows with what programmes and policymakers can act on.
What does a collaboration with her cost?
There is no fixed public price list. Each consulting, research or speaking engagement is scoped individually based on its objectives, duration and format. Share a brief description of what you have in mind through the contact form or by email, and terms can be discussed from there.
What is a life-course approach to public health?
A life-course approach to public health is a way of planning health services that addresses needs at each stage of life, from pregnancy and early childhood through adolescence and adulthood, and recognises how health at one stage shapes the next. Perinatal, child and adolescent mental health and childhood NCDs are natural entry points for this approach.
Where is Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria based?
Dr. Akanksha Jambusaria is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, and currently works with UNICEF Maharashtra. Collaborations, research partnerships and speaking enquiries can be started by email at dr.akankshajambusaria@gmail.com or through the contact form on this page.
Let's collaborate
Tell her about your programme, research idea or event. A short note on context, timeline and goals is the best way to start.
- dr.akankshajambusaria@gmail.com
- Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- LinkedIn profile