Professor Basseer Jeeawody developed the vision and guiding principles of the Institute. His career spans 35 years in multinational operational and strategic leadership, driving innovation. He was Founding President of EWBI (Geneva); Founding Dean for international programs in Health; Founding Regional Health Director for Professional Development (UK); Founding President of Multicultural Council in regional Australia; Founding National Director of the Djirruwang Program addressing social and emotional well-being of Indigenous Australians; Co-Director AusAid funded strategic Distance Education Program in PNG. Dr Jeeawody has served on various Boards: Community Relations Commission Board for Regional Australia; National Co-morbidity Taskforce on drugs use and abuse; a member of 12 experts on the use of focussed national strategy for better outcomes in mental health for medical practitioners; State Government Consultative Committee on Ageing and Disability; Member of Faculty of Health Studies Board; Member of University International Advisory Board; Vice Chancellor Teaching Excellence Award; and a nominee for the Australia Day Citizenship Award. He is cited as one of ‘Geneva’s International Do-Good Citizen’.

Abraham Francis is an Associate Professor in Social Work and Human Services at James Cook University in Australia. He has worked with many NGOs and in the Corporate Sector as a social worker. Dr Francis has initiated and established many international research projects, supported several international field placements, and has been instrumental in establishing international partnerships and research collaborations with Universities and organisations in South Asia. He taught Social Work at the Delhi University in India and also worked as a senior mental health Social Worker with Country Health South Australia, before moving to Townsville to join James Cook University. Dr Francis is associated with many voluntary organisations, associations, professional bodies, and developmental projects both in Australia and India.Read More

Dr. Raju Adhikari has 30 years of R&D experience at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) with over 100 research publications in peer-reviewed journals and owns 26 patents (H index 39, citation > 9500). His expertise is in the design and application of materials for Medical, Agriculture, OLED, Conducting and Food applications, product development, and technology commercialization. He has received several awards including the CSIRO Medal and Nepal Academy of Science and Technology Diaspora S&T Excellence in 2023.

He is one of the co-inventors of Elast-Eon and NovoSorb and Synthetic Heart Valve biomedical platform technologies and an inventor of sprayable biodegradable polymer technology (TranspiratiOnal). He is an Adjunct Associate professor, at STEM Hub, RMIT University, and is a Deputy Chair and Global Research director of the Emotional Well-being Institute (EWBI), Geneva.

Dr. Adhikari was the Founder of the Nepali Community Association of Victoria (NAV) Federation of Nepal Associations of Australia (FeNCAA), Nepal Science Foundation Trust (NSFT), and Skill Knowledge and Innovation (SKI) Committee, Non-Resident Nepali Association NRNA. He serves on the board of the Eastern Volunteer and Advisory Board of Victoria Multicultural Commission (VMC), Eastern Region and New and Emerging Community, and Ethnic Community Council of Victoria (EECV). He has been working in Empowering culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) migrant communities' social and mental well-being through developing community research projects and programs, advocating networking and collaboration amongst CALD community organizations, and supporting Government agencies on CALD community matters.

Jo is a self-proclaimed pracademic, social work educator, and dedicated trauma informed practitioner. She has worked in various human service sector roles in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors across regional and remote communities throughout Far North Queensland for over 15 years.

Studying criminology and working with young people in the criminal justice system provided Jo with the motivation to do a Master of Social Work and ultimately work in academia. Her love of teaching and social work practice keeps Jo up to date with contemporary issues and emerging practice knowledge.

She is currently undertaking a PhD through James Cook University which intends on transforming the Social Work curriculum with a trauma informed paradigm shift, bringing together her passion for education and practice, and commitment to on-going professional development in complex trauma. She is passionate about building a community of trauma informed practitioners.

Dr. Sundram Sivamalai is Citizen of the Year 2021 – City of Ballarat and Foundation Chair of Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council in Victoria, Australia. He currently serves as Director of Ethnic Communities Council, Victoria. Previously, he was Community Representative Commissioner of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, a community observer on the NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council), Adjunct Professor at University of Manipal (India), and Associate Professor in the School of Medicine and Dentistry at James Cook University (Australia). Dr. Sivamalai was born in Malaysia and is actively involved in international consultancies in cross-cultural education for health professionals and organisations in Japan, Indonesia, China and Malaysia. He has published widely on multiculturalism in Australia, and was awarded the Commonwealth Government Centenary Medal for his work with migrants.

Teresia Mutavi is a Psychiatric Social Worker, a researcher and a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi. She holds a PhD in Psychiatric Social Work and has published widely in the area of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Her role in the department has been to conduct research, train and mentor students in research and clinical care to patients at Kenyatta National Hospital and Mathari Teaching and Referral hospitals. She has over 15 years working in hospitals as a social worker and dealing with many children Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs). Her specific area of interest in mental health is on interventions for Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) and extends to brief interventions for adolescent and youth living with HIV. Specifically, her research has been on promoting child and adolescent mental health through Multiple Family groups therapy conducted by lay providers. In addition, she has been involved in research as a co-Investigator in a WHO supported Multi-country project that aimed to test a platform for training and supervision of mental health and psychosocial support to helpers (particularly non-specialist providers). Her currently NIH-funded research program where she is a consultant focuses on adolescents and youth in HIV Care. She has experience of training health care workers on trauma focused behavioral interventions. She has also interests in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and virtual exchanges.

Affiliations:

• Senior Scientist, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
• Senior Fellow, Department of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Melbourne
• Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University
• Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University

Dr. Smriti Murali Krishna, is an extraordinary personality who seamlessly amalgamates the world of advanced biomedical research with a deep-rooted passion for social causes. She is a revered figure in the higher education industry, credited with an illustrious career as a senior biomedical researcher and project manager. Her professional expertise extends across pre-clinical cardiovascular disease models, pharmacogenomics, epigenetics, exosome biology, and clinical research. Further amplifying her contributions is her skill in mentoring, fostering an environment of learning and growth for all.

However, it is her relentless pursuit of social justice and empathy that truly sets Dr. Smriti apart. Her advocacy for women's and children's rights, her voice for migrants and refugees, her insistence on compassionate sourcing of food, and her belief in the role of values-based education in the shaping of young minds are all reflections of her dedication to the betterment of society. She believes in promoting emotional wellbeing through Art Therapy and Spiritual practices including Yoga and Meditation.

Aged care is another cause close to Dr. Smriti's heart. Recognizing the often overlooked needs of the elderly, she has been a strong advocate for improving aged care, ensuring that our seniors are provided with the respect, care, and attention they deserve. Her commitment to justice doesn't stop there; she has also taken up the mantle for equitable representation in the Australian Army as the first Indian Female Chaplain and Tertiary Education sector and encourages societal participation in meeting the spiritual needs of common people.

Dr Smriti has been part of EWBI from the beginning and serves as the Treasurer of Victorian Chapter and Director, Asia-Pacific. Dr. Smriti Murali Krishna is more than just a voice; she is a force of change. Her heart resonates with those whose voices often go unheard, and it is this drive that propels her to make a difference. Her spirit of compassion, dedication, and unwavering commitment imbues every cause she champions, every project she undertake, and every life she touch.

Dr. Kalpana Goel is a highly accomplished academic and researcher in the field of social work at The University of South Australia, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate social work students, preparing them as practitioners equipped with knowledge of theories and practice skills. She has a strong research background in teaching pedagogies, critical social work, ageing and aged care, immigration, migrant and refugee settlement, mental health, coping, and resilience. She is widely published in this space and supervises PhD candidates in the field of social work.

Dr. Kalpana is passionate about bringing change in the curriculum at national and international levels and has been on international curriculum development committees, developing innovative teaching pedagogies that effectively address the diverse needs of students. In addition to her work in teaching pedagogies, her research has examined the unique challenges faced by culturally diverse groups of aged care workers in the aged care sector and the need for culturally appropriate services and life skills programs for older adults. She is committed to promoting age-friendly practices and policies that enhance the quality of life for older adults, especially CALD communities. Her research has also made a significant contribution to highlighting the settlement experiences of immigrant communities in regional Australia. Together with her research on settlement, exploring factors that contribute to mental health challenges and the strategies that immigrants use to cope and bounce back from adversity has made an impact on further examination of issues at a larger scale by the government department.

In addition to this, she is actively involved in building international research collaborations with scholars and practitioners from around the world. She has published with international authors on homelessness, and curriculum development, and collaborated on research projects funded by the Human Resource Department in India under a scheme called SPARC. This project investigates positive parenting practices and their impact on adolescent mental health in the Indian context.

My journey as an artist has been shared between five significant cultural spaces: Vellinezhi (my native village), Guruvayur in Kerala, Santiniketan, Temple University, Philadelphia and Varanasi which are filled with activities, vibrancy of life, tradition and manifestation. My practice, as I continue to observe, reverberates the interspersing of visual elements that have been accumulated from all the sources and styles. My inclination to document moving images, inspired by the classical dance forms in Guruvayur, Kerala continues to provoke me even today. The project, I completed for the French artist, Brijith Reveli during my Guruvayur days, provided a turning point in my work.

In Santiniketan, I grew with the writings of Rabindranath Tagore and the guidance of K G Subramanyan and learned to expose myself to multiple mediums of art making ranging from wall painting to cement murals, inspired by classical and traditional music. It filled me with confidence and as a result, I received my Fulbright fellowship to visit Temple University in the US to experiment with my art, where I was introduced to the Mexican mural and other global art traditions. I would like to share through the lecture, my learning of traditional Murals of Kerala, Jaipur, Morahkashi, Philadelphia and more

This current book is on visual story of my life, that I would like to share, imbued with experiences of tradition, techniques and teachers who showed me a path to travel, breaking the barriers of language, region and style. My works are essentially autobiographical and emerge out of the self-desire: of the environment that I belong and respond to organically and the elements make their way into my works and settle down with a timeless existence.

Teddy Andrews J J, a Social Worker by training with special interests in Mental health, Ageing, Adolescents’ well-being & pedagogy in Social Work education, completed his:

• Social Work Masters & M.Phil from India
• P.G. Diploma in Gerontology & Geriatrics from European Centre of Gerontology, University of Malta
• PhD in Gerontological Social Work from Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, the Netherlands

He worked in the field of mental health and adolescent health promotion projects for 5 years in Chennai and Goa, and has been an academician for more than 14 years. Besides, he is a freelance trainer on life skills, counselling, research methods, stress management & personal and professional effectiveness. He has conducted more than 125 capacity building sessions with different stakeholders.

With more than 20 publications in National and International journals, he is also a recipient of 4 fellowships namely:

• Australian Awards Fellowship in Aged-care
• NUFFIC Fellowship by Government of Netherlands to pursue PhD
• Manipal – FAIMER fellowship on Leadership in Inter-professional education
• UN – International Institute on Ageing scholarship for Gerontology Program

Currently, he is serving as an Associate Professor & Coordinator of Social Work at the Department of Social and Health Innovation, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.

Hyacinth Udah is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at James Cook University. He has research interests in social justice, migration, race, politics of disadvantage, identity and belonging, coloniality, decoloniality, research and social change. His doctoral study explored the African immigrant experiences, and his recent research publications are extending his interests in migrant, refugee, international students’ cross-cultural experiences, coloniality and decoloniality, community development, employment and labour market, mental health and wellbeing, ethics, research, and practice. His interdisciplinary work — on Othering, belonging, immigrant and international students’ experiences, and social work education — is widely published in social work, sociology, and social science international journals.

Prof. Beena Antony Reji has 25 years of teaching experience at Aditi Mahavidyalaya, University of Delhi. She was the Faculty-In-Charge of GFATM Round 7 with Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, from 2009-2015 and is now Faculty-In-Charge of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Saksham projects Pramaan and Pravaah from 2021-2024 at Aditi Mahavidyalaya. She has contributed to various articles, books and chapters in books and has developed e-learning and e-modules/MOOCS as her contribution to research and academics. She is involved in government and non-governmental initiatives in her contribution to bringing an egalitarian and equal society for all.

Professor Lena Robinson PhD is an independent researcher and author. Previously she was Professor of Social Work and Human Services at CQU, Australia and Professor of Social Work at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. She has researched and published widely in the field of race, ethnicity, culture, psychology and social work practice. She is on several editorial boards including the Editorial Board of the Journal of ethnic and cultural diversity in social work. Her recent publications include Cross-cultural child development for social workers, Macmillan, 2019 and ‘Radicalisation, extremism and social work practice: Minority Muslim youth in the West’, Routledge, 2022. She is currently writing a book on ‘Cross-cultural counselling and therapeutic interventions: International perspectives’ for Palgrave/Macmillan. She is also involved in an international study of mutual intercultural relations in plural societies. She supervises PhD students.

Dr Karun Karki is an Associate Professor of the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. He holds a PhD in Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, and a Master of Social Work from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA. Additionally, he holds two master’s degrees in Sociology and English Literature from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. His scholarly inquiries are grounded in critical theories, including anti-racism, anti-colonialism, intersectionality, and anti-oppressive social justice praxis focusing on social determinants of health and well-being of minoritized communities, including immigrants, refugees, and LGBTQ+ communities. Additionally, informed by postcolonial theory, Dr. Karki is more interested in understanding how biopolitical and necropolitical spaces within the borders of the nation-states govern people and how the state’s sovereign power becomes a persistent recurrence of the process of exclusion and disposition of people in light of today’s urgent issues, including the migration crisis, the rise of populism, homonationalist practices, and state-sanctioned targeting of gender, sexual, racial, and ethnic “others.” Gender justice, people living with HIV, and human trafficking are the recent expansion of his research and scholarships.

Arshaan Ameer, hailing from Brisbane, is not your typical fifthgrader; rather, he is a prodigious individual who has etched his name into the annals of history as the world's youngest documentary writer and director. At an age when most children are immersed in games and toys, Arshaan has emerged as a creative force of unparalleled magnitude. His extraordinary accomplishments have garnered him acclaim from the Australian Book of World Records, a testament to his exceptional abilities and unwavering dedication. Arshaan Ameer’s journey as a filmmaker commenced with the support and guidance of his mother, Dr. Chaithanya. Dr. Chaithanya's distinguished lineage as the granddaughter of Oiyarat Chanthumenon, the renowned author of the celebrated novel 'Indulekha,' adds to the richness of Arshaan's background. This novel is recognized as the first characteristic novel in Malayalam, and his mother is also known for her accomplishments as a famous dancer.