About the South Asian Marcé Association (SAMA)

“Who we are” statement: The South Asian Marce Association (SAMA) founded in 2023, aims to establish a scientific-cultural-community association. It focuses to address holistically, the perinatal mental health concerns in mothers, fathers and infants contextualized predominantly in our collectivist culture. It aims for an interdisciplinary intervention for this public health concern through psychoeducation, prevention and treatment in the socio-economic-cultural context unique to South Asia. Some of these contextual factors are poverty, high birth and death rate, low nutrition, surrogacy, violence, disasters, and migration. It also aims to address the advocacy issues that are, as yet, not recognized by the legal systems in the region. Bringing crucial changes through an integrated collaboration between the researcher, clinician, law and community is the priority of the South Asian chapter.

Any upcoming meetings the group may have: SAMA is collaborating with IAWMH for a regional conclave in Sri Lanka on  June 2024, ahead of the international IAWMH conference in India in March 2025.

When the group was founded/started: December 2023. 

Membership Information: Lower to Middle income Countries €18.28 EUR/$20 USD

Main point of contact: samarce2023@gmail.com

Website: Coming Soon

Executive Committee: 

President: Dr Ashlesha Bagadia

Secretary: Dr Ikhlaq Ahmed

Treasurer: Dr Sundernag Ganjekar