Addis Ababa University

Awoke Mihretu is an AMARI-II postdoctoral fellow and a former AMARI-I PhD fellow. During his PhD fellowship, he completed a range of leadership and didactic training sessions, which played a crucial role in helping him secure an academic position at Addis Ababa University (AAU) and his current postdoctoral fellowship. He is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, AAU.

His PhD research focused on understanding and measuring problematic khat use in Ethiopia. Currently, he is working on developing a psychosocial intervention for people with co-occurring serious mental health conditions and substance use disorders in Ethiopia. He also serves as the Clinical Psychology Program Coordinator and the Quantitative Work Package Lead for an NIHR-funded project aimed at improving the mental well-being of children and adolescents in Ethiopia. In addition, he is the Country Principal Investigator for a project adapting avatar therapy to support individuals experiencing hearing voices.

Dr. Mihretu has published more than 25 scientific articles in reputable journals, with about half of them as the primary author. He is actively involved in initiatives to improve the mental health system in Ethiopia and has contributed to the development of various manuals, guidelines, and continuing professional development (CPD) materials led by the Ministry of Health. He also serves as an executive committee member of the Ethiopian Psychologists Association, where he plays an active role in strengthening mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services in Ethiopia.

Dr. Mihretu also provides clinical supervision for clinical psychology trainees at Zewditu Memorial Hospital. These accomplishments have been made possible through the extensive experiences and opportunities he gained during his fellowships.