University of Zimbabwe

Dr. Rufaro Hamish Mushonga is an AMARI Postdoctoral Fellow with expertise in mental health research, social development, and implementation science. His current work explores the contextual and cultural factors shaping help-seeking behaviours for common mental disorders (CMDs) among young people in low-resource settings, with a particular focus on understanding how religious, spiritual, and community influences interact with formal mental health services. He applies qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to uncover barriers and enablers to mental health care, generating evidence to inform culturally appropriate, youth-centred interventions.

Dr. Mushonga has published in peer-reviewed journals on topics including mental health service utilization, barriers and enablers to help-seeking, culturally adapted psychological interventions, and community-based mental health programs. His research emphasizes bridging the gap between mental health needs and available services, aiming to reduce inequities in access and improve outcomes for young people in Africa and beyond. He also contributed to the development of the African Union Youth Mental Health Toolkit, providing practical guidance for youth-focused mental health programming across Africa.

Beyond his research, Dr. Mushonga serves as a Short-Term Action Group (STAG) member of the Global Mental Health Action Network, the world’s leading network for global mental health advocacy, with over 7,000 members from 170 countries representing more than 4,000 organizations dedicated to advancing global mental health.