Speakers - 2026

Biography

He is a Professor Dr. Abrar Hussain Azad, a public health academic, researcher, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) practitioner from Pakistan. His doctoral research focused on the cultural adaptation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorder in Pakistan through a pilot randomized controlled trial conducted within the local sociocultural context. Over the years, his academic and professional work has centered on addiction psychiatry, behavioral therapies, public mental health, and the adaptation of evidence-based psychological interventions for non-Western and resource-constrained settings. He has been involved in teaching, research, and academic supervision in the fields of Community Medicine and Public Health for many years, with particular interest in mental health integration within public health systems. His broader research interests include substance use disorders, culturally responsive psychotherapy, global mental health, psychosocial interventions, and behavioral health promotion. He remains especially interested in exploring how psychological therapies can be meaningfully adapted to diverse cultural realities while maintaining their scientific integrity and therapeutic effectiveness.