ISLAMABAD ( WNAM REPORT ): The stage is set for a landmark national event as Pakistan hosts its first dedicated conference on infant mental health—The Baby Matters Conference—from 11th to 13th April 2025 in Islamabad.
Organized by the Health Services Academy University, The Healing Triad, and the Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning, the conference brings together a diverse range of stakeholders united by a common goal: to give every child in Pakistan the best possible start in life.
This pioneering event will focus on the mental health and emotional development of children in the first 1,000 days, a period proven to shape brain architecture, emotional regulation, physical health, learning capacity, and future relationships. It will offer training for parents, educators, midwives, paediatricians, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and policy-makers, highlighting evidence-based, culturally grounded approaches to nurturing infant mental health.
Satellite training workshops imparting skills in infant and early childhood mental health will be conducted on 12th April simultaneously in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, and Islamabad.
The high-profile international conference will also result in the launch of a policy document to be submitted to the federal and provincial governments. Pakistan will become the first country in Asia to join the World Association of Infant Mental Health.
“Mental health begins before birth. Our commitment to infant mental health is a commitment to Pakistan’s future,” said Prof. Shahzad Ali Khan, Vice Chancellor of the Health Services Academy. “We are proud to partner in this groundbreaking initiative that aligns the health, education, and social sectors to protect and promote the well-being of our youngest citizens.”
The conference features 15 distinguished national and international experts, including globally renowned leaders such as Prof. Charles Zeanah, Dr. Chandra Ghosh Ippen, Dr. Mary Dozier, Dr. Marva Lewis, and Dr. Rochelle Matacz. They will be joined by recent Fellows (Class of 2024) from the prestigious Zero to Three Fellowship Program, bringing cutting-edge insights and global best practices.
“We need to change the narrative—from thinking of mental health as something we treat later, to something we build from the beginning,” said Dr. Roop Zainab Rana, psychiatrist, Zero to Three Fellow (USA), and co-organiser. “A baby’s mental and emotional health is shaped by the relationships around them. If we nurture those relationships, we prevent suffering before it begins.”
“Infant mental health is not just about the child—it is about the ecosystem that surrounds them,” noted Prof. Mowadat H. Rana, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences. “When we invest in caregiving environments, we nurture not only children, but the emotional maturity of our society itself.”
Prof. Abid Malik, Head of the Department of Public Mental Health at HSA, remarked, “Hosting this conference is an honour for the Department of Public Mental Health at HSA to lead this historic initiative and indicative of our commitment to the promotion of mental health in Pakistan. As pioneers in the field, we are proud to position our department as a national hub for research, training, and service development in infant mental health. Building on our extensive work in perinatal mental health research, this conference marks the next step in shaping a national agenda for early emotional well-being and child development in Pakistan.”
Mr. Nadeem Sajjad Kayani, Controller of Examinations and Director Projects at Health Services Academy, added:
“Hosting such a prestigious conference within an academic institution provides an unparalleled platform for students to engage with global experts, broaden their perspectives, and gain real-world insights into the emerging field of infant mental health. It is an opportunity for experiential learning that fosters professional growth and personal development. Events like this contribute significantly to the intellectual and institutional growth of HSA, strengthening its position as a center of excellence in public health education and research.”
Globally, the economic case for investing in early childhood has never been clearer. Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman has demonstrated that high-quality interventions in early childhood deliver the highest returns on investment—up to 13% annually—through better health, educational achievement, economic productivity, and reduced need for remedial services later in life.
Pakistan stands at a critical juncture: with one of the youngest populations in the world, the opportunity to shape future generations through early investment has never been greater.
The Baby Matters Conference 2025 is a bold step toward creating a coordinated, compassionate, and science-informed approach to early childhood in Pakistan. It will:
• Provide training on early relational health, attachment, and trauma-informed caregiving
• Strengthen cross-sector collaboration between healthcare, education, and social welfare systems
• Promote community-based, culturally responsive interventions in low-resource settings
• Raise public awareness and advocate for national policies that prioritise infant mental health
• Culminate in the establishment of the Pakistan Association of Infant Mental Health, an Affiliate of the World Association of Infant Mental Health
