Physician · Mental Health Advocate · Psychiatry Applicant

Dr. Aditi Pajiyar

MBBS, Gold Medalist · Mental Health Advocate

A Nepalese physician whose work runs from the jail hospital ward to the classroom to international forums, with one aim: making mental health care something people can reach and talk about without shame.

Read her story Get in touch →

Reach Aditi directly LinkedIn [email protected]

Portrait of Dr. Aditi Pajiyar
  • Gold Medalist MBBS, Tribhuvan University
  • ECFMG Certified Applying to psychiatry residency
  • Best Project Award Top performer, NHAFN Cohort 1
  • 7 Publications Psychiatry research, 2026
Recognised by
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Why her work matters

0.68 psychiatrists

for every 100,000 people in Nepal

  • About 200 psychiatrists serve the whole country.
  • More than half of them work in private practice.
  • Training programs add only 15 to 20 new psychiatrists each year.

Source: The Lancet Regional Health: Southeast Asia, 2025

This is the gap Dr. Aditi Pajiyar has chosen to work in.

Seven stops so far, and where she hopes to go next

Her path at a glance

  1. 01 Kathmandu Gold medalist MBBS Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences, Tribhuvan University
  2. 02 Jaleshwar, Madhesh Medical Officer A provincial hospital on the border with India
  3. 03 Central Jail Hospital Medical Officer Care for patients inside Nepal’s central prison
  4. 04 Across Nepal MindWell founder Best Project Award, top performer of NHAFN Cohort 1
  5. 05 The world stage Forum panelist Nepal’s voice at the State of the World Forum 2025, “Code Red”
  6. 06 Asia OMLAS Fellow 2026 One Million Leaders Asia Fellow, mentor to Champions from 5 nations
  7. 07 In print 7 psychiatry papers Published in 2026, one as first author
  8. Goal Next, she hopes To train in psychiatry After an externship at St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC, she is applying in the 2027 Match

“I speak from a land where the world’s tallest peaks rise, yet it is the strength of its people that truly elevates Nepal.”

Dr. Aditi Pajiyar, State of the World Forum 2025
  • 7 Psychiatry publications in 2026
  • 6 Journals
  • 3 Fellowships: NHAFN, OMLAS, AJPHI
  • 2 MindWell public sessions convened
Her Story

From the Frontline to the World Stage

One thread runs through every chapter: moving closer to the people that health systems most often miss.

  1. Foundation MBBS

    Training as a physician, graduating with gold

    Portrait of Dr. Aditi Pajiyar
    Gold Medalist MBBS · NAIHS, Tribhuvan University

    Aditi earned her MBBS at the Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences, affiliated with Tribhuvan University, and graduated as a university gold medalist. Medical school showed her how much illness goes unspoken, especially illness of the mind.

    • MBBS, NAIHS (Tribhuvan University)
    • University gold medalist

    A gold medal opens doors. She chose the ones that led to the hardest wards.

  2. The Frontline Medical Officer to psychiatry

    Caring for patients the system overlooks

    • Kathmandu Valley Central Jail Hospital · Mental Hospital Lagankhel · Kanti Children’s Hospital
    • Jaleshwar, Madhesh Provincial Hospital, on the border with India

    As a medical officer she worked in two very different settings: Provincial Hospital Jaleshwar in Madhesh Province, on the border with India, and the Central Jail Hospital in Kathmandu. Alongside, she volunteered at Mental Hospital Lagankhel, Nepal’s national psychiatric hospital, and in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department at Kanti Children’s Hospital. In every one of these places, psychiatric need was constant and specialist care was scarce. Today she works in the Department of Psychiatry at Spandan Healthcare.

    • Department of Psychiatry, Spandan Healthcare (current)
    • Medical Officer, Provincial Hospital Jaleshwar
    • Medical Officer, Central Jail Hospital, Kathmandu
    • Volunteer, Mental Hospital Lagankhel
    • Volunteer, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Kanti Children’s Hospital
    • Extern, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC

    What she saw on those wards could not stay inside a hospital.

  3. Community Award, January 2026

    Taking the conversation to families and schools

    NHAFN Best Project award card naming Dr. Aditi Pajiyar, Mental Health Leadership Program Cohort 1
    Best Project Award Top performer, Cohort 1 NHAFN Mental Health Leadership Program · January 2026

    As a Fellow of the National Health Action Force Nepal (NHAFN) Mental Health Leadership Program, Cohort 1, she designed and led MindWell, a public-education series on student and child mental health. It brought psychiatrists, a psychologist, and a teacher into the same conversation as parents and students. NHAFN gave it the program’s Best Project Award.

    “Dr. Pajiyar’s project stood out for its depth, impact, and execution, earning her recognition as the top performer among her cohort.”

    National Health Action Force Nepal, award announcement, 18 January 2026
    • Best Project Award, NHAFN Mental Health Leadership Program, Cohort 1
    • Volunteer, Nepal Institute of Mental Health (NIOMH)
    • Mental Health Advisor, Manakal
    • Volunteer, Health Foundation of Nepal

    Awareness raises questions. Answering them takes evidence.

  4. Research 2026

    Turning hard cases into shared knowledge

    International Journal of Advanced Research Lybalvi (Olanzapine and Samidorphan) in the Management of Schizoaffective Disorder in an Adult with Prader-Willi Syndrome First author
    Journal of Global Health Neurology and Psychiatry Memantine as Adjunctive Therapy in Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome With Neuropsychiatric Comorbidity: A Case Report
    Annals of Clinical Psychiatry (online first) High Dose of Cariprazine as a Cause of Induced Mania
    International Journal of Advanced Research Role of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists in Managing Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain Causing Non-compliance in Bipolar Disorder Patients: A Case Series
    International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Atypical Presentation of Prosopometamorphopsia in Concurrent Postpartum Mood Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder: A Case Report
    International Journal of Medical Science and Health Research Importance of Medication Reconciliation in Treatment of a Transgender Male Patient With Bipolar Disorder Undergoing Gender-affirming Hormone Therapy
    International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research Role of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Weight Management of Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

    In 2026 alone she co-authored seven psychiatry papers across six journals with a clinical psychiatry research group, and was first author on one. The cases span schizoaffective disorder in Prader-Willi syndrome, postpartum and bipolar mood disorders, drug-induced mania, antipsychotic weight gain, Lennox–Gastaut syndrome, and gender-affirming care.

    • First author, International Journal of Advanced Research
    • Co-author, Annals of Clinical Psychiatry
    See all seven publications →

    Evidence matters most when it reaches people at the moment of risk.

  5. Prevention September 2026

    Teaching people to recognise risk

    Workshop poster: Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention, Understanding the Difference, NELIS and OMLAS

    As an OMLAS fellow, she led an awareness workshop on suicide and self-harm prevention for NELIS and One Million Leaders Asia. It helped young leaders understand the difference between the two, and how a single conversation can open the door to help.

    • OMLAS Fellow 2026, One Million Leaders Asia
    See the workshop →

    From Nepal’s wards and classrooms, her voice began to carry further.

  6. Global Voice December 2025

    Representing Nepal’s next generation

    State of the World Forum · 15 December 2025 The State of Our World: Code Red Moderated by Jim Garrison, with Osprey Orielle Lake, Vladimir Posner, Rebecca Wright Hardcastle and others
    Dr. Aditi Pajiyar, State of the World Forum 2025 panelist Aditi Pajiyar Nepal · Human Intelligence track
    Role Panelist, representing Nepal’s Gen Z

    At the 2025 State of the World Forum she was a panelist on “The State of Our World: Code Red,” a session moderated by Forum founder Jim Garrison, and brought Nepal’s perspective to the Human Intelligence track.

    “I represent Nepal’s Gen Z with a commitment to justice, mindful leadership, and the well-being of both people and planet.”

    Dr. Aditi Pajiyar, State of the World Forum presenter profile
    • Panelist, State of the World Forum 2025
    • AJPHI Fellow 2026

    The next step took her inside one of America’s oldest psychiatric hospitals.

  7. U.S. Clinical Experience Washington, DC

    An externship at St. Elizabeths Hospital

    Dr. Aditi Pajiyar wearing her St. Elizabeths Hospital extern badge outside the hospital Dr. Aditi Pajiyar with members of the psychiatry team at St. Elizabeths Hospital
    St. Elizabeths Hospital Washington, DC · Extern

    Aditi trained as an extern at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, DC, a public psychiatric hospital founded in 1855 and one of the oldest in the United States. She worked alongside a U.S. psychiatry team, seeing how inpatient psychiatric care is delivered in the system where she hopes to train.

    Dr. Aditi Pajiyar wearing her St. Elizabeths Hospital extern badge outside the hospital Dr. Aditi Pajiyar with members of the psychiatry team at St. Elizabeths Hospital Dr. Aditi Pajiyar holding her extern badge beside a historic American Medical Association award on display at St. Elizabeths Hospital
    • Extern, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC

    Every chapter points to the same next step.

  8. What She Hopes For Applying, 2027 Match

    The training she is working toward

    2027 Her goal · Psychiatry residency What she brings to her application
    • ECFMG certified
    • Frontline clinical experience in Nepal
    • U.S. externship, St. Elizabeths Hospital
    • 7 psychiatry publications
    • Community and global advocacy

    Aditi hopes to train in psychiatry in the United States. She is ECFMG certified and is applying to residency in the 2027 Match. She wants to learn from the programs and patients that residency brings, and to carry that training back into the work she has already begun: care for people in under-resourced settings, research, and lowering the barriers that keep people from mental health care.

One Million Leaders Asia

Chosen to lead a generation of leaders across Asia

Dr. Aditi Pajiyar, OMLAS Fellow 2026 portrait OMLAS Fellow 2026 Nepal · Doctor and mental health advocate

In 2026 One Million Leaders Asia named Dr. Aditi Pajiyar one of its Fellows. Months later she was one of the five Fellows on the poster for the OMLAS Champions Programme, representing Nepal in a 20-session journey where the Fellows lead half the sessions for young changemakers aged 18 to 30.

  • 5Nations: India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Timor-Leste
  • 20Interactive sessions, 10 led by the Fellows
  • 1Fellow representing Nepal

The five Fellows on the poster Azizah Zurinada, Indonesia · Khishignemekh Nyamdavaa, Mongolia · Claudia Margarida da Cunha Lelan, Timor-Leste · Dr. Aditi Pajiyar, Nepal · Vikrant Joshi, India

Programme began 17 August 2026. Poster by OMLAS and NELIS (Next Leaders’ Initiative for Sustainability). onemillionleadersasia.org →

OMLAS Champions Programme 2026 poster by OMLAS and NELIS, featuring five Fellows including Dr. Aditi Pajiyar of Nepal

Phase II · From learning to leading

In Phase II the Fellows moved from learning to leading, mentoring and training their own Champions. Aditi was one of five Fellows from five countries who chose to co-lead together, and she brought her suicide and self-harm prevention session to the cohort.

OMLAS Phase II slide: Fellows in Collaboration, five Fellows from five countries including Aditi Pajiyar of Nepal
5 Fellows, 5 countries, 1 collaborative journey
OMLAS Phase II slide: Together in Action, showing Aditi Pajiyar presenting a suicide prevention session on Zoom next to her workshop poster
Aditi presenting “A Global Crisis” on suicide prevention

Source: OMLAS, “The Journey From Learning to Leading”, September 2026 →

Dr. Aditi Pajiyar and Dr. Shreedhar Paudel holding a copy of his book Kadam: Quest for Global Health Innovation in Nepal
Photo courtesy: Dr. Shreedhar Paudel, via New York Weekly

In the press · New York Weekly · 17 June 2026

Alongside the people building Nepal’s mental health care

Dr. Aditi Pajiyar with Dr. Shreedhar Paudel and his memoir Kadam: Quest for Global Health Innovation in Nepal, in the photo New York Weekly ran with its feature on the book.

  • Dr. Paudel is an attending psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
  • He co-founded Health Foundation Nepal and the Nepal Institute of Mental Health, the two organisations Aditi volunteers with.
  • Kadam traces his path from Jajaragaun in Dang to building community mental health care in Nepal. It is the same gap her own work begins in.
Read “From Rural Nepal to Global Health Leadership: Why Kadam Is More Than a Memoir” →
Research

Publications

7 psychiatry papers published in 2026. Select a title to read it through its DOI.

See all publications with DOIs →

Poster for the NELIS and OMLAS awareness workshop “Suicide & Self-Harm Prevention: Understanding the Difference”, led by Dr. Aditi Pajiyar, Friday 4 September, 9:00 PM JST, online on Zoom.
Workshop poster. Select to view full size.
Prevention Work

Suicide & Self-Harm Prevention

Understanding the difference

An online awareness workshop Dr. Aditi Pajiyar led for the Next Leaders’ Initiative for Sustainability (NELIS) and One Million Leaders Asia (OMLAS). It taught participants to tell suicidal intent apart from self-harm, to respond with compassion, and to connect people to support.

Organised with
NELIS × OMLAS
Held
Friday, 4 September 2026
Time
9:00 PM JST
Venue
Online (Zoom)

Reach out. Listen. Support. Together, we can prevent suicide.

Community Work

MindWell: Conversations That Lower Stigma

MindWell is the public-education series Dr. Aditi Pajiyar started during her Mental Health Leadership fellowship. It puts psychiatrists, psychologists, and teachers in the same conversation with the parents and students who need them.

01

Convene the right people

A psychiatrist, a psychologist, and a classroom educator in one room, so families hear clinical expertise and school-day reality together.

02

Make it usable

Every session ends with guidance people can act on that week: boundaries, warning signs, and when to seek professional support.

03

Lower the stigma

Mental health is discussed openly and in plain language, as ordinary health. That framing is the point of the work.

Sessions

Work Convened So Far

Two MindWell sessions, each built around a question families were already asking.

Concluded

Beyond the Screen: Navigating Digital Childhood

A live conversation on raising healthy, resilient kids in a screen-saturated world, and what parents and educators can realistically do about it.

Held
August 26, 2026
Length
45 minutes
Format
Live webinar, one featured guest
Hosted by
Dr. Aditi Pajiyar
Portrait of Dr. Aditi Pajiyar
Host & Moderator

Dr. Aditi Pajiyar

MBBS, Gold Medalist · Mental Health Advocate

Nepalese physician and mental health advocate. Gold medalist MBBS graduate of the Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences (Tribhuvan University), former medical officer at Central Jail Hospital, Kathmandu, and Provincial Hospital Jaleshwar, and Mental Health Leadership Fellow at National Health Action Force Nepal. Now applying to psychiatry residency in the United States.

Portrait of Dr. Purushottam Adhikari
Featured Guest

Dr. Purushottam Adhikari

Consultant Psychiatrist & Managing Director, Spandan Healthcare & Diagnostics

A psychiatrist from Nepal (MBBS, MD Psychiatry, Tribhuvan University) and Managing Director of Spandan Healthcare & Diagnostics, Kathmandu. His work focuses on adult and adolescent mental health, psychotherapy, digital mental health, and telepsychiatry, with research interests in AI, ethics, and improving access to mental healthcare in low-resource settings.

MBBS, MD Psychiatry Tribhuvan University Telepsychiatry & Digital Mental Health

What the session covered

  • 1

    Practical strategies for setting healthy screen boundaries at home

  • 2

    How to recognize signs of digital overwhelm in children

  • 3

    The importance of real-world connection for resilience

  • 4

    When and how to seek professional mental health support

  • 5

    Creating screen-time routines that work for your family

Concluded

Student Mental Health: Thriving Beyond Grades

A panel on student mental health and the pressure young people carry around grades: an honest, practical discussion with a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and a teacher.

Format
Live panel, three speakers
Convened by
MindWell
57People registered
150Joined us live
95%Would recommend
4Expert speakers

The specialists who joined

Portrait of Dr. Amit Jha
Psychiatrist

Dr. Amit Jha

Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist

Mental Hospital, Lagankhel

Leading the Adolescent Mental Health Unit with advanced training from AIIMS and NIMHANS. Specializes in evidence-based, compassionate care for young patients.

MBBS, MD, DMAIIMS/NIMHANS
Portrait of Nikita Pradhan
Psychologist

Nikita Pradhan

Clinical Psychologist

Sattwa Mind Clinic & Mental Hospital

Works extensively with adolescents focusing on academic stress, emotional regulation, and suicide prevention. Co-founder of Sattwa Mind Clinic Pvt. Ltd.

M.Phil. Clinical PsychologyTU
Portrait of Gopal Mahaseth
Educator

Gopal Mahaseth

Educator

Kathmandu Shikshalaya Lalitpur

10 years of teaching experience, committed to fostering mentally healthy learning environments. Passionate advocate emphasizing teachers' role in nurturing emotional resilience.

Physics ScholarM.Ed STEAM
Outcomes

In Their Words

What attendees said afterwards

“The most valuable thing I learned is that mental health is just as important as physical health. It helped me realize the importance of self-care, seeking support when needed, and being kind to myself and others.”

Anushuya DhungelPast attendee

“I learned how mental health impacts our life and productivity. A genuinely helpful session - I'd definitely recommend it to others.”

Rahul BajimayaPast attendee

“What I took away most: how to cope by asking others for support instead of suppressing problems deep inside, alone. You are not alone.”

Birasat RaiPast attendee
At a Glance

About Aditi Pajiyar

Nepalese physician and mental health advocate. Gold medalist MBBS graduate of the Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences (Tribhuvan University), former medical officer at Central Jail Hospital, Kathmandu, and Provincial Hospital Jaleshwar, and Mental Health Leadership Fellow at National Health Action Force Nepal. Now applying to psychiatry residency in the United States.

Education & Certification

  • MBBS, Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences (Tribhuvan University)
  • University gold medalist
  • ECFMG certified
  • 7 psychiatry publications (2026), 1 as first author

Clinical Experience

  • Department of Psychiatry, Spandan Healthcare (current)
  • Extern, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC
  • Medical Officer, Provincial Hospital Jaleshwar
  • Medical Officer, Central Jail Hospital, Kathmandu
  • Volunteer, Mental Hospital Lagankhel
  • Volunteer, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Kanti Children’s Hospital

Fellowships & Awards

  • Best Project Award, NHAFN Mental Health Leadership Program
  • Mental Health Leadership Fellow, National Health Action Force Nepal
  • OMLAS Fellow 2026, One Million Leaders Asia
  • AJPHI Fellow 2026

Advocacy & Service

  • Panelist, State of the World Forum 2025
  • Mental Health Advisor, Manakal
  • Volunteer, Nepal Institute of Mental Health
  • Volunteer, Health Foundation of Nepal

What drives her

  • Dismantling mental health stigma
  • Student and adolescent well-being
  • Community-based psychiatric care in South Asia
  • Suicide and self-harm prevention
  • Environmental sustainability and climate justice

Read her full bio →

Connections

One Story, Many Hands

The hospitals, organisations and collaborators her work runs through. Select one to jump to that part of the story.

“Healing, whether individual or societal, begins with empathy, courage, and collective purpose.”

Dr. Aditi Pajiyar

Frequently Asked Questions

A Nepalese physician and mental health advocate. She earned her MBBS as a gold medalist at the Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences (Tribhuvan University), worked as a medical officer in Jaleshwar and Kathmandu, trained as an extern at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, DC, and now works in the Department of Psychiatry at Spandan Healthcare. She is applying to psychiatry residency in the US.

A public-education series she designed during her NHAFN Mental Health Leadership fellowship. Sessions bring psychiatrists, psychologists, and educators together with families and students.

Yes. MindWell sessions have always been free to attend.

No. The sessions share education and general guidance, not individual diagnosis or treatment. If you are struggling, please contact a qualified mental health professional.

Email her or connect on LinkedIn using the links on this page.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact local emergency services or a crisis helpline right away. This site shares education, not emergency care.