Manila: For Jesus Emmanuel A. D. Sevilleja an epidemiologist at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) in the Philippines, mental health is more than a field of study it is a calling.
The mental health sector offers both a scientific challenge and a human mission,” he says. It means contributing to equity, empowerment and human rights.”
Emmanuel’s research focuses on understanding the burden, risk factors and outcomes of mental health conditions. His work generates data to guide national policies and clinical practices. Yet it was his personal encounters with individuals facing psychosocial and intellectual disabilities that shifted his professional focus.
Their stories revealed the urgent need to transform not only the science of mental health but also the culture of care” he recalls.
Learning to Embed Human Rights in Mental Health
Motivated by this realization, Emmanuel completed the WHO ‘QualityRights in Mental Health’ online course, a six-module self-paced program designed to promote dignity, recovery and person-centered care.
The course reshaped the way I view mental health by grounding it in human rights, dignity and recovery-oriented practice” he explains.
He now integrates rights-based principles into research design, data collection, and interpretation, ensuring that his studies not only create knowledge but also empower service users.
People with lived experience should not be passive recipients of care or research subjects, but active co-creators of solutions” he emphasizes.
Leading by Example and Inspiring Global Impact
All employees at NCMH are required to complete the QualityRights training, but Emmanuel’s performance stood out. He remains among the top global learners out of 141,000 participants worldwide. His experience mirrors findings from a global evaluation of the course which analyzed responses from over 3,000 learners. The study found that attitudes toward people with mental health conditions improved by 22.78% overall with even greater progress in low- and middle-income countries (29.18%) compared to high-income nations (20.58%).
I especially appreciated the real-world case examples that showed how human rights can be applied in practicereducing coercion, combating stigma and strengthening service user participation”
Emmanuel says.
It was designed not just for professionals, but also for service users, families and communities. Mental health is everyone’s concern and real change requires collective effort.”
Towards a Global Rights-Based Transformation
The QualityRights program, developed by WHO, has become a major tool for systemic change in global mental health care. With a completion rate of 54.17%, far above the usual 10–30% for online courses, it demonstrates both feasibility and impact.
In my institution, I’ve seen tangible progress greater awareness, less stigma and a clear shift toward person-centered, rights-based care” says Emmanuel.
He strongly recommends the course to anyone involved in health, advocacy, or policy.
It empowers learners to become champions of change, transforming mental health systems toward inclusive, equitable and humane care.”
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