Mina Fazel

Mina Fazel is a British psychiatrist who is Professor of Adolescent Psychiatry and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. Her research considers the mental health of children and young people, and how to design effective mental health interventions.

Early life and education
Fazel studied medicine at the University of Cambridge, and completed her clinical training at the University of Oxford. She remained in Oxford for her specialist training in psychiatry. She was a National Institute for Health and Care Research postdoctoral researcher, where she developed a mental health toolbox for front-line workers to use in educational institutions.

Research and career
Fazel is a Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Oxford Children's Hospital. She studies how to improve the mental health of children and young people, with a focus on child refugees. Her research group, Team Intervene, look to develop and deliver mental health interventions that benefit young people, and identify the barriers young people face when accessing mental health support. She coordinates the OxWell Student Survey, which she uses to assess the needs to students and to identify what type of support they find the most useful. Fazel coordinates data collection, analysis and reporting of the OxWell Student Survey. She explores how multiple adversities can impact young people's mental health, and the causes of school exclusions. MindKind, a Wellcome Trust programme led by Fazel, looked to create a global mental health databank.

Fazel has explored the epidemiology of mental health challenges in refugee children, and the psychological impacts of immigration detention. She has investigated narrative exposure therapy, which can be used to treat refugee children with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In April 2024, Fazel was appointed Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Oxford.