INVEST Visitor: Fikadu Balcha Hailu

In the “INVEST visitors” series, we present visiting professors and fellows who have arrived at the flagship INVEST. This time we are introducing Fikadu Balcha Hailu.

My name is Fikadu Balcha Hailu, assistant professor at Jimma University Institute of Health, Ethiopia. My background is nursing, and I earned my PhD in Medical Science from the University of Oslo, Norway. Currently, I am engaged in teaching and research work; additionally, I am working as Chief Academic and Research Director of Jimma University Institute of Health.

I have gotten an opportunity to work with Professor Andre Sourander, where I have led the Ethiopian Global Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey (GCAMHS), for which we conducted the fieldwork in 2024 in Ethiopia.

With funding from the INVEST Research Flagship research fellowship, I stayed at the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry at the University of Turku for two months (October 20–December 19, 2025). It is a privilege to work with Professor Andre Sourander and the diverse research team in the center.

It has been a great experience to get introduced to innovative approaches to researching and dealing with childhood, adolescence, and motherhood mental health conditions, which are not given due attention as public health challenges in my country, though multiple studies have shown a significantly high burden. Some of the digitalized interventions by the center can be piloted for customization to the resource-limited settings like Ethiopia to reach the wider child, adolescent, and mother societies, including those in hard-to-reach remote areas.

I have gained substantial insight into the amazing research culture in the center, alignment across research projects, research team composition, and synergy, which I am keen to promote and practice in Jimma University Institute of Health.

Moreover, in addition to dealing with Ethiopian country-specific data and drafting publishable papers, the team at the center helped me a lot to have networking beyond the research center. In addition, during my stay I have also gotten an opportunity to participate in multiple insightful research seminars and conferences.

Going to Christmas parties, ice swimming, saunas, and other Finnish activities were also amazing and delightful experiences.

In general, during my stay at the Turku University Child Psychiatry Research Center under the INVEST Research Flagship research fellowship, I collaborated with Professor Andere and his team while working on the Ethiopian GCAMHS survey, gaining more research experience, networking opportunities, and exposure to innovative mental-health interventions and Finnish cultural activities.

I would like to thank all who have made contributions to my visit and made my stay more productive and enjoyable.

Looking forward to strengthen our collaboration!