Philippines Mental Health Expert Leads Global Change Through WHO Rights-Based Training

For Dr. Jesus Emmanuel A. D. Sevilleja, an epidemiologist at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) in the Philippines, mental health is not just a scientific discipline—it is a profound human mission.

“For me, the mental health sector offers both a scientific challenge and a human mission,” he explains. “It means contributing to equity, empowerment and human rights.”

His work focuses on generating data that guide national policy, clinical guidelines, and evidence-based interventions. Yet, what truly shaped his commitment to mental health were the stories of people living with psychosocial, intellectual, and cognitive disabilities—stories that revealed daily struggles with stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion.

“Their experiences opened my eyes to the urgent need to transform not only the science of mental health but also the culture of care,” Emmanuel said.

From Researcher to Advocate: A Human Rights Journey

Motivated by these encounters, Emmanuel completed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “QualityRights in Mental Health” online course, a global training programme designed to challenge stigma and promote rights-based approaches to mental health care. The six-module, self-paced course teaches the principles of dignity, empowerment, and inclusion, aiming to replace outdated and coercive practices with person-centered care grounded in human rights.

“The course reshaped the way I view mental health by grounding it in dignity and recovery-oriented practice,” Emmanuel explained. “Now, I embed rights-based principles in study design, data collection, and interpretation—so that research not only produces knowledge but also empowers service users.”

Putting People with Lived Experience at the Center

One of Emmanuel’s key takeaways was the importance of co-production—involving people with lived experience as equal partners in research and service design.

“The course taught me that people with lived experience should not just be passive recipients of care or research subjects, but active co-creators of solutions,” he said. “I now engage service users and their families more meaningfully in research, policy, and programme design, ensuring their voices shape outcomes.”

This participatory approach aligns with WHO’s QualityRights framework, which promotes inclusive systems where service users are recognized as decision-makers and contributors to change, rather than simply patients.

Leading by Example in the Philippines

At the National Center for Mental Health, all staff members are required to complete the WHO course. But Emmanuel not only excelled—he became the top-ranking participant globally among over 141,000 enrollees. His achievement reflects not only mastery of the course material but also a deep personal commitment to changing how mental health is understood and practiced.

His leadership has inspired colleagues to adopt rights-based and person-centered approaches in their daily work. “In my institution, I have seen real change,” he shared. “There’s more awareness, less stigma, and greater respect for the rights and dignity of service users.”

Global Impact of WHO’s QualityRights Course

Emmanuel’s experience mirrors the findings of a global evaluation of the WHO QualityRights course, which assessed over 3,000 learners worldwide. The results were remarkable:

• Overall attitudes toward people with mental health conditions improved by 22.78%.

• In low- and middle-income countries, the improvement was even higher at 29.18%, compared to 20.58% in high-income countries.

• The course achieved an impressive 54.17% completion rate, far exceeding the average 10–30% typical of online programmes.

These figures highlight not only the course’s educational value but also its practical relevance and accessibility across diverse contexts.

A Practical and Inclusive Learning Experience

Emmanuel particularly valued the course’s practical, real-world examples that showed how human rights principles can be applied in daily mental health work—from reducing coercive practices to promoting active participation by service users.

“The course is highly inclusive,” he noted. “It’s designed not just for health professionals but also for people with lived experience, families, and communities. That inclusivity reinforces that mental health is everyone’s concern, and real change requires collective effort.”

The WHO QualityRights course offers actionable strategies for improving mental health systems through legal, policy, and community-based reforms. Participants learn how to translate human rights into practice, advocating for service models that respect autonomy, informed consent, and social inclusion.

Towards a Global Movement for Rights-Based Mental Health

The momentum generated by the QualityRights movement is growing worldwide. In countries like the Philippines, it is contributing to the transformation of mental health systems, encouraging governments, institutions, and practitioners to rethink care from a rights-based and recovery-oriented lens.

Emmanuel’s story represents this broader transformation—a shift from a clinical model centered on control to one grounded in empowerment, participation, and human dignity.

“What makes the course especially impactful is its practicality,” he emphasized. “It offers approaches that can be applied immediately in clinical work, research, advocacy, and policy. Most importantly, it empowers learners to become champions of change, transforming mental health systems away from outdated, coercive practices toward inclusive, equitable, and rights-based care.”

Building a Future of Dignity and Inclusion

As the global mental health community increasingly recognizes the importance of rights-based approaches, leaders like Dr. Sevilleja are helping bridge the gap between science and humanity. His work illustrates how data-driven research, when guided by compassion and inclusion, can drive systemic change that transforms lives.

Through his example, and the growing impact of WHO’s QualityRights programme, the Philippines is emerging as a regional leader in progressive, human rights-centered mental health care—proving that equitable systems are not just possible, but essential.