The Duke Center for Global Mental Health builds on a longstanding foundation of global mental health research and practice at Duke University. Beginning with early collaborative initiatives and global partnerships, faculty across departments contributed to a growing body of work focused on addressing mental health disparities worldwide.
In response to the expanding need for accessible, relevant, and responsive mental health research, training, practice, and policy, the Center was formally established in 2023. Since then, it has continued to grow as an interdisciplinary community dedicated to advancing global mental health locally and globally.
OUR MISSION
To reduce mental health disparities globally and locally by advancing interdisciplinary research, education, practice, and policy in partnership with communities and institutions.
OUR VISION
A world in which everyone can experience mental well-being and access the support they need to thrive, regardless of where they live, who they are, or the circumstances they face.
Values
Mutual Capacity Building
We strengthen mental health knowledge and resources through collaboration and shared learning across institutions and communities. We believe global mental health challenges cannot be addressed in isolation and seek to build skills, systems, and expertise together through all of our work.
Impact and Translation
We are committed to ensuring that evidence informs real-world action. By connecting research, practice, and policy, we support the adaptation, integration, and sustainability of mental health interventions across diverse settings.
Our Approach
We are driven to conduct innovative and cutting-edge research across resource-limited settings worldwide to strengthen a wide array of mental health conditions while leveraging a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives and methodologies. Though each unique, all of our projects are informed by our core values and guided by the fundamental goal to reduce mental health disparities for all people.
Practice
We aim to advance clinical and public health practice through the generation of practical resources, dissemination of community-driven and evidence-based solutions to mental health challenges, and connection with mental health experts and practitioners across a wide variety of contexts. Our work emphasizes training and capacity building, as well as the adaptation, scale-up, and sustainability of evidence-based mental health programs and interventions in resource-limited settings worldwide.
Education
We place a strong emphasis on education and mentorship, supporting trainees at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. Through our trainee group with members from around the world, interdisciplinary learning opportunities, hands-on research involvement, and close collaboration with faculty, the CGMH is committed to training the next generation of leaders in global mental health.
Policy
We strive to innovate policy solutions in global mental health, integrate interventions and evidence-based practices into national health systems and strategic plans, scale-up mental health programs, and advocate for more accessible mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment.
History
