Preeti Shakya

 Congratulations to Dr. Chris Beyrer on his reappointment to a second five-year term as Director of the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI)! Dr. Beyrer; an internationally recognized epidemiologist who has worked on the front lines of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 treatment and research, became director of DGHI in August 2022. He is the Gary Hock Distinguished Professor in Global Health and holds appointments in in the Departments of Medicine and Infectious Diseases in the School of Medicine.We are grateful for Dr. Beyrer’s leadership and his continued commitment to advancing global health research, education, and impact. We look forward to all that DGHI will accomplish in the years ahead under his leadership.In a recent Duke Today feature, Dr. Beyrer mentioned the Duke Center for Global Mental Health as one of the accomplishments of…

For more than three decades, David Brian Goldston, PhD, Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, has studied suicide risk and prevention, particularly among adolescents and young adults. His work spans suicide risk assessment, brief interventions, substance use, technology-based approaches, and the implementation of suicide prevention strategies across different settings.Dr. Goldston also founded the Duke Center for the Study of Suicide Prevention & Intervention (CSSPI), a collaborative group of clinical research scientists working to advance understanding of suicidal behaviors and strengthen evidence-based prevention and intervention.As part of Suicide Prevention Month, Dr. Goldston spoke about what drew him to suicide prevention research, the Center's work, emerging approaches in the field, and why creating opportunities to talk openly about suicide remains so important. What first drew you to suicide prevention…

Members of the IDEAS for Hope team in Moshi, Tanzania. Bottom row (left to right): Jackline Rwakilomba, Ismail Amiri Shekibula, Louise Joel, and Victor Katiti. Top row: Elizabeth Msoka, David Goldston, Clotilda Tarimo, Rachel Kombe, and Brandon Knettel. For Suicide Prevention Month, we are highlighting a new research project exploring how telehealth can help expand access to suicide prevention and mental health support for people with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in Tanzania. Led by Dr. Brandon Knettel, in collaboration with Dr. Catherine Staton and Dr. Kim Madundo, the new R34 project builds on the team’s previous work developing and pilot testing the IDEAS for Hope telehealth counseling intervention for people experiencing suicidal thoughts in HIV care. The new project will adapt the intervention for patients with AUD receiving care in…

 We are pleased to introduce On the Shelf: Duke CGMH’s Summer Reading List 2026, a curated collection of books that explore mental health, well-being, and the many ways we understand the human experience across cultures, disciplines, and lived experiences. The books featured here span disciplines, cultures, and lived experiences, offering diverse perspectives on mental health, well-being, equity, and social change. Some are foundational texts, while others introduce emerging ideas or challenge conventional ways of thinking. Together, they encourage us to learn across contexts, question our assumptions, and consider how knowledge can inform action. More than a collection of recommended books, this reading list reflects the conversations shaping our work and the values that guide our research, education, practice, partnerships and engagement around the world.  We also recognize that no single reading list…

This summer, The Duke Center for Global Mental Health convened partners in Kigali, Rwanda, to strengthen long-standing collaborations, advance mental health capacity-building efforts, and lay the groundwork for new research and implementation initiatives across East Africa. Participants gather in Kigali for a workshop centered around mhGAP, part of a growing partnership between Duke, UGHE, and Rwandan mental health leaders The Duke Center for Global Mental Health (CGMH) brought together clinicians, researchers, educators, and health leaders in Kigali, Rwanda for a series of meetings focused on strengthening mental health systems and expanding regional collaboration. Supported by two Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) grants, the gathering included workshops exploring implementation of the World Health Organization's Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) in Rwanda, grant-writing workshops for Rwandan mental health professionals, and the…