04May 2026 by Ryan Parker
Leveraging LinkedIn and Online Platforms for Global Health Professionals: Ask Me Anything with Prativa Baral & Faraan Rahim

Leveraging LinkedIn and Online Platforms for Global Health Professionals: Ask Me Anything with Prativa Baral & Faraan Rahim

Events, News & Events
Join us for an interactive Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with global health leaders Prativa Baral and Faraan Rahim on how to effectively use LinkedIn and other online platforms to advance your career. Whether you’re a student, early-career professional, or experienced practitioner, this session will offer practical strategies for building your professional presence, expanding your network, and communicating your work to broader audiences. Bring your questions and learn how to navigate digital spaces to promote your work and further mental health equity! May 4: 3-4pm EDT (Zoom Link: https://duke.zoom.us/j/6555544770) 
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23Apr 2026 by Ryan Parker
Translating Research into Policy in Mental Health: Practice, Barriers, Opportunities, and Recommendations

Translating Research into Policy in Mental Health: Practice, Barriers, Opportunities, and Recommendations

Events, News & Events
 Thursday, April 23: 9am EDT Many research findings do not ultimately influence policy. In this talk, Dr. Kalani will describe the current practice of translating research into policy within the mental health field, highlighting key barriers and opportunities that affect the utilization of research evidence in policymaking. The discussion will conclude with practical recommendations on how to strengthen the translation of research findings into policy and practice. Dr. Kenneth Kalani Okware is a Psychiatrist and Senior Medical Officer in the Mental Health Division of Uganda’s Ministry of Health, with additional expertise in policy analysis and development. A former Fellow of the Kofi Annan Global Health Leadership Fellowship Program, he has over a decade of experience in clinical mental health care and in the leadership, planning, and coordination of national mental…
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07Apr 2026 by Ryan Parker
Distinguished Lecture in Global Mental Health Recap: Addressing Syndemic Problems in HIV: A Global Program of Psychosocial and Structural Intervention Research

Distinguished Lecture in Global Mental Health Recap: Addressing Syndemic Problems in HIV: A Global Program of Psychosocial and Structural Intervention Research

News, News & Events
Written By: Lauren Lloyd, MsGH Candidate '27 In a recent Distinguished Lecture hosted by the Center for Global Mental Health (CGMH), in collaboration with the Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dr. Jasper Lee explored how syndemic theory can help address persistent barriers to HIV treatment and prevention across global settings. Introduced by Dr. Eve Puffer, Director of CGMH, the lecture highlighted how co-occurring psychosocial and structural challenges can interact to worsen health outcomes—and how multilevel interventions can respond. Dr. Lee, a clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, described his work developing behavioral medicine interventions in the United States, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. He noted that while HIV prevalence in the United States is more concentrated among…
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04Mar 2026 by kmitch@duke.edu
Community-Engaged Approaches to Global Suicide Prevention

Community-Engaged Approaches to Global Suicide Prevention

Events, News & Events
More than 700,000 people die by suicide each year globally and more than 75% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries where mental health resources are scarce. This panel will present their diverse perspectives and practical experiences of fostering meaningful community engagement in suicide prevention research specific to intervention selection, development, adaptation, and implementation. We will then engage the audience in a thoughtful discussion on how to best conduct community-partnered research in suicide prevention and other research areas that are highly sensitive in nature. While the panel will center on mental health, the lessons discussed will be broadly applicable to other global health research methods, making this discussion highly relevant for DGHI and the wider global health community. See the DGHI Think Global event page for more details.
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04Mar 2026 by Ryan Parker
Think Global Recap: Community-Engaged Approaches to Global Suicide Prevention

Think Global Recap: Community-Engaged Approaches to Global Suicide Prevention

News, News & Events
Written By: Julius Mwimo, MsGH Candidate 27'In a recent Think Global event hosted by the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI), a panel convened by the Center for Global Mental Health explored community-engaged approaches to suicide prevention across diverse settings, from U.S. hospitals to the Pacific Islands, Kenya, and Tanzania. The panel was moderated by Dr. Brandon Knettel, Associate Professor of Nursing and Global Health at Duke and Associate Director of the Center for Global Mental Health.The first panelist, Dr. Marissa Marcini, Associate Professor of School Psychology at UNC Chapel Hill, presented her team’s virtual reality intervention, PRESSER (Practice Experiences for Social and School Reintegration), designed for youth hospitalized following suicide-related crises. The VR tool allows adolescents to learn and practice coping skills in immersive, lifelike scenarios while still in the…
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27Feb 2026 by Ryan Parker
Think Global Recap: Menstrual Health Equity: Global Perspectives and Local Innovations

Think Global Recap: Menstrual Health Equity: Global Perspectives and Local Innovations

News, News & Events
Written By: Mary Ann Fahmy, MsGH '27 At the first Think Global event of the Spring 2026 semester, an interdisciplinary panel of faculty and trainees shared expertise about cultural, clinical, and community-based aspects of menstrual health equity. Dr. Megan Huchko, Director of the Center for Global Reproductive Health and OB/GYN at Duke, moderated the discussion and highlighted the many layers of stigma, structural barriers, and social norms that influence menstrual experiences across the lifespan. Dr. Huchko opened the session and emphasized the recurring theme of “menstruation rhetoric” or the ways language, beliefs, and cultural narratives contribute to society’s understanding and response to menstruation. Dr. Hannah Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Duke’s Thompson Writing Program, examined how the cultural narratives influence menstrual stigma and identity. Through interdisciplinary research and rhetorical analysis, Dr.…
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03Feb 2026 by kmitch@duke.edu
Menstrual Health Equity: Global Perspectives and Local Innovations

Menstrual Health Equity: Global Perspectives and Local Innovations

Events, News & Events
A DGHI Think Global event, featuring a panel that brings together Duke faculty and students to discuss the multifaceted challenges and opportunities in achieving menstrual health equity worldwide. Speakers will share insights from research on stigma and physical and mental health across the lifespan of those who menstruate, and discuss systemic change, grassroots innovations and advocacy efforts. The session will highlight how global perspectives and local solutions intersect to promote dignity, health, and justice for all who menstruate. See the DGHI Think Global event page for more details.
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19Nov 2025 by kmitch@duke.edu
Think Global Recap: Climate Resilience in Practice: Addressing the Mental Health Impacts of a Changing Climate

Think Global Recap: Climate Resilience in Practice: Addressing the Mental Health Impacts of a Changing Climate

News, News & Events
Written By: Ryan Parker, CGMH Research Analyst I In a recent Think Global event hosted by the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI), a panel of researchers from the Duke Global Mental Health topical working group on climate explored how climate change is affecting mental health, particularly in communities already living on the margins. In her introduction, Dr. Chris Gray, a CGMH affiliate and Assistant Research Professor of Global Health, highlighted the dual nature of climate-related effects. While climate change can manifest in acute events such as floods and hurricanes—often followed by heightened rates of PTSD, depression, and anxiety—it also involves what has been described as “slow violence”: a gradual accumulation of environmental exposures that drive displacement and disrupt livelihoods over time. The first panelist, Dr. Qudsia Shah, Senior Research Officer…
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22Oct 2025 by Ryan Parker
Breaking Cycles: Intergenerational and Community Approaches to Youth Mental Health

Breaking Cycles: Intergenerational and Community Approaches to Youth Mental Health

News, News & Events
Written By: Colleen Mader, MsGH Candidate '27 This past October, the Duke Center for Global Mental Health (CGMH) and Duke Global Health Institute held a Think Global event focused on community and family-based mental health interventions, with a particular emphasis on three projects addressing the mental health of adolescents and families in Kenya. Dr. Eve Puffer, Director of the CGMH and Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience moderated the discussion. Dr. Ali Giusto, psychologist and Assistant Professor at Florida International University, opened the event by highlighting the often-overlooked role of fathers’ mental health in family well-being. She shared findings from LEAD (LEarn, Engage, Act, Dedicate), an intervention in Eldoret, Kenya designed to reduce depression and alcohol use among fathers while strengthening positive family engagement. Dr. Florence Jaguga, psychiatrist and Director…
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