To culminate the World Bank’s “Out of the Shadows: Making Mental Health a Global Priority” conference, Georgetown hosted its own Global Mental Health Symposium: Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Sunday, April 17. Nationally and internationally renowned experts in the field gathered at the symposium to discuss the role of mental health care in development and policy situations.

Global Mental Health Conference - April 17, 2016

Co-Hosted by the School of Foreign Service and Psychology Department

Supported by the Global Futures Initiative, the Graduate School, and Department of International Health at Georgetown University

Hosted by  

Dr. Emily Mendenhall, Science, Technology, and International Affairs Program, Georgetown University

Dr. Yulia Chentsova Dutton, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University

The symposium brought together leading scholars from psychology, psychiatry, anthropology, sociology, medicine, and public health to discuss and debate intersections of culture, politics, and mental illness around the world.  Through a provocative keynote address by Vikram Patel and four engaging panels, the symposium brought pressing questions at the intersection of culture and mental health to the forefront. 

Maloy Distinguished Lecture: Dr. Vikram Patel, LSHTM, Sangath, and Public Health Foundation of India

This Keynote is generously supported by The Maloy Family as the annual Maloy Distinguished Lecture hosted by the Science, Technology, and International Affairs Program in the School of Foreign Service.

Panel 1: Context and Mental Health: Culture, Poverty, and Religion

Panel Chair: Dr. Laurence Kirmayer, McGill University

Panel 2: How do we conceptualize mental health?

Panel Chair: Dr. Janis H. Jenkins, University of California, San Diego

Panel 3: How do we provide services for marginalized populations?

Panel Chair: Dr. Vikram Patel, LSHTM, Sangath, and PHFI 

Panel 4: Does one size fit all?  Opportunities and challenges in policy and finance for Global Mental Health

Panel Chair: Dr. Pamela Collins, National Institute of Mental Health 

Concluding Remarks: Dr. Arthur Kleinman, Harvard University

This symposium cultivated a space for scholars to discuss hot-button issues in global mental health.  The symposium followed meetings on global mental health hosted by the World Bank Group, National Institute of Mental Health, and Grand Challenges Canada (April 13-16, 2016) near Georgetown University in order to foster longevity in our conversations through lectures, panel discussions, and roundtable discussions over meals with scholars and practitioners engaged in global mental health. 

Global Mental Health Conference

The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), founded in 1919, is a premier school of international affairs. At Georgetown’s Washington, D.C., and Qatar campuses, SFS provides a rigorous education grounded in both theory and practice while instilling the Jesuit values of service.

SFS - Walsh School of Foreign Service