24.L. Round table: Refugee mental health: building clinical and research capacity through innovative partnerships
Authors:   Organised by: New School for Social Research (USA),   Chair persons: Adam Brown - USA
Published: October 2020

The WHO has reported that mental health disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide, and the gaps in access to treatment, especially in low resourced settings, are a global public health issue. Refugees and migrants are disproportionately negatively impacted by factors contributing to mental health disorders barriers to care. Although considerable advances have been made in the development of MHPSS interventions, the efficacy and sustainability of these strategies depends largely on the ability to provide effective educational and training programs preparing and incentivizing future students needed to design, implement, and deliver MHPSS services. This roundtable discussion convenes individuals working across public, private, and academic sectors to explore novel partnerships seeking to scale up and transform mental health education to support refugees and forcibly displaced migrants. Panelists will discuss multi sector and institutional collaborations are needed to address such large-scale mental health gaps. In addition, this panel will discuss recent projects expanding curricular development, educational and research partnerships, and the development of pedagogical tools for professionals working in the mental health field, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and community partners. Anne Jachmann, a member of the Migration and Medicine research division of the Emergency Department of the University of Bern, has been studying and development of new practices to reduce barriers to diagnosis and the development of early interventions for asylum seekers in the Emergency Room. Adam Brown is a Clinical Psychologist and Director of the Trauma and Global Mental Health Lab. He will be discussing new initiatives and partnership in New York City and Latin America to scale up clinical treatment and research capacity for refugee and immigrant communities. Maria Hoen is a Historian and the Principal Investigator of the Consortium for Forced Migration, Displacement, and Education, a network of universities and colleges that has been developing novel educational strategies for refugee students and scholars as well as those working in this context. Nicole Shea is the Director of the Council for European Studies and the Executive Editor of EuropeNow, a global publication for a broad, multi-disciplinary educated audience. She will discuss how findings disseminated by media outlets on mental health and migration are critical for shaping discourse, education, and policy. Finally, Kyle Farmbry, Principal Investigator of the University Alliance for Refugees and At-Risk Migrants will provide insights on how a group of researchers, practitioners, and policymaker are coordinating efforts to harness the potential of university communities for the empowerment and protection of refugees and at-risk migrants. A discussion with audience will follow the panelists presentations.

Key messages

This panel will explore ways mental health education and training may better address the needs of refugees and migrants, through promoting interdisciplinary collaborations. Discuss ways for interdisciplinary partnerships and multi-institutional collaborations to provide comprehensive and dynamic training opportunities in forced migration mental health care.