Eve Puffer gives introduction to panel of speakers
Eve Puffer, Director of the Duke Center for Global Mental Health, introduces a panel of faculty giving “research spotlight” talks about their work. (Photo courtesy of Eve Puffer)

Duke Center for Global Mental Health Hosts Inaugural Annual Conference

On Tuesday, October 8, the Duke Center for Global Mental Health held its inaugural annual conference, drawing over 125 faculty, trainees, and professionals committed to addressing mental health disparities both locally and globally. In honor of World Mental Health Month, this year’s conference focused on the theme Building a Global Mental Health Community: Research, Practice, and Policy Across Disciplines.

The event showcased Duke’s collaborative potential, with attendees from diverse schools across the university, including Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Medicine, and the Sanford School of Public Policy — underscoring the transdisciplinary approach central to the Center’s mission.

Eve, Maeve, and Brandon on the left. On the right, students present at a poster session
Left to right: Eve Puffer, Director of the Duke Center for Global Mental Health; Maeve Salm, Clinical Research Coordinator, Duke Center for Global Mental Health, Brandon Knettel; Associate Director of the Duke Center for Global Mental Health. As part of the conference, students presented a poster session representing a broad range of departments at Duke. (Photos courtesy of Eve Puffer)

The day included an interdisciplinary panel, plenary research presentations, and symposia addressing a range of topics, from adolescent mental health to community-based treatment implementation, and innovative research designs for global mental health trials. The conference also highlighted 30 poster presentations from undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, representing a broad range of departments at Duke.

For those who could not attend or wish to revisit the sessions, recordings are now available on the conference webpage: ghr.link/gmh-conf24.