More Information on Projects

List of Projects and Partnerships

The Global and Population Mental Health at Mailman program addresses pressing public health issues. Below you can browse our projects in AfricaSouth America, Asia, Europe, and North America.

Global

A Delphi study of youth global mental health researchers to (1) Understand the perceived priorities and defining elements of what youth-focused global mental health entails. (2) Identify core competencies, organizations, and resources indicative of youth-focused global mental health. (3) Identify gaps and polarities across definitions of those conducting youth-focused global mental health. (4) Propose a consensus definition, list of priorities, and key resources and organizations of youth-focused global mental health.


Africa

This pilot trial evaluates the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a brief intervention to mitigate suicide risk in adolescents attending primary care.

Collaborators: Ministry of Health, Mozambique

This is a long-running NIDA-funded cohort study in South Africa between Columbia University and University of KwaZulu-Natal  The cohort originally included children/adolescents and their caregivers. There have been 4 waves of data collection.

Collaborators: University of KwaZulu-Natal – The Centre for Rural Health, The Valley Trust, Boston University

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of ImpACT+ (Improving AIDS Care after Trauma+), an individual-level intervention based on theories of stress and coping, on clinical outcomes among HIV-infected women with sexual trauma.

Collaborators: University of Cape Town

Arts education curriculum design; pilot testing; partnership strengthening

Collaborators: BACO Foundation, HAF Uganda, ArtsIgnite, Artolution, AfriChild Center at Makerere University

Columbia MSPH Collaborators: Mark Canavera, Juliana Bol, Yana Mayevskaya

Columbia Teachers College Collaborators: Mary Mendenhall, Kemigish Richardson

Collaborators: University of KwaZulu-Natal

This study compares, using exome sequencing and genome-wide copy number variant analysis, mutations in individuals with and without schizophrenia.

Collaborators: Dan Stein; Mary Claire King University of Cape Town, University of Washington

A study involving qualitative in-depth interviews with mental health and humanitarian practitioners on mental health and psychosocial problems, access to mental health services, etc. for displaced populations in Ethiopia.

Collaborators: Ethiopian Public Health Institute

Columbia Collaborator: Tsion Firew

This research aims to evaluate a stepped care system (screening, brief intervention, and referral to CETA for treatment) to address alcohol and other drug use problems among refugees and the host community in Zambia.

Collaborators: Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF); CARE Zambia; University of Zambia; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); Zambia Ministry of Health

Collaborators: Ministry of Health, Mozambique

Development of implementation strategy and evaluation of the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of Group Interpersonal Therapy for Depressed Adolescents delivered by primary care providers

Data from a completed randomized feasibility trial (including formative research, intervention development study, feasibility trial (n=311), and qualitative process evaluation) 

Collaborators: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; University of Copenhagen; Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences; International Rescue Committee; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Feasibility trial of combining Self-Help Plus and the WHO ASSIST-linked brief intervention to reduce alcohol use and psychological distress among South Sudanese refugee men in Rhino Settlement

Collaborators: University of Copenhagen; HealthRight International; World Health Organization

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South America

Adapt and pilot test a brief 3-session version of IPT for remote delivery by and for displaced Venezuelans in Peru 

Collaborators: HIAS; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Columbia MSPH collaborators: Alejandra Paniagua-Avila  

Columbia Teachers College collaborators: Lena Verdeli, Bryan Cheng, Erin Young

Collaborators: Chilean Ministry of Health

These projects aim to design and evaluate strategies for increasing access to mental health and psychosocial support for refugees, migrants, and host community members in Colombia.

Collaborators: HIAS; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; Universidad del Norte; The New School for Social Research; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Designing and piloting strategies to integrate economic and MHPSS services for refugees and migrants in Ecuador

Collaborators: HIAS; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)

Collaborators: Chilean Ministry of Health

Clustered RCT in Chile to adapt, scale up, and test effectiveness of the OnTrackNY model of early intervention for First Episode Psychosis.

Collaborators: University of Chile

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Asia

Collaborators: Shanghai Mental Health Center

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Europe

Pilot RCT of Critical Time Intervention with peer support component - for people with severe mental disorders being discharged from psychiatric hospitals

Collaborators: José Almeida – President, Benedetto Saraceno, Manuela Silva University of Lisbon, Lisbon Institute of Global Mental Health

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North America

Collaborators: Jalisco Institute of Mental Health

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Multiple Countries

This project designed and evaluated a community-based psychosocial intervention for migrant and host community women in three diverse contexts in Ecuador and Panamá.

Collaborators: HIAS

The COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study is a large, bottom-up, South-North initiative aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of health care workers (HCWs). HEROES encompasses a wide variety of academic institutions in 19 LMICs and 8 HICs.

Collaborators: University of Chile, PAHO, WHO

This study will describe test characteristics of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in a novel population of HIV-affected adolescents and young adults in SSA and will inform the development of an alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) system within HIV care featuring the use of EtG.

Collaborators: Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia

These studies investigate the incidence, course, and treatment of those with psychotic disorders, and involve multiple collaborations throughout the region.

One of five regional hubs to improve mental health care and build capacity in low- and middle- income countries

Collaborators: PAHO

Unhealthy alcohol use represents an unaddressed barrier to achieving and maintaining control of the HIV epidemic globally. In the Zambia Alabama HIV Alcohol Comorbidities Program (ZAMBAMA),we will compare the effectiveness of an alcohol brief intervention and a transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy-based model that can address unhealthy alcohol use and a range of comorbid mental health problems to improve HIV and alcohol outcomes among low-resource and underserved patients with HIV and unhealthy alcohol use in sub-Saharan Africa and the Southern United States. (P01 project)

Collaborators: University of Alabama Birmingham, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, University of Zambia, Zambia Ministry of Health

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