Dalhousie Special Interest Forum for Global Mental Health and Leadership Development
The Dalhousie Special Interest Forum for Global Mental Health and Leadership Development is focused on training and preparing faculty, medical residents, fellows, and graduate students to become Global Mental Health Practitioners and Leaders, supporting the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs that expand access, improve the quality of mental health care, and address mental health inequities.
Purpose
The purpose of the Dalhousie Special Interest Forum for Global Mental Health and Leadership Development is to:
- Provide a forum for training, knowledge dissemination, exchange, and advocacy for equity-deserving populations.
- Foster continuing professional development.
- Spark conversation, curiosity, and foster collaborations.
- Create opportunities for residents’ and fellows’ participation in international electives in transcultural psychiatry in low- and middle-income countries through institutional partnerships.
Topics
Topics will focus on current research, and topical and contemporary issues related to global mental health and leadership.
Objectives
After participating in the Dalhousie Special Interest Forum for Global Mental Health and Leadership Development sessions and/or an international exchange program, participants will:
- Have a broader understanding of current research and contemporary issues in global mental health and leadership.
- Gain knowledge of the opportunities and challenges associated with initiatives aimed at addressing mental health inequities.
- Have a broader understanding of the historical, political, economic, social, clinical, and technological contexts in which global mental health exists.
- Gain knowledge and skills related to conceptualization, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of mental health policies and programs.
Accreditation
The Centre for Global Mental Health’s Special Interest Forum is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Schedule 2026/27
Mental health is shaped far beyond the health sector. It is shaped by decisions made in education, housing, employment, justice, transportation, the environment, and other areas of government. Join Dalhousie University’s Centre for Global Mental Health Special Interest Forum 2026/27 to explore the WHO’s guidance on policy and strategic actions for protecting and promoting mental health and well-being across government sectors. Through critical discussion and real-world examples, we will examine how whole-of-government action can move mental health commitments from policy to practice.
Presentations are led by students, followed by discussion co-moderated by the Honourable Stanley Kutcher, former Canadian Senator, and Dr. Linda Liebenberg, Program Coordinator for the Centre for Global Mental Health.
We welcome undergraduate and graduate students, physician residents, fellows, and anyone interested in how decisions about the way we learn, work, and live shape mental health—and what we can change. Come to hear local and global perspectives, explore connections to your own work, and bring your questions.
Sessions will be held online and take place on the following Fridays from 3 to 4 p.m. Atlantic Time.
- Oct. 23: Introduction and Government Led Cross-Sectoral Mental Health Initiatives
- Nov. 20: Mental Health and the Health Sector and the Social Protection Sector
- Jan. 22: Mental Health and Culture, Arts, and Sport Sectors and Environment, Conservation and Climate Protection Sector
- Feb. 26: Mental Health and Education Sector and Employment Sector
- March 19: Mental Health and the Interior Sector and Defence and Veterans Sector
- April 23: Mental Health and the Justice Sector
Registration
Complete the registration form to receive details about each session.
Register for the 2026/27 Special Interest Forum
Registration deadline: November 18, 2026 at 9 a.m. (Atlantic Time). You’ll receive details to join each session before the scheduled date.
Questions?
If you are interested in being a presenter or have any questions, email cgmh@dal.ca