Global network · Research leadership · Lived experience
People
The Youth Mental Health Research Fellowship brings together a diverse network of experts working at the intersection of child and adolescent mental health, public health, research methods, and lived experience.
Through mentorship, teaching and collaboration, this global network supports fellows in developing the skills, knowledge and connections needed to conduct impactful research in LMICs.
Network at a Glance
5+Partner institutions worldwide
2 tracksResearcher & Lived Experience
GlobalFaculty across 4 continents
YouthAdvisory Panel embedded in programme
Leadership
Fellowship Leadership
The programme is directed and coordinated by a dedicated team with deep expertise in global mental health research, capacity strengthening and digital learning.
SH
Programme Director
Dr. Syed Usman Hamdani
Principal Investigator, Being Research Excellence Hub · Global Institute of Human Development (GIHD)
Dr. Hamdani is a global mental health researcher specialising in scalable psychological interventions and task-sharing models for mental health care in low-resource settings. He serves as Programme Director and oversees the academic and mentorship components of the fellowship.
AW
TGHN Platform Lead
Dr. Amirah Wahdi
The Global Health Network, University of Oxford
Dr. Wahdi specialises in research capacity strengthening and digital learning platforms, and supports the integration of Global Health Network training resources within the fellowship.
Join the Fellowship
Work alongside this global network of experts. Applications for the January 2026 cohort are now open.
Our faculty and mentors include internationally recognised researchers and clinicians in child and adolescent mental health, global mental health, public health and epidemiology, health policy and systems research, implementation science, and youth engagement.
Hover over a card to read the full profile
Global Mental Health hover ↻
Prof. Brandon Kohrt
Professor of Global Mental Health The George Washington University, USA
Implementation ScienceLow-resource Settings
Global Mental Health
Prof. Brandon Kohrt
Internationally recognised for his work on mental health implementation science and culturally responsive mental health systems in low-resource settings. Prof. Kohrt brings expertise in task-sharing, community-based interventions and global mental health policy to the fellowship.
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry hover ↻
Prof. Christian Kieling
Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
EpidemiologyPrevention Science
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Prof. Christian Kieling
A leading expert in youth mental health epidemiology and prevention science. Founding member of the Identifying Depression Early in Adolescence (IDEA) Consortium and has led major research initiatives on adolescent mental health risk prediction across LMICs.
Biostatistics & Research Design hover ↻
Prof. Duolao Wang
Chair in Biostatistics Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK
Clinical TrialsStatistical Modelling
Biostatistics & Research Design
Prof. Duolao Wang
A leading biostatistician with expertise in clinical trials, statistical modelling, and prognostic model development. His teaching in the fellowship focuses on biostatistics, research design, and risk prediction modelling for youth mental health research.
The full faculty network covers the following areas of expertise. Select an area to read more.
Faculty with expertise in CAMH provide grounding in the epidemiology, clinical presentation, and evidence-based approaches to mental health in young people. This underpins the Foundations and Research Design modules of the fellowship curriculum.
Global mental health expertise ensures that research conducted within the fellowship is contextually relevant to LMIC settings — drawing on task-sharing models, culturally responsive approaches, and the global burden of disease literature to frame fellows' research questions.
Public health and epidemiology faculty teach the quantitative foundations of research design — study design, sampling, measurement, bias, and statistical analysis — with an emphasis on methods appropriate for resource-constrained settings.
Faculty specialising in health policy and systems research support fellows in understanding how their research translates into policy influence. The Dissemination and Advocacy module draws heavily on this expertise.
Implementation science expertise helps fellows design research that can be scaled and sustained in real-world health system contexts. Faculty advise on feasibility, fidelity, and scale-up considerations within capstone projects.
Faculty and advisors with expertise in youth engagement and lived experience ensure that research produced by the fellowship reflects the realities and priorities of young people in LMICs. This expertise is embedded throughout the curriculum.
Lived Experience
Lived Experience Advisors
Why lived experience matters in research
The fellowship integrates the perspectives of individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges not as a token gesture, but as a structural commitment. Lived experience advisors shape the research that gets done, how it gets done, and who it is done for.
How Lived Experience Advisors Contribute
C
Fellowship Curriculum Development
Lived experience advisors review and contribute to module design, ensuring the curriculum reflects the realities young people face when seeking help for mental health challenges across different LMIC contexts.
R
Research Design and Interpretation
Advisors contribute to the framing of research questions, the selection of outcomes that matter to young people, and the interpretation of findings in ways that are grounded in lived reality rather than clinical assumption.
Y
Youth Engagement Strategies
Drawing on direct experience, advisors help the programme develop approaches to engaging young people in research — including those who are most marginalised or least likely to be reached through conventional recruitment.
I
Ensuring Research Reflects Young People's Experiences
All research outputs produced by fellows are reviewed through a lived experience lens to ensure they are relevant, accurate and respectful of the experiences of the communities they study.
Youth Advisory Panel
A Youth Advisory Panel composed of young people and individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges contributes to programme design and evaluation. The panel ensures that youth perspectives are integrated into research activities and fellowship learning — and that the fellowship itself remains accountable to the communities it aims to serve.
Hover over a card to read the full profile
Lived Experience Advisor hover ↻
Grace Gatera
Mental Health & NCDs Advocate Kigali, Rwanda
Wellcome TrustYouth InvolvementLancet Commission
Lived Experience Advisor
Grace Gatera
A lived-experience mental health and NCDs advocate based in Kigali, Rwanda. Grace advises the Wellcome Trust Mental Health Priority Area and serves as a commissioner on the Lancet Commission on Gender Based Violence and Maltreatment. She is a Young Leader for the Lancet Commission for Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development, passionate about meaningful youth involvement for under-resourced and under-represented populations worldwide.
Lived Experience Advisor hover ↻
Niharika Maggo
Lived Experience Advocate & Researcher Wellcome Trust Mental Health Priority Area
Wellcome TrustResearch InclusionAdvocacy
Lived Experience Advisor
Niharika Maggo
A lived-experience mental health advocate and researcher working to promote the meaningful inclusion of lived experience in mental health research. Niharika serves as a Lived Experience Advisor at the Wellcome Trust Mental Health Priority Area, bringing both personal and professional expertise to ensure that research reflects the perspectives of those it aims to serve.
Support Structure
Mentorship Model
Each fellow is individually supported through a structured three-layer mentorship model designed to address both research development and professional growth.
1
Primary Research Mentor
Individually matched with the fellow at the start of the programme. Provides ongoing guidance on research development, capstone project supervision, and career progression throughout the 12 months.
2
Technical Advisors
A network of specialists who offer expertise on request in research methods, data analysis, ethics, implementation science, and dissemination — matched to the specific needs of each fellow's project.
3
Peer Learning Network
Fellows collaborate through structured peer writing groups, knowledge exchange sessions and joint learning activities — building lasting professional relationships across the LMIC research community.
Partner Institutions
Global Collaborators
The fellowship is supported by a global network of partner institutions and research collaborators. These partnerships enable international mentorship, cross-country collaboration, and shared learning opportunities across regions.
