Bridging the Humanitarian, Peacebuilding, and Development Nexus: Building Systems for Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for Populations Affected by War, Forced Displacement, and Resettlement through an Implementation Science Lens

Dr. Wietse A. Tol

Professor in Global Mental Health, University of Copenhagen

Wietse A. Tol is Professor of Global Mental Health at the Section of Global Health, Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen; Endowed Professor of Global Mental Health and Structural Vulnerabilities at the VU University Amsterdam; Adjunct Professor at the Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Senior Advisor with HealthRight International. He holds an MA in Clinical and Health Psychology (Leiden University), a Ph.D. in Public Mental Health (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), and was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University. He focuses on multi-sectoral, integrated interventions that address mental health and the social determinants of mental health. He is very interested in understanding how research can lead to improved practice (and vice versa). 

Publications

Dr. Mary M. McKay

Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives, Washington University in St. Louis

Mary M. McKay is the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives at Washington University in St. Louis. In this role, she works to enhance interdisciplinary research and education across the campus and to build the collaborations needed to ensure the successful implementation of the university’s strategic plan. With over 200 publications, Dean McKay brings a wealth of critical scholarship and leadership in the areas of poverty, mental health and the health- prevention needs of poverty-impacted youth and families. Prior to joining Washington University in St. Louis, Dean McKay was the McSilver Professor of Social Work and the inaugural director of the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University's Silver School of Social Work.

Rachel M. Hoare, PhD

Professor and Director, Centre for Forced Migration Studies, Trinity College Dublin

Dr. Rachel Hoare is a lecturer in the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultural Studies in Trinity College, where she is the Director of the Centre for Forced Migration Studies and has been actively involved for a number of years with University of Sanctuary activities, including most recently, volunteer-led English conversation classes for refugees organised by her colleague Dr. Bronagh Ćatibušić and herself. Rachel is also an expressive arts psychotherapist working on a part-time basis with unaccompanied refugee minors on behalf of Tusla, the Irish Child and Family agency. Rachel’s research focuses on trauma-informed practice, the impact of friendships on the coping and resilience of refugee youth as well as the benefits of expressive arts practice. Rachel has delivered numerous training on how to work in a trauma-informed way with refugees including to the UNHCR in Dublin, the European Migration Network, government agencies, NGOs, charities, schools, libraries, youth organizations, social workers, foster carers, and other support staff. She has also delivered a public lecture on this topic as part of the Long Room Hub ‘Behind the Headlines’ series. Rachel has written in the print media about the ways in which expressive arts therapies can help to heal the trauma of refugees and she has delivered keynotes and other conference papers on this and other topics related to her research, advocacy, and clinical practice supporting refugee youth.

Rina Ghafoerkhan, MS

Editor in Chief, Intervention Journal/Senior MHPSS Technical Advisor, ARQ International

Rina Ghafoerkhan is a psychologist, researcher, and senior MHPSS technical adviser at ARQ International. Since 2023, she has been editor in chief of Intervention, a scientific peer-reviewed journal focused on advancing MHPSS in areas of armed conflict and natural disaster. As a researcher and clinician she specializes in mental healthcare for displaced populations in the Netherlands, particularly for those who have faced (conflict-related) sexual violence and trafficking.

Paul H. Wise, M.D., MPH

Professor and Senior Fellow, Stanford University 

Dr. Wise is the Richard E. Behrman Professor of Child Health and Society, Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy, and Senior Fellow, the Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University. Dr. Wise’s work bridges the fields of child health equity, public policy, and international security studies. Since July 2019, Dr. Wise has served as the Juvenile Care Monitor for the U.S. Federal Court overseeing the treatment of migrant children in U.S. detention. Since February 2022, Dr. Wise has also served as the Senior Advisor to the SAFER Ukraine initiative which, to date, has evacuated some 1,400 children with cancer from Ukraine. He has published widely and his interdisciplinary contributions have been recognized by election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.