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

The Boston College School of Social Work Research Program on Children & Adversity (RPCA) and the Trinity College Dublin Centre for Forced Migration Studies are pleased to announce our upcoming symposium, titled Bridging the Humanitarian, Peacebuilding, and Development Nexus: Building Systems for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for Populations Affected by War, Forced Displacement, and Resettlement through an Implementation Science Lens, on the 7-8 of May 2024 in Dublin, Ireland. The symposium will feature in-person panel sessions focused on implementation science, MHPSS, and bridging the relief-to-development gap in post-conflict settings from key research institutions, community organizations, and international stakeholders such as UNICEF and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The symposium will feature keynote speakers Drs. Wietse A. Tol and Mary McKay from University of Copenhagen and Washington University at St. Louis, highlighting their work on multi-sectoral integration interventions and implementation science perspectives on peacebuilding in post-conflict settings. In addition, the event will feature panel discussions and collaborative conversations on varied topics related to building systems to support those who have experienced adversity and conflict. This event will bring together panelists from multiple organizations and disciplines, including Boston College and Trinity College Dublin faculty and students.

The panels will be based on the following themes: implementation science and scaling globally, bridging the gap between humanitarian response and building systems in communities affected by war and violence, peacebuilding and preventing intergenerational cycles of violence, the problem of the relief to development gap, and a lived experience and participatory research panel, which will engage students from Trinity College Dublin and Boston College. The panel-based symposium will allow for collaborations across disciplines and further existing partnerships and collaborations between Boston College and Trinity College Dublin to expand and strengthen a network of global experts in family, conflict, and child development. The two-day event aims to expand and strengthen a network of global experts in the field of translating evidence into practice, while facilitating Boston College student learning by providing students with the opportunity to be involved in the planning of the event, as well as attending and participating in the panel discussions. The involvement of students will build on the existing relationship between Boston College and Trinity College Dublin, and facilitate avenues for greater collaboration between students and faculty across both institutions.