The WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens, Greece, through its Programme on the Quality of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Care, in collaboration with the WHO European Mental Health Flagship, introduces the first-ever WHO Young Researchers Forum to improve the quality of child and adolescent mental health care, set to be launched on 4 June.
This initiative, tailored for early-career professionals and researchers from the WHO European Region, aims at improving the quality of children and adolescents' mental health care through supporting cutting-edge research and cross-disciplinary partnerships.
About the Forum
The aim of the Forum is to cultivate a dynamic community dedicated to pioneering solutions in the quality of child and adolescent mental health care. At the heart of its mission is the enhancement of data quality and availability, acknowledging the indispensable role that robust, accessible data play in crafting effective interventions and informed policy decisions. By placing a strong emphasis on data enhancement, the forum endeavours to equip researchers with the tools and insights necessary to foster significant improvements in mental health-care practices and outcomes.
The Forum is specifically designed for early-career researchers and professionals aged 18–30 years in the WHO European Region, who are passionate about addressing the quality of mental health services for children and adolescents. This demographic includes students, recent graduates, postdoctoral researchers, and young professionals in the early stages of their careers in fields relevant to mental health, such as psychology, psychiatry, public health, social work, and education.
Overall, the Forum envisions creating a dynamic ecosystem where young researchers innovate and take the lead on improving mental health outcomes.
Some of its key objectives include:
- fostering interdisciplinary and international collaborations: encouraging partnerships across diverse fields and countries to address mental health challenges holistically;
- building research and creative capacities: using innovative methods and digital technologies to explore new dimensions in mental health research;
- strengthening community and support: creating a supportive network that promotes well-being, peer mentorship, and collective growth; and
- promoting sustainability and impact: ensuring that research and initiatives are scalable, impactful, and contribute to real-world improvements in mental health care.
Join the Forum
Participate in this transformative journey, which will kick off on 4 June with a co-design session – an initial online meeting to shape future efforts. This 90-minute session will set the stage for the ongoing monthly/quarterly meetings. To get started, click the link below to access the registration form.