We are very grateful to be given this opportunity, particularly at an exciting juncture in the field of global mental health. From our earlier focus on scaling up mental health treatments, global mental health is broadening to include a stronger emphasis on the social determinants of mental health, disability, human rights and the links between mental health and broader social and economic development – all vital in the era of COVID and climate change.
Professor Crick Lund, Co-Director of the Centre for Global Mental Health, Professor of Global Mental Health and Development
05 April 2022
New Directors of the Centre for Global Mental Health announced
King's College London welcomes Professor Crick Lund and Dr Charlotte Hanlon as Co-Directors of the Centre for Global Mental Health.
Professor Crick Lund and Dr Charlotte Hanlon have been announced as the new Co-Directors of the Centre for Global Mental Health (CGMH) at King’s College London. They will join the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Director, Dr Ritz Kakuma, to lead the joint Centre.
It begins a new era of the CGMH at King’s, with both Co-Directors based in Africa - Professor Lund in South Africa and Dr Hanlon in Ethiopia.
Both Professor Lund and Dr Hanlon have been active in the field of Global Mental Health for nearly 20 years, with a focus on research that aims to improve the lives of people with lived experience of mental illness in diverse settings.
They bring to CGMH leadership a firm conviction of the need to invest in the next generation of Global Mental Health researchers and both have extensive experience in promoting mental health research globally. Their experience with global and national policy engagement, as well as close working with community stakeholders and people with lived experience, will be vital to keep CGMH relevant and impactful.
The successes of CGMH derive from its networks and partnerships around the world. That is the identity of CGMH that we plan to cultivate and develop: outward looking, with our feet in low-and middle-income countries, and with our partners at center stage.
Dr Charlotte Hanlon, Co-Director of the Centre for Global Mental Health, Reader in Global Mental Health
The new Co-Directors will take over leadership from the outgoing Director, Professor Ricardo Araya. Professor Araya has made important contributions to CGMH over the past 5 years. Among many contributions, his leadership of the 10-year anniversary celebrations of the CGMH was a key milestone, which consolidated the history and future direction of the Centre.
Professor Ricardo Araya said: “it is wonderful to see that the Centre would be led by two young but experienced successful KCL researchers who have a strong base in Africa. This is a new strategy to strengthen a more devolved centre to LMICs, which is where the bulk of the group’s work is currently placed. There are a number of other great ideas begin discussed to strengthen the group so please join the new leaders to contribute to this process”.
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Professor of Global Mental Health
Professor of Global Mental Health and Development