{"id":54,"date":"2026-08-31T12:40:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acghm.local\/themes\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T10:17:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T07:17:13","slug":"themes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chuss.mak.ac.ug\/acgmhconference2027\/themes\/","title":{"rendered":"Conference Themes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Three themes \u00b7 Thirty areas of focus<\/div>\n

Conference Themes<\/h1>\n

Strengthening Community-Based Mental Health Systems: Innovation, Equity, and Resilience. Three major themes consolidate our thirty areas of focus while communicating an African-centred, systems-focused vision for global mental health.<\/p>\n

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01<\/span>Equity<\/span>Strengthening Equitable and Community-Based Mental Health Systems in Africa<\/span>↓<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
02<\/span>Innovation<\/span>Innovation, Technology, and African-Led Solutions for Mental Health<\/span>↓<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
03<\/span>Resilience<\/span>Culture, Resilience, and Social Healing in African Mental Health<\/span>↓<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
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01<\/div>\n
Equity \u00b7 Access \u00b7 Systems strengthening<\/div>\n

Strengthening Equitable and Community-Based Mental Health Systems in Africa<\/h2>\n

What if mental health care started in the community, not the hospital?<\/p>\n

\"A<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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This theme focuses on transforming mental health care from centralised, specialist-driven systems toward accessible, community-based, and people-centred approaches grounded in African realities. It highlights the need to close the mental health treatment gap by integrating care into primary health care, schools, workplaces, humanitarian systems, and community structures.<\/p>\n

African communities already possess strong social and communal systems that can be leveraged to strengthen mental health access, prevention, and recovery.<\/p>\n

Key areas<\/div>\n
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  1. 01<\/span>Integration into primary health care and community systems<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. 02<\/span>Workforce development, supervision & task-sharing<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. 03<\/span>Mental health financing & sustainability<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. 04<\/span>Youth & school mental health systems<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. 05<\/span>Humanitarian mental health & psychosocial support<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. 06<\/span>Substance use & community rehabilitation<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. 07<\/span>Suicide prevention & crisis response<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. 08<\/span>Occupational & workplace mental health<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. 09<\/span>Monitoring, evaluation & implementation science<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. 10<\/span>UHC & mental health policy<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Submit an abstract on this theme →<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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    02<\/div>\n
    Innovation \u00b7 Research \u00b7 Scalability<\/div>\n

    Innovation, Technology, and African-Led Solutions for Mental Health<\/h2>\n

    What if the next breakthrough in mental health came from Africa?<\/p>\n

    \"A<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    This theme explores emerging innovations reshaping mental health care across Africa and other low-resource settings. It emphasises African-led innovation, contextually grounded research, digital mental health, artificial intelligence, implementation science, and scalable models capable of reaching populations traditionally excluded from care.<\/p>\n

    Africa is positioned not merely as a recipient of global mental health ideas, but as a generator of innovative, culturally relevant and scalable solutions for the world.<\/p>\n

    Key areas<\/div>\n
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    1. 01<\/span>Digital mental health & AI-driven approaches<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. 02<\/span>Tele-mental health & remote supervision<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. 03<\/span>Data systems, monitoring & real-time analytics<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. 04<\/span>Implementation science & systems research<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. 05<\/span>Community-based innovations & scalable interventions<\/span><\/li>\n
    6. 06<\/span>Digital storytelling & communication<\/span><\/li>\n
    7. 07<\/span>Peer-led & youth-driven interventions<\/span><\/li>\n
    8. 08<\/span>Innovations in training & supervision<\/span><\/li>\n
    9. 09<\/span>Measurement tools & culturally grounded evidence<\/span><\/li>\n
    10. 10<\/span>Ethical & human-centred technology<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Submit an abstract on this theme →<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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      03<\/div>\n
      Resilience \u00b7 Belonging \u00b7 Cultural identity<\/div>\n

      Culture, Resilience, and Social Healing in African Mental Health<\/h2>\n

      What can we learn from how communities heal together?<\/p>\n

      \"Many<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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      This theme centres the social, cultural, spiritual, and relational foundations of mental health in African communities. It explores how communities respond to trauma, adversity, violence, displacement and social change while building resilience, belonging and hope.<\/p>\n

      It uplifts African philosophies of collective wellbeing, interconnectedness, cultural identity and shared healing as central pillars of mental health systems.<\/p>\n

      Key areas<\/div>\n
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      1. 01<\/span>Arts, storytelling & mental health promotion<\/span><\/li>\n
      2. 02<\/span>Faith, spirituality & traditional healing<\/span><\/li>\n
      3. 03<\/span>Social connection, belonging & cohesion<\/span><\/li>\n
      4. 04<\/span>Trauma, violence & human rights<\/span><\/li>\n
      5. 05<\/span>Gender, culture & social determinants<\/span><\/li>\n
      6. 06<\/span>Community resilience & collective healing<\/span><\/li>\n
      7. 07<\/span>Conflict, displacement & recovery<\/span><\/li>\n
      8. 08<\/span>Mindfulness, wellbeing & prevention<\/span><\/li>\n
      9. 09<\/span>Masculinity, identity & emotional wellbeing<\/span><\/li>\n
      10. 10<\/span>Stigma reduction & culturally responsive care<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Submit an abstract on this theme →<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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        Across every theme<\/div>\n

        Cross-cutting priorities<\/h2>\n

        These principles apply across all conference themes and guide every submission, panel and discussion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n