Seminars

The era of localization presents challenges and opportunities for community-based child protection. Effectively and sustainably localizing child protection and wellbeing initiatives requires shifting power to communities and fostering genuine community ownership. We are pleased to announce the launch of a report authored by Dr. Mike Wessells and Kathleen Kostelny with Child Resilience Alliance, which highlights community-led child protection initiatives in Sierra Leone, Kenya, and India. During this seminar, we will explore these three case studies that illustrate the transformative potential of community agency and collective action to promote children’s wellbeing. A panel discussion featuring Drs. Elen Costigan, Arturo Harker Roa, and Mike Wessells will further examine how these principles have been applied in other contexts to support children and families around the world.

Safeguarding population mental health in an era of rapid technological transformation requires rigorous interdisciplinary collaboration. The emergence of digital assets introduces both significant opportunities and profound concerns, particularly in areas such as ethical application and the responsible use of digital tools. This session will bring together faculty across disciplines to share their experiences conducting mental health research and examine how technology can intersect with suicide prevention. The moderated discussion will also consider how responsible future innovation may enable digital platforms to play a constructive role in advancing suicide prevention and overall mental health. Particular attention will be given to the benefits and limitations of current social media and AI-driven approaches, their application to vulnerable global populations, and the critical issues that must guide future research questions. The event comes as the second Grand Rounds in the quarterly event series, spotlighting WHO's World Mental Health Day, on October 10, and Columbia Mailman's collaboration efforts in interdisciplinary mental health. This program is in partnership with the Columbia University Seminar on Global Mental Health.