LEAD Global Research Notes from the Field

LEAD fellowship and visiting Uganda was an amazing and eye-opening experience for me. It was humbling to be part of a large group of trainees across different programs and learn about their work and interests. The forum was rich in knowledge, and engaging with beneficiaries during sessions and panels was genuinely heartwarming.   The initial […]

I settled at my global site at the end of June, working under the mentorship of Dr. Keng-Yen Huang and Dr. Janet Nakigudde, the lead PIs on multiple NIMH grants that have championed PARENTCORP for the past 10 years in Ugandan low resource schools. PARENTCORP is multi-level intervention designed for kindergarten and early primary school […]

Being part of the LEAD training program for me represents a significant and meaningful milestone in attempting (and succeeding) to build out a career and be recognized as a LGBTQ+ global mental health researcher. Naturally I started my career in LGBTQ+ health research in the HIV and sexual health field. However, over time I became […]

What has an African school got to do with it? Everything! In a continent where poverty rates are soaring, community needs are high and resources remain low. Education- when properly crafted and enchanted, becomes that magic wand through which individuals could potentially rewrite their futures and hopefully rally their communities to crawl out of poverty. […]

I had the opportunity to travel to Bonthe District in Sierra Leone to participate in a pilot study by Research Program on Children and Adversity (RCPA) in partnership with Caritas Freetown, Tulane University, Boston College, Kenema Government Hospital Sierra Leone and the University of Makeni Sierra Leone. The study entailed collecting data for 12 families […]

As part of my LEAD fellowship, I am involved in the “COVID-19 and Health Disparities Research Pilot Study (PI: Nhial Tutlam)” within the Bidibidi refugee settlement. On July 3rd, I had the opportunity to visit the Bidibidi settlement, accompanied by my secondary mentor, Dr. Anita Kabarambi, and the pilot study coordinator, Isaac Kwesiga. Uganda stands […]

As a LEAD Fellow, I have been working on a project with Dr. Patricia Cavazos-Rehg that looks at preferences for parental involvement in digital health interventions among LGBTQ teens with eating disorders. I have also spent my first few weeks in St. Louis meeting with faculty across WUSTL and having fruitful conversations ranging from developing […]

During my time in Masaka, Uganda, I observed several ICHAD projects focused on economic wellness, dyadic (child-guardian tandem) research, and family-based intervention. These experiences were both educational and socially rewarding as I engaged with three different project teams. From these observations, I identified three key lessons. Efficiency strategies implemented by the research teams stood out […]

The opportunity to come to Sierra Leone, my country of origin, this summer as a LEAD fellow is critical for my journey as an emerging global mental health researcher.  There’s always something about being in one’s country of origin i.e. home and having the opportunity to learn. I was born in Sierra Leone and fled […]

As part of my LEAD fellowship, I am working on a project in Kiryandongo Refugee settlement with UNICEF and Washington University. Using PhotoVoice methodology, we are exploring the social support provided by well-established Women’s Collectives in several countries, including Uganda. We are partnered with a local NGO, TPO Uganda, that works to strengthen protection, psychosocial […]