Gloria Abura-Meerdink, MSW, MSc.

Ms. Gloria Abura-Meerdink is a PhD Candidate at the University of Alabama’s School of Social work. Prior to joining the University of Alabama to pursue a concurrent MSW and PhD, she was based in Uganda. There, Ms. Abura-Meerdink worked as a clinical psychologist conducting both clinical and research work among individuals and within community-based settings. Her past professional experience, coupled with the learning process throughout her doctoral journey has engendered the following research interests: child and adolescent mental health disparities research in both national and global contexts, specifically around accessibility to child and adolescent mental health services, and bridging the child and adolescent mental health gap specifically with digital and community mental health interventions. Lastly, the utilization of community based participatory and mixed methods approaches to address the first and second research interests mentioned above. Ms. Abura-Meerdink’s current research efforts focus on examining mental health disparities among adolescents in resource constrictive settings. For her current research within the United States, she have explored the utilization of non-traditional actors such as schools, libraries and other community health organizations as potential avenues for bridging the adolescent mental health gap among adolescents and young people in low resource contexts. Ms. Abura-Meerdink’s recent research efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa are focused on investigating the existing mental health interventions for depression and anxiety among adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa, exploring child and adolescent mental health needs, and assessing the social determinants of health among adolescents within the context of Sub-Saharan Africa.