Migration and health conference

An estimated 281 million people were migrants in 2020. Racism, discrimination, and stressful experiences encountered before, during, and after migration pose a huge risk to the mental health of migrant populations. Yet many migrants continue to experience challenges accessing mental health support within our healthcare systems. While there is growing evidence from different fields on ways to enhance the mental health of migrants, structural inequities in care are still significant.
This conference aims to bring together researchers, practitioners, and end-users to discuss and reflect on the current state of research, policy, and practice on migrant mental health and the responses of states, healthcare systems, and civil societies. A diverse group of researchers from global mental health (Mina Fazel, Wietse Tol), history (Ana Antic), and philosophy (Ezio Di Nucci), practitioners, and policymakers will share their knowledge and experiences in this one-day event. The conference will be an opportunity to share evidence and good practices but also to identify structural injustices that continue to cause suffering and contribute to poor mental health among some of society’s most vulnerable groups.
Our event will also serve as a platform to inform mental health policies, discuss how the Danish 10-year action plan for mental health can become more inclusive, and respond to the needs of migrants.

If you plan to attend the conference, please send an email to hejdi.abdelhamid@sund.ku.dk

Call for abstracts

We also invite abstracts from anyone working within the field of migrant mental health. Abstracts should focus on migrant persons or groups, representing a diversity of disciplines and methodologies. Research specific to the following themes will be prioritized:

❖ Social determinants of mental health
❖ Inequity in access to mental healthcare
❖ Experiences with mental healthcare
❖ Structural injustice & mental health
❖ The role of informal support, civil society, and social intervention in supporting the mental health of migrants
❖ Development, implementation, and impact of mental health interventions designed with and for migrants

8 abstracts will be selected for oral presentations (15 minutes each), and up to 8 more will be selected for poster presentations. Early-career researchers (Ph.D. students to assistant professors) are strongly encouraged to apply, as half of all selected abstracts will be reserved for this group. The conference is free and open to everyone. We particularly invite students and early-career researchers to join us.

Submission guidelines

Please include your study's title and the investigators' names and affiliations. Abstracts should be at least 300 words maximum 500 and include: Background, Method, Results, and Conclusion.
Submit by sending the above information by September 30th to hejdi.abdelhamid@sund.ku.dk and maria.castaner@sund.ku.dk
Responses will be sent in the second week of October. If you have questions, please write to maria.castaner@sund.ku.dk

Event organizers:

Maria Marti Castaner & Christopher de Jamil Montgomery, at the Center for Migration Ethnicity and Health, at the Department of Public Health, Copenhagen University