Global Mental
Health Initiative
Empowering Health Workers for a Healthier Future
Mental health is one of the most urgent global challenges of our time, especially for healthcare workers. From the emotional toll of COVID-19 to the stresses of working in high-pressure, under-resourced systems, many healthcare professionals are experiencing serious burnout, trauma, and mental strain.
Twenty percent of Dartmouth undergraduates apply to medical school leading to a career in healthcare. As we prepare them to enter this essential field, we need to better equip them and healthcare workers worldwide with tools to grapple with escalating mental health challenges, ranging from burnout and stress to trauma, exacerbated by long hours, emotional strain, and the pressures of global health crises like COVID-19 and ongoing armed conflicts.
Dartmouth is responding. Building on President Sian Beilock’s call for innovation in mental health and Dartmouth’s October 2025 symposium Healthy, Wealthier, Yet More Unhappy, GMHI brings together research, global partnerships, and practical interventions to improve mental health support for healthcare workers around the world. They both will underscore the urgent need for accessible mental health services globally and highlight the role of Dartmouth in driving meaningful change in mental health through research and education.
GMHI will lay the groundwork for long-term, systemic change in how healthcare systems support their workers. Through collaboration, innovation, and evidence-based practices, Dartmouth will play a leading role in improving the mental health of those who care for others, locally and globally.
Four Main Goals
Raise Awareness of Healthcare Workers' Mental Health Needs
Advance the understanding of healthcare professionals, institutional leaders, and pre-health students on the psychological impact of working in high-stress environments, with a focus on reducing burnout and fostering resilience.
Implement Evidence-Based Mental Health Interventions
Partner with global stakeholders and funders to provide healthcare workers and students with proven prevention strategies such as AI-supported intervention responses to wearables, group interpersonal therapy (IPT-G) techniques, and video games to increase mental health resilience and to improve mental well-being.
Facilitate Global Knowledge Exchange
Conduct roundtable fora incorporating academic and organizational partners worldwide to evaluate global efforts, share best practices, and understand
Measure Impact and Scale Effective Interventions
Collect data on program effectiveness to identify successful strategies, develop global guidelines for mental health in healthcare, and scale the most effective interventions.
Who Will Benefit
• Healthcare workers in hospitals, clinics, and crisis settings, initially with partner organizations and academic institutions in Kenya, Liberia, and Vietnam.
• Policy leaders and healthcare administrators seeking sustainable solutions domestically and internationally (i.e. Frontline Health Workers Coalition, Catholic Medical Mission Board, Project Hope)
• Domestic and international academic institutions training the next generation of
healthcare professionals.
• Dartmouth students, faculty, and staff invested in global health and mental wellness globally
Key Activities
- Global Roundtable: Convene global partners to discuss successful strategies and co-develop mental health guidelines.
- Workshops & Trainings: Offer practical sessions on burnout prevention, trauma-informed care, and resilience-building, both in-person and online.
- Peer Support Networks: Establish sustained, community-based mental health support across regions.
- Culturally Adapted Approaches: Tailor interventions to fit local needs and norms.
- Impact & Evaluation: Use surveys, interviews, and mental health assessments to track progress and identify areas for improvement.
Expected Outcomes
- Reduced stress and burnout among healthcare workers.
- Strengthened and identified international collaboration on mental health strategies.
- Sustainable peer support structures.
- Practical tools and global standards for health worker mental well-being.
- Enhanced educational and research opportunities for the Dartmouth community.
Faculty Director Thomas Thesen
Professor Thomas Thesen is professor of medical education and computer science and a cognitive neuroscientist at Dartmouth and a Visiting Scientist at the Brain & Mind Institute at Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya, where he conducts brain imaging research on stress and resilience.
He is developing new training approaches for community mental health workers in Liberia, and his research group studies the well-being of healthcare trainees using large data sets and wearable devices. In previous collaborations with the Dickey Center, he helped organize Dartmouth’s Global Mental Health for Health Workers Roundtable at the United Nations General Assembly, and presented at the Dartmouth in Africa: Summit on Health, Innovation & Diplomacy in Nairobi.
Thesen will contribute across research, education, and global engagement. His work will include guiding the development of mental health interventions for health care workers, creating training curricula, scholarly manuscripts and grant proposals, and building partnerships with institutions abroad.
Project Timeline
United Nations General Assembly Round Table
Mental Health of Health Workers: Resilience and Retention for the Future. New York, NY
Downlaod the summary here.
Dartmouth in Africa
Summit on Health, Innovation & Diplomacy. Nairobi, Kenya. Learn more here.
Dartmouth Roundtable
Protecting the Mental Health of Health Workers: From Education to Retention. Virtual
Download the summary here.
World Health Summit Regional Meeting
Nairobi, Kenya
Dartmouth Panel Discussion
From Crisis to Care: Responsible Technology Solutions for Health Worker Mental Health
Round Table
Violence Against Health Workers. Virtual
United Nations General Assembly Round Table
New York, NY
WHS Annual Meeting
Berlin, Germany
Resources
Protecting the Mental Health of Health Workers: Resilience and Retention for the Future
Summary of the executive roundtable, held on September 23, 2025
Protecting the Mental Health of Health Workers: From Education to Retention
Summary of the executive roundtable, held on April 7, 2026