The SNF Global Center Names New Research and Communicator Fellows Ahead of World Mental Health Day 2026

The latest cohort of Fellows will join an international network of experts leading scalable, community-driven innovations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

New York, NY—The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute has announced its most recent 2026 cohort of Research and Communicator Fellows ahead of World Mental Health Day. The fellowships are part of the Child Mind Institute’s broader global effort to strengthen local leadership, advance evidence-based solutions, and expand access to culturally responsive mental health care for children and adolescents worldwide. Through its Global Fellowships Program, the SNF Global Center is able to invest in the people and institutions best positioned to develop and scale solutions within their own communities.

The SNF Global Center Communicator Fellowship targets professionals shaping important conversations through evidence-based approaches, while the Research Fellowship invites creative, early-career scientists with records of conducting innovative projects — with both programs addressing child and adolescent mental health gaps and needs across low- and middle-income countries.

The Research Fellowship provides up to $550,000 over a period of 4–5 years and offers structured mentorship opportunities, strategic career development, training in implementation science, and access to a global network of experts. Each year, two fellows and one honorable mention are named. For the Communicator Fellowship, financial support of up to $100,000 is provided; and professionals working in public communications — including journalists, broadcasters, and podcasters — also receive training, mentorship, and networking opportunities.

The Global Fellowships Program’s growing relevance is evident through the sharp rise in applications for both rounds of the Communicator (64 percent increase) and Research Fellowship (113 percent increase) from last year.

“We are honored to expand our international footprint by introducing new countries and impactful communications and research projects to the program, including Colombia, Ghana, and Peru,” says Peter Raucci, director of Global Fellowship Strategy at the SNF Global Center. “This strategic investment in exceptional youth mental health experts allows us to continue developing a network of innovators leading evidence-based transformation across continents, alongside valued partners. As of September 2026, across all three of our fellowship programs, we have selected 35 fellows in 14 countries.”

The new cohort of Research Fellows includes:

• Jorge Cuartas, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
  Project: Apapacho: Transforming Child and Adolescent Mental Health through Scalable Parenting Support Embedded in Government Systems
• Isaac Olufadewa, Slum and Rural Health Initiative (SRHIN), Nigeria
  Project: Brave Heart AI Buddies: Effectiveness of a Culturally Adapted, Human-Centered and Offline-Capable Generative AI-Enhanced Non-Specialist Model for Community-Based Mental Health Care Among Adolescent Migrants — A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
• Richard Appiah (Honorable Mention), Mental Health Authority, Ghana
  Project: THRIVE-GH: Co-Designing and Feasibility-Testing a Whole-School Framework for Early Identification and Psychosocial Support in Ghanaian Basic Schools

In a first for the SNF Global Center Fellowships, two applicants were awarded fellowships from the same institution — the Slum and Rural Health Initiative (SRHIN) in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Isaac Olufadewa, a 2026 SNF Global Center Research Fellow from Nigeria, believes the fellowship will help turn local ingenuity into global learning, while helping build a future where no young person’s access to mental health care is determined by where they live.

“My fellowship will develop the Brave Heart AI Buddies program, a culturally responsive, human-centered, and digital model for bringing mental health care to adolescents and young people living in displacement in Nigeria,” Olufadewa explains. “The SNF Global Center Fellowship is the doorway to new knowledge, new partnerships, and a new generation of culturally grounded mental health solutions.”

While only one Communicator Fellow was named in 2025, this year three Communicator Fellows were named:

• Lucero Andaluz Llerena, De-Mentes, Peru
  Project: The Youth Lived Experience Leadership Lab
• Peace Oregbesan, Slum and Rural Health Initiative (SRHIN), Nigeria
  Project: #UnspokenStories
• Stacey-Ann Pillay, The Healthy Brains Global Initiative, South Africa
  Project: Voices to Action: Adolescent Maternal Mental Health

For Peace Oregbesan, a 2026 SNF Global Center Communicator Fellow from Nigeria, the heart of her project #UnspokenStories is bringing the experiences of young people in Nigeria into the wider, global conversation on child and adolescent mental health.

“This project will create spaces for out-of-school youth in Nigeria to share, shape, and safely tell stories about their mental health in ways that feel true to their lives,” says Oregbesan. “I’m drawn to the SNF Global Center community because I want to learn from people doing thoughtful work in mental health, communication, and storytelling. And I want to be challenged by perspectives beyond my own.”

At a time when one in five young people are experiencing mental health or learning challenges, evidence-based and culturally grounded communication is urgently needed. Adolescents are also more exposed to a high volume of mental health content. Dispelling misinformation, reducing stigma, and increasing youth engagement will be components of the priorities embedded into each Communicator project.

With the theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day being, “Lived experiences heard: Real voices, Real change,” the SNF Global Center remains committed to collaboratively improving systems of care for children and adolescents in often underserved communities. This is also made possible through our partnerships around the world, where efforts are designed to transform the future of youth mental health for all young people, everywhere. everywhere.

Learn more about the Global Fellowships Program

About the SNF Global Center at the Child Mind Institute

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute brings together the Child Mind Institute’s expertise as a leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s deep commitment to supporting collaborative projects to improve access to quality health care worldwide. The center is building partnerships to drive advances in under-researched areas of children and adolescents’ mental health, and expand access to culturally appropriate training, resources, and treatment in low- and middle-income countries. This work is conducted by the Child Mind Institute with support from SNF through its Global Health Initiative (GHI).

About Child Mind Institute

The Child Mind Institute is the leading nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families experiencing mental health and learning disorders. Since its founding in 2009, the Child Mind Institute has become a global institution reaching millions of families each year through excellence in evidence-based clinical care, renowned educational resources and training, and science to advance the next generation of treatment. 

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