Global Summit on Youth Mental Health

September 21, 23, & 24, 2026

Child Mind Institute Headquarters & Zoom

About the Summit

The summit is an in-person and virtual annual event hosted by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute. Through intergenerational conversations, young leaders and global experts will identify opportunities for collaboration and sustainable impact in the field of child and adolescent mental health care.

Speakers

Andreas Dracopoulos

Co-President

Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)

Harold S. Koplewicz, MD

President; Medical Director; Senior Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Psychopharmacology Center

Child Mind Institute

Shudufhadzo Musida

Author, Advocate, Podcast Host, and UNFPA Global Champion for Women and Girls

Mindful Mondays Podcast; Masana Group

Delice Lumbu Mayamba

Director of Youth Engagement, Global Youth Advisory Council (GYAC)

Felipe Paullier, MD

Assistant Secretary-General

Joanna Lai, DrPH, MPH, MSEd

Adolescent Health and Well-Being Team Lead

Global Health Practice, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

View All Speakers

Agenda

Monday, September 21

2:00 – 4:00 pm

Mental Health Advocacy, Communications and Power Mapping Workshops

Hosted by United for Global Mental Health and the SNF Global Center Communicator Fellows

Wednesday, September 23

4:00 – 6:00 pm

Youth Networking Event

Thursday, September 24

8:00 – 9:00 am

Coffee, Networking and Registration

9:00 – 9:30 am

Opening Remarks and Introduction

Harold S. Koplewicz, MD

Andreas C. Dracopoulos

9:15 – 10:00 am

Panel Discussion – Meeting Young People Where They Are: Bringing Mental Health Support Into Schools

Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD

Joanna Lai, DrPH, MPH, MSEd

Lauren Aronson, LCSW

10:00 – 10:45 am

Panel Discussion – Where Young People Connect, Create, and Share: Redefining Youth Mental Health in the Digital Context

Laura Erickson-Scroth

Professor Ernesto Caffo

Michael P. Milham, MD, PhD

10:45 – 10:55 am

Spotlight Session: SSI Competition Winner Announcement

João Marcos Almeida dos Santos

Spyros Chronis

10:55 – 11:35 am

Spotlight & Fireside Q&A: Ms. Shudufhadzo Musida, Author, Advocate, Podcast Host, and UNFPA Global Champion for Women and Girls

Shudufhadzo Musida

Kayla Coetzer

Jennifer Matibi

11:35 am – 12:00 pm

Spotlight: From Aspiration to Action: Reimagining Community Wellbeing

Peter Nasir

Felipe Paullier, MD

Alana Officer

Lauren Barr

Zainab Baragi

Maria Martha Barreneche, PhD

Erica Hutchins Coe

12:00 – 12:45 pm

Breakout Sessions: Where Do We Go from Here? Redefining Youth Mental Health for Our Future

12:45 – 12:55 pm

Breakout Groups Call to Action/Share Out

12:55 – 1:05 pm

Spotlight Sessions: Dr. Felipe Paullier, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, UN Youth Office

Felipe Paullier, MD

1:05 – 1:10 pm

Closing Remarks

Giovanni Abrahão Salum, MD, PhD

Join Us at the Summit

Connect with experts and leaders from around the world working to advance children’s mental health.

Our Resources

Our Initiatives

Learn more about the SNF Global Center’s initiatives, reports, and vision for a global support system that creates pathways to lasting change.

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Our Work with Youth

By connecting young people with local partners, we ensure diverse perspectives are meaningfully represented in the global mental health conversation.

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Stories From Around the World

This summer, Youth Mental Health Academy intern Emma Beckwith turned stories from our global work together into an interactive map — highlighting the people, programs, and partnerships advancing youth mental health around the world.

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