Our Mission

The Global Psychiatry Section (GPS) at Dalhousie University’s Department of Psychiatry is working with partners to transform and advance mental health in the global community through innovation, sustainable and integrated solutions.

Our Vision

We are recognized as a world leader in innovation for sustainable development in Global Mental Health.

Our Strategic Approaches:

• Improving Health for Development
  Health is a key driver of socioeconomic progress. If health is considered the center of development, there can be no development without health. Attainment of the health related Millennium Development Goals through the strengthening of health system capacity to address the population’s mental health needs is the cornerstone of the vision and mission of the GPS. Poverty and Mental Health are linked by a perpetuating circular relationship — one begets the other. Thus, strengthening health systems to care for persons affected by mental illness should be an integral component of any comprehensive poverty reduction strategy.



• Collaborating
  Success cannot be achieved by one person, one department, or one institution, it will require multidisciplinary, cross-sectoral, local, national, regional, and international collaboration. Sustainability and success is dependent on building and nurturing relationships. This principal is characterized by our current working partnerships with the Guyana Ministry of Health, other governments in the Caribbean, PAHO/WHO, international agencies and institutions, Health Canada, and Canadian and U.S. universities.



• Innovating
  The GPS strives for the innovative approach which responds to the issues particular to resource poor settings both here and abroad. The GPS and the Guyana Ministry of Health have developed a partnership model that has demonstrated promise as one solution. It is a model that allows a rich asset that exists in the North to build capacity in developing countries in a manner which maximizes both financial and technical investment and resources.



• Promoting Social Justice
  A guiding principal to the work of the GPS is in the development of environments which enable equal opportunities and social inclusion for individuals with mental disorders. The aim of our work in social justice is to establish human rights protection which is community based, draws from the awareness of human rights, is integrated through the social fabric of the community, and addresses the stigmatization and discrimination of persons with mental illness.



• Leading
  The GPS has come to realize that successful health system transformation cannot take place without strong leadership. This need is not restricted to only the very highest levels of organizations, but leadership development must happen throughout all levels of the system. Along with each program undertaken, the GPS team integrates leadership concepts into the approach establishing the necessary tenets which support sustainment.