Palo Alto University is dedicated to the mission of engaging minds and improving lives, both locally and globally. 

For many years, members of the PAU community have been actively working in the area of global mental health.  Some of these efforts have included:

• providing emergency mental health care planning and training after a natural disaster,
• conducting research that examines the issue of suicide around the globe,
• studying risk and resiliency among newer immigrant adolescents in the U.S., and
• visiting a country still rebuilding from genocide twenty years prior, a visit that continues to build upon the work of PAU Provost Dr. Bill Froming for over ten years in working with genocide survivors in Rwanda to provide teaching, workshops, and counseling. 

Currently, PAU partners with several global organizations to improve mental health training and accessibility in countries such as Cambodia, Rwanda, China, India, and Northern Ireland.

Institute for Global Mental Health

As part of the Palo Alto University Strategic Plan, the Institute for Global Mental Health was created to enhance the synergies among numerous Palo Alto University initiatives that provide mental health research, training and intervention to address the needs of underserved populations at home and around the world. The IGMH leadership team and specialists have longstanding involvement in their communities of interest. Each has developed relationships with international colleagues and institutions and has ongoing research, training and/or intervention projects.

Ongoing International Involvement

PAU’s ongoing international efforts also include:

• The Institute for International Internet Interventions for Health (i4Health), which, under the leadership of Distinguished Professor Dr. Ricardo Muñoz, contributes to reducing health disparities worldwide by developing and evaluating behavioral and mental health interventions via the Internet and mobile application technology. 

For information about contributing to or sponsoring global mental health initiatives at PAU, please contact GlobalMentalHealth@paloaltou.edu.