Scientific Program Architecture

The Global Mental Health Systems Congress 2026 (GMHSC 2026) is structured around a systems-oriented framework, enabling interdisciplinary dialogue across clinical practice, workforce ecosystems, and policy implementation.

Executive Pillar I: Clinical & Service Systems

This pillar explores how clinical innovation interacts with structured mental health service systems and coordinated care models.

Track 1: Clinical Innovation in Mental Health Systems

Focus: Advancing clinical approaches within system contexts.

• Psychotherapy and integrated care models
• Psychiatric and neuropsychiatric interfaces
• Trauma-informed care systems
• Perinatal and gender-responsive mental health

Track 2: Mental Health Service Delivery Models

Focus: Designing and optimizing real-world care delivery systems.

• Integrated and multidisciplinary care models
• Patient-centered system design
• Clinical coordination and referral pathways
• Cross-sector service integration

Executive Pillar II: Workforce & Community Systems

This pillar focuses on the workforce and community structures that sustain mental health systems in real-world contexts.

Track 3: Mental Health Workforce Development

Focus: Building, sustaining, and evolving the mental health workforce.

• Academic and training pathways
• Professional wellbeing and workforce retention
• Leadership development in mental health systems
• Interdisciplinary workforce models

Track 4: Community & Public Mental Health Systems

Focus: Community-based systems and population-level mental health approaches.

• Community-based mental health service models
• Prevention and early intervention systems
• Equity and social determinants of mental health
• Crisis response and humanitarian mental health systems

Track 7 (Special Track): Applied Psychological Methods & Lived-Experience Frameworks

Focus: Bridging individual-level methods with broader system relevance.

• Lived-experience-informed psychological models
• Non-pharmacological approaches to mental health
• Real-time regulation and resilience frameworks
• Practice-based and emerging therapeutic methods
• Community-adaptable psychological interventions
• Pathways from individual methods to system integration

Executive Pillar III: Policy, Implementation & Digital Systems

This pillar addresses system-level transformation through policy frameworks, implementation science, and digital innovation.

Track 5: Mental Health Policy & System Governance

Focus: Policy frameworks and governance structures shaping mental health systems.

• National mental health policy frameworks
• Financing and sustainable investment models
• Rights-based mental health systems
• Performance measurement and accountability

Track 6: Implementation Science & Digital Mental Health

Focus: Translating innovation into scalable, real-world systems.

• Implementation science for mental health systems
• Tele-mental health and hybrid care models
• AI and digital innovation in mental health
• Data governance and ethical digital systems

Call for Abstract Submissions

GMHSC 2026 invites abstract submissions aligned with the Scientific Program Architecture outlined above.

Submissions are welcomed from researchers, clinicians, implementation specialists, educators, policymakers, and institutional contributors across global contexts.

The Congress prioritizes work that demonstrates clear systems relevance, including implications for service design, workforce development, implementation pathways, policy interface, scalability, or digital integration.

Submission Categories

• Original Research Studies
• Implementation & Evaluation Studies
• Policy Analyses
• Service Delivery Innovation Models
• Workforce Development Studies
• Digital Mental Health & AI Applications
• Structured Case Studies

Preliminary findings and ongoing research are welcome, provided methodology and systems implications are clearly articulated.

Review Process

All abstracts undergo structured peer review conducted by subject-matter experts aligned with the Executive Pillars.

• Scientific rigor
• Methodological clarity
• Relevance to mental health systems
• Practical or policy implications
• Contribution to scalable models of care

Accepted abstracts may be assigned to oral presentations or moderated thematic sessions.

Academic Recognition

• Best Abstract Distinction
• Best Emerging Scholar Award
• Top 10 Systems Contribution Recognition

Awards are determined through reviewer scoring and program committee evaluation. Recognition is merit-based and independent of registration status.

Researchers are encouraged to contribute scholarly work aligned with the appropriate domain through the structured Abstract Submission portal.

The scientific domains are supported by distinguished faculty and interdisciplinary contributors whose profiles and expertise can be reviewed within the Speakers section.

GMHSC 2026 convenes interdisciplinary professionals engaged in advancing mental health systems research, implementation, and service development across global contexts.

The Congress operates as a peer-reviewed academic forum for individuals working at the intersection of research, clinical practice, public health, workforce development, and system design.

Participation is particularly relevant for:

• Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Mental Health Clinicians
• Public Health Researchers and Implementation Scientists
• Academic Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Doctoral Researchers
• Health System Administrators and Service Delivery Leaders
• Workforce Development and Education Leaders
• Digital Mental Health and Data Specialists
• Policy Analysts and Public Sector Professionals
• Non-Governmental and Community Health Organizations
• Research Institutes and Academic Centers

GMHSC 2026 welcomes participation from diverse global regions, including high-income and low- and middle-income country settings, supporting cross-regional learning and comparative systems dialogue.

The Congress is designed to facilitate structured dialogue across professional roles while maintaining academic rigor and disciplinary depth. Interested participants may register for GMHSC 2026 through the official congress portal.

Mental health systems worldwide are evolving in response to increasing service demand, workforce constraints, digital expansion, financing pressures, and expanded policy recognition.

Across settings, institutions are exploring integrated service models, outcome measurement frameworks, hybrid care approaches, and equity-informed public health strategies. At the same time, challenges remain in aligning research generation, workforce planning, implementation processes, and service delivery systems.

Sustainable system development requires closer integration between evidence, practice, and operational design.

Current sector priorities include:

• Strengthening coordinated systems approaches
• Aligning workforce capacity with long-term service demand
• Integrating measurable outcomes into service planning
• Ethically incorporating digital and data-driven tools
• Advancing research translation into applied practice

GMHSC 2026 provides an academic forum for examining these evolving dynamics through systems-oriented scholarship and interdisciplinary exchange.

As a virtual congress, GMHSC enables broad international participation while maintaining structured peer review and academic standards.

These structural priorities are operationalized through the congress’s six-domain Scientific Program Architecture, which translates systems-level challenges into focused academic dialogue and thematic sessions.