Call for Abstracts · ACGMH 2027
We warmly invite submissions for presentations, posters, workshops, symposia, IGNITE talks, panels, and community dialogue sessions for our inaugural conference at Makerere University, Kampala.
2027
Inaugural Conference
3 Days
7 - 9 April + pre-workshops
8+
Submission categories
Submission Formats
Choose the format that best fits your work. All submissions are peer-reviewed by the Scientific Committee.
Traditional presentations showcasing completed or emerging research, implementation experiences, innovations, or policy initiatives.
Interactive sessions to share research findings, implementation experiences, and community innovations. Strongly encouraged for students and early-career researchers.
Multiple presenters addressing a shared topic or challenge with a coordinated theme and chairperson.
Interactive, skills-focused sessions covering psychotherapy training, implementation science, grant writing, digital mental health, supervision systems, and more.
Big Ideas. Bold Voices. Five Minutes.
20 slides, auto-advancing every 15 seconds. High-energy format ideal for pilot studies, community innovations, lived experience perspectives, and "what if?" future-oriented ideas.
Cross-sector discussions, service user panels, youth-led dialogues, storytelling, arts-based presentations, film, photography, poetry, and spoken word.
Conference Themes
Submissions are invited under — but not limited to — the following themes. Cross-thematic work is strongly encouraged.
Special consideration is given to African-led research, community-based approaches, youth participation, and lived experience contributions.
Community Mental Health Systems
Task-sharing, primary healthcare integration, psychosocial interventions, systems strengthening
Psychotherapy & Intervention Innovation
IPT-G, FHS, evidence-based adaptation, group and scalable therapies
Child, Adolescent & Youth Mental Health
School programs, peer-led interventions, university mental health, arts and sports
Humanitarian & Refugee Mental Health
Trauma-informed care, forced displacement, resilience, post-conflict recovery
Suicide Prevention & Crisis Response
Prevention systems, decriminalization, bereavement, postvention, crisis models
Digital Mental Health & Innovation
Tele-mental health, digital supervision, mobile tools, AI and mental health systems
Culture, Faith & Indigenous Systems
Cultural understandings of distress, faith-based initiatives, indigenous healing, stigma reduction
Implementation Science & Policy
Monitoring and evaluation, scaling interventions, evidence-to-policy translation
Voices from the Community
Lived experience, service user leadership, lay counsellor experiences, youth storytelling
Presentation Tracks
How to Submit
Title
Author(s) and affiliation(s)
Background / context
Objectives
Methods / approach
Findings or key insights
Implications for practice, policy, or research
Relevance to conference themes
Scientific and practical quality
Innovation and originality
Community relevance and impact
Equity and inclusion perspectives
All submissions involving human participants must comply with ethical standards and institutional review processes where applicable. Authors should disclose:
Funding sources
Conflicts of interest
Use of generative AI tools where relevant
Community & Lived Experience
This conference intentionally creates space for lived experience and community narratives. We warmly welcome service users, youth groups, community organizations, lay counsellors, advocates, and frontline implementers.
Timeline
Mark these dates carefully. The submission portal opens June 2026 on the official conference website.
June 2026
Call for Submissions Opens
The submission portal goes live on the official conference website.
November 2026
Submission Deadline
Final deadline for all abstract and proposal submissions.
January 2027
Notification of Acceptance
Authors notified of decisions by the Scientific Committee.
February 2027
Presenter Confirmation Deadline
Accepted presenters confirm their participation.
5 - 6 April 2027
Pre-Conference Workshops
Intensive hands-on learning: IPT-G, FHS, implementation science, grant writing, supervision, M&E, digital tools, and trauma-informed care.
7 - 9 April 2027
Conference Dates
Africa at the Center of Global Mental Health — Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Awards & Opportunities
Excellence is recognised across multiple categories, with pathways to publication through leading platforms.
Best Student Poster
Recognising outstanding student research
Best Community Innovation
Celebrating grassroots solutions
Best Youth Presentation
Amplifying youth leadership
Excellence in Implementation Science
Rigorous and scalable approaches
Community Leadership Recognition
Honouring community changemakers
Lived Experience Leadership Award
Centring service user voices
Publication Opportunities
Submission Portal
The submission portal opens in June 2026. Limited travel support and bursary opportunities may be available for students, early-career researchers, community representatives, and service users.
School of Psychology, Makerere University · Kampala, Uganda