Wolfson Summer School on Youth MH Research

This summer school on youth mental health research is organized by Wolfson Center for Young People's Mental Health at Cardiff University. The three-day course takes place online, run by the expert interdisciplinary team based at this center.

I was selected to attend the 4th annual online summer school on ‘Youth Mental Health Research’. This year this school was held on July 7-9, 2025 that covered topics relating to epidemiology, genetics, neuroscience and intervention development for mental health conditions in youth.

Here is a brief outline of this summer school's 2025 edition.

Day 1 - July 7th 2025:

After welcome and introduction, Professor Stephan Collishaw (co-director for the Wolfson Centre) spoke on "Secular trends in young people's mental health".

Next, Professor Frances Rice (Professor of Developmental Psychopathology) gave a talk on "Prevention of depression".

After lunch, we had a talk on "Challenges for youth mental health and the current landscape" by Professor Frances Rice

The last session of first day we were split into parallel small-group sessions. I attended a session on "The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people who've experienced care", by Dr Rebecca Anthony (Post-Doctoral Research Associate).

Day 2 - July 8th 2025:

We started the day with a networking session where we were randomly put in to small groups which allowed us to discuss our backgrounds and research questions with others attending this school.

Next, we had a talk on "Genetics of Youth MH and Neurodevelopmental conditions" by Dr Joanna Martin (Senior Research Fellow).

This was followed by a session on "Global perspectives on mental health programs and policies" by Dr Yulia Shenderovich (Reader) and Dr Rabeea’h Aslam.

After lunch, Dr Lucy Riglin (Lecturer) spoke on "Developmental approach and longitudinal analysis".

Similar to day one, we ended this day with small-group parallel sessions. I attended a session on "Translating research findings into policy" by Dr Chris Eaton (Research Associate funded by Welsh government as well as center).

Day 3 - July 9th 2025:

We started the day with a talk on "The importance and application of neuroscience in psychiatry" by Professor Jeremy Hall.

Next, we had a session on "Suicide and self-harm" by Professor Ann John.

This was followed by a Virtual coffee with Summer School speakers to network with faculty and researchers.

After lunch, we had a session on "Mental health in schools and evaluation of complex interventions" by Professor Graham Moore (Director of DECIPHer project).

The penultimate session of the last day of the summer school was parallel sessions. I attended a talk on "Research careers for prospective students" by Dr Will Davies.

We ended the online summer school with a virtual group photo.

Summary:

The Wolfson Summer School is aimed at prospective researchers who are interested in moving into or learning more about the field of youth mental health research. It is a must not miss opportunity for early career researchers who wish to explore various topics before choosing to specialize.

I am grateful to Wolfson school for organizing such an excellent event and giving me an opportunity to participate in it. I hope to take the learnings to help me further my research in psychiatry. 

References:

[1] https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/wolfson-centre-for-young-peoples-mental-health/training/summer-school