Oct 06, 2026
IRTG 2773 meets ERASMUS+
Ghana, Kenya and Dresden: Working Together on Mental Health Research
What connects early-career researchers from Ghana, Kenya, and Dresden? A shared interest in better understanding mental health and advancing research together.
In August and September, students, medical residents, and staff members from the partner universities Ghana University, Uzima University, and Maseno University came to the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at TU Dresden for an eight-week research stay as part of the Erasmus+ programme. The exchange, which was established many years ago by the NGO On the Move e.V., focused this year for the first time on research into affective disorders and the early detection of mental disorders.
During their stay, the participants worked in five research groups in Dresden led by Andrea Pfennig, Eva Mennigen, Julia Martini, Nadine Bernhardt, and Philipp Ritter. This gave them the opportunity to gain insights into a range of research areas, from psychiatric epidemiology and the neurobiology of mental disorders to chronopsychiatry and the development of affective and psychotic symptoms.
In addition to their individual work within the research groups, the participants took part in a comprehensive training programme. Alongside workshops on statistical methods and lectures by researchers leading the Dresden groups, physicians from the Department of Psychiatry provided opportunities for clinical exchange and discussion of various psychiatric disorders.
Rony Okoth Ochieng, Priscilla Elikplim Afi Kushigbor, Luise Henke, John Otieno Okello, Melina Stange and Julia Martini (Research Group: Longitudinal Course of Mental Disorders During Transitional Phases)
To conclude the research stay, the participants and staff members came together for a “Mini-Conference: ERASMUS+ meets IRTG 2773.”
Following an introduction to IRTG 2773 and presentations of current research projects, the staff members and Erasmus+ participants presented their own work.
The programme was followed by a panel discussion on “Mental Public Health – Prevention and Health Services Research.” The participants discussed prevention and mental health services, bringing together perspectives from different countries and research contexts.
A joint lunch provided an opportunity to continue the exchange in an informal setting. The conference was not only an opportunity to share experiences and insights from the research stay, but also to build new connections and further strengthen existing collaborations between the participating institutions.