Conflict in the Middle East has produced vast numbers of Arab refugees seeking asylum in neighboring countries, Western Europe, and elsewhere. They are exposed to multiple sources of trauma, including the ravages of war, often perilous informal routes of escape, and finally, the stress of attempting to settle in unfamiliar and often hostile new environments. In consequence this population is at considerable risk of developing mental stress, including anxiety, depression, prolonged grief disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. Culturally aware mental health services are frequently inaccessible.

On Thursday, September 20, 2018, the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy’s Center for Immigrant, Refugee, and Global Health presented a forum on the Consequences of War: A Refugee and Immigrant Mental Health Crisis in the Middle East. An international panel of mental health experts addressed clinical and empirical perspectives on Arab refugee mental health and discussed strategies for building capacity for culturally competent treatment and reducing barriers to access.

Speakers:

• James Sherry, MD, PhD Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, CUNY 
• Z. Ceren Acartürk, PhD, Istanbul Sehir University
• Charles Cange, PhD, Lehman College, CUNY
• Fouad M. Fouad, MD, Global Institute of Health, American University of Beirut
• Calle Brunell, PhD, Stockholm Mansmottagning Health Clinic