Capacity-building strategy for next-generation mental health research: embedding a national network infrastructure to grow mental health researcher capabilities and mental health lived-experience research leaders

Internationally, capacity building for mental health implementation and translation research has lagged. A review of literature found initiatives since 2008 indicating limited dedicated attention to growing capabilities of early-to-mid-career mental health researchers, and little reporting of tailor...

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Main Authors: Amanda J Wheeler, Patricia Cullen, Victoria J Palmer, Steve Kisely, Dana Jazayeri, Lena Sanci, Terence Chong, Rebecca Cooper, Jill Bennett, David Preen, Michelle Banfield, Emma Baker, Victoria Stewart, Caley Tapp, Caroline Tjung, Tegan Stettaford, Giulietta Valuri, Martina McGrath, Amanda L Neil, Sandra Eades (AO)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-03-01
Series:BMJ Mental Health
Online Access:https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301554.full
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author Amanda J Wheeler
Patricia Cullen
Victoria J Palmer
Steve Kisely
Dana Jazayeri
Lena Sanci
Terence Chong
Rebecca Cooper
Jill Bennett
David Preen
Michelle Banfield
Emma Baker
Victoria Stewart
Caley Tapp
Caroline Tjung
Tegan Stettaford
Giulietta Valuri
Martina McGrath
Amanda L Neil
Sandra Eades (AO)
author_facet Amanda J Wheeler
Patricia Cullen
Victoria J Palmer
Steve Kisely
Dana Jazayeri
Lena Sanci
Terence Chong
Rebecca Cooper
Jill Bennett
David Preen
Michelle Banfield
Emma Baker
Victoria Stewart
Caley Tapp
Caroline Tjung
Tegan Stettaford
Giulietta Valuri
Martina McGrath
Amanda L Neil
Sandra Eades (AO)
author_sort Amanda J Wheeler
collection DOAJ
description Internationally, capacity building for mental health implementation and translation research has lagged. A review of literature found initiatives since 2008 indicating limited dedicated attention to growing capabilities of early-to-mid-career mental health researchers, and little reporting of tailored career pathways and skills growth. Significant gaps in capacity building thus exist. This perspective article describes a networked infrastructure for a capacity building strategy of the Australian-based ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation. The Centre was funded as a special initiative in mental health with an initial five-year investment. In 2022, the Centre established the first national, cross-disciplinary mental health Next Generation Researcher Network, including a tailored Lived-Experience Research Collective with the aim to grow future research leaders and establish career pathways embedded within the research activities of the Centre. After three years of operation, membership is upward of 280 people in the Next Generation Researcher Network and more than 250 people for the Collective. Specific components implemented as part of the strategy include a central coordination hub, coleadership approaches, coresearch models, tailored traineeships, skills-building through short courses and learning events, cocreation of resources, an online peer discussion platform and annual seed funding schemes. A continuous capacity-building strategy is critical for advancing global research agendas to improve mental health implementation and translation outcomes. Success requires network infrastructure to ensure research methodologies advance, and research addresses the priorities of people most impacted, and early and mid-career researcher capabilities across all research settings connected with universities and service sectors grow.
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spelling doaj-art-a635e44f2d0e4c2e8d9c95fe98790a552025-08-20T02:54:32ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Mental Health2755-97342025-03-0128110.1136/bmjment-2025-301554Capacity-building strategy for next-generation mental health research: embedding a national network infrastructure to grow mental health researcher capabilities and mental health lived-experience research leadersAmanda J Wheeler0Patricia Cullen1Victoria J Palmer2Steve Kisely3Dana Jazayeri4Lena Sanci5Terence Chong6Rebecca Cooper7Jill Bennett8David Preen9Michelle Banfield10Emma Baker11Victoria Stewart12Caley Tapp13Caroline Tjung14Tegan Stettaford15Giulietta Valuri16Martina McGrath17Amanda L Neil18Sandra Eades (AO)19School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, AustraliaFaculty of Medicine and Health, School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaThe ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaThe ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaThe ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaThe ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaFaculty of Medicine, Deparment of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School, Dentistry and Health Science, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaFaculty of Medicine, Deparment of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaFaculty of Arts, Big Anxiety Research Centre, Design and Architecture, University of New South Wales, Paddington, New South Wales, AustraliaThe ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaThe ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaThe ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaSchool of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, AustraliaFaculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, AustraliaThe ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, AustraliaSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, AustraliaFaculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaThe ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaThe ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaInternationally, capacity building for mental health implementation and translation research has lagged. A review of literature found initiatives since 2008 indicating limited dedicated attention to growing capabilities of early-to-mid-career mental health researchers, and little reporting of tailored career pathways and skills growth. Significant gaps in capacity building thus exist. This perspective article describes a networked infrastructure for a capacity building strategy of the Australian-based ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation. The Centre was funded as a special initiative in mental health with an initial five-year investment. In 2022, the Centre established the first national, cross-disciplinary mental health Next Generation Researcher Network, including a tailored Lived-Experience Research Collective with the aim to grow future research leaders and establish career pathways embedded within the research activities of the Centre. After three years of operation, membership is upward of 280 people in the Next Generation Researcher Network and more than 250 people for the Collective. Specific components implemented as part of the strategy include a central coordination hub, coleadership approaches, coresearch models, tailored traineeships, skills-building through short courses and learning events, cocreation of resources, an online peer discussion platform and annual seed funding schemes. A continuous capacity-building strategy is critical for advancing global research agendas to improve mental health implementation and translation outcomes. Success requires network infrastructure to ensure research methodologies advance, and research addresses the priorities of people most impacted, and early and mid-career researcher capabilities across all research settings connected with universities and service sectors grow.https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301554.full
spellingShingle Amanda J Wheeler
Patricia Cullen
Victoria J Palmer
Steve Kisely
Dana Jazayeri
Lena Sanci
Terence Chong
Rebecca Cooper
Jill Bennett
David Preen
Michelle Banfield
Emma Baker
Victoria Stewart
Caley Tapp
Caroline Tjung
Tegan Stettaford
Giulietta Valuri
Martina McGrath
Amanda L Neil
Sandra Eades (AO)
Capacity-building strategy for next-generation mental health research: embedding a national network infrastructure to grow mental health researcher capabilities and mental health lived-experience research leaders
BMJ Mental Health
title Capacity-building strategy for next-generation mental health research: embedding a national network infrastructure to grow mental health researcher capabilities and mental health lived-experience research leaders
title_full Capacity-building strategy for next-generation mental health research: embedding a national network infrastructure to grow mental health researcher capabilities and mental health lived-experience research leaders
title_fullStr Capacity-building strategy for next-generation mental health research: embedding a national network infrastructure to grow mental health researcher capabilities and mental health lived-experience research leaders
title_full_unstemmed Capacity-building strategy for next-generation mental health research: embedding a national network infrastructure to grow mental health researcher capabilities and mental health lived-experience research leaders
title_short Capacity-building strategy for next-generation mental health research: embedding a national network infrastructure to grow mental health researcher capabilities and mental health lived-experience research leaders
title_sort capacity building strategy for next generation mental health research embedding a national network infrastructure to grow mental health researcher capabilities and mental health lived experience research leaders
url https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301554.full
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