Gloria Abura-Meerdink, PhD, MSW, MSc
Assistant Professor
Email: Gloria.Abura-Meerdink@stonybrook.edu
Curriculum Vitae
EDUCATION
PhD, The University of Alabama School of Social Work (Social Work)
MSW, The University of Alabama School of Social Work
MS, Department of Mental Health and Community Psychology, Makerere University (Clinical Psychology)
BA, Department of Mental Health and Community Psychology, Makerere University (Community Psychology)
AREAS OF INTEREST
Dr. Meerdink's research focuses on understanding the pathways that contribute to child and adolescent mental health disparities and on developing and adapting cost-effective mental health interventions and assessments for use in low-resource, community-based settings, as well as in humanitarian and post-conflict contexts worldwide.
Her work is grounded in Social Determinants of Health frameworks and aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Methodologically, she employs community-engaged research, mixed methods, implementation science, and user-centered design to investigate mental health service access and delivery for young populations. Her research and teaching aim to close the global mental health gap by promoting the adaptation and development of culturally appropriate, contextually relevant, and age-specific evidence-based assessments and interventions.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Abura-Meerdink, G., Hopson, L. M., Carriaga-Lo, L., Jones, L., Perdomo, S., Hill, C., Crang, M., Carlson, C., Rincon, K., Rodriguez, J., Quick, R. (In-Press). Developing a Culturally Competent Health and Behavioral Health Assessment Tool for Rural Schools. Children & Schools.
Littleton, T., Luo, Y., Abura-Meerdink, G., & Lee, H. Associations between the social determinants of health and risk for interpersonal violence among Black Americans in rural Alabama. (2025) to the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605241311616.
Abura-Meerdink, G., & Albright, D.L. A Systematic review on the effectiveness of school-based digital mental health interventions for adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa. (2023). Journal of Research and Social Work Practice, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315231201140.
Hopson, L. M., Lidbe, A., Jackson, M.S., Adanu, E., Li, X., Penmetsa, P., Lee, H., Anderson, A., Obuya, C., & Abura-Meerdink, G. (2022). Transportation to school and academic outcomes: A systematic review. Educational Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2022.2034748.
Huang, K-Y., Abura, G., Theise, R., & Nakigudde, J. (2017). Parental Depression and Associations with Parenting and Children’s Physical and Mental Health in a Sub-Saharan African Setting. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 48(4), 517. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5318298/pdf/nihms812053.pdf.
Huang, K-Y., Nakigudde, J., Rhule, D., Gumikiriza-Onoria, J. L., Abura, G., Kolawole, B., Ndyanabangi, S., Kim, S., Seidman, E., Ogedegbe, G., & Brotman, L. M. (2017). Transportability of an Evidence-Based Early Childhood Intervention in a Low-Income African Country: Results of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Study. Prevention Science, 18(8), 964. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5693774/pdf/nihms894715.pdf.
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
2024-2025
NIH Fogarty Pilot Study ($10,000)
NIH Fogarty Postdoctoral Research Fellowship ($61,428)
2024
Society for Social Work Researchers (SSWR) ($500)
Finalist, Outstanding Dissertation Award, The University of Alabama
2023-2024
PhD Dissertation Project, The Graduate School and School of Social Work at The University of Alabama ($7,400)
Graduate Council Fellowship, The University of Alabama, Graduate School ($54,592)
2023
The Leadership Award-LEAD Global Training Program, Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis
2022
Summer Research Scholarship, The University of Alabama, School of Social Work ($1,000)
Outstanding Contributions to Service Award, School of Social Work, PhD. Program, The University of Alabama
2021-22
Community Engaged Graduate Fellowship, The University of Alabama, Center for Community-Based Partnerships ($52,326)
2021
Ben Avis Orcutt Doctoral Fellowship Fund, The University of Alabama, School of Social Work ($2,000)
2019-20
Graduate Council Fellowship, The University of Alabama, Graduate School ($58,977)
