Gloria Abura-Meerdink, PhD, MSW, MSc
Assistant Professor
Email: Gloria.Abura-Meerdink@stonybrook.edu
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.
