A new online, course-based graduate program from Dalhousie offers licensed health-care professionals around the world a flexible option for expanding the skills they need to provide better care for patients with mental-health concerns.
The Master of Clinical Psychiatry and Global Mental Health, a two-year, part-time program launching this fall, will enable care providers the opportunity to enhance their clinical psychiatry skills without ever having to leave the communities they serve.
“Globally, one billion people are affected by mental health conditions, yet there's a profound shortage of trained mental-health professionals, particularly in low- and middle-income countries,” says Dr. Ejemai Eboreime, the program’s director.
Dr. Eboreime says the program will empower health-care providers already embedded in communities — such as family doctors, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurses — to deliver high-quality mental health care. The program centres on graduate‑level training in transcultural evidence‑based diagnosis, treatment planning, and psychopharmacology. And because it is delivered fully online with no thesis requirement, it offers flexibility for learners whatever their circumstances.
Master of Clinical Psychiatry and Global Mental Health (MCPGMH) at a glance:
Offered by: Department of Psychiatry (Faculty of Medicine)
Type: Course-based, online, part-time, professional master’s
Length: Two year, with a September start
Take your next step and learn more about all of Dalhousie Professional Master’s Programs.
“Whether you’re a licensed health-care professional from rural Nova Scotia, the Caribbean, or Africa, this program can help you make a difference in your community’s mental health,” says Dr. Vincent Agyapong, head of the Department of Psychiatry for Dalhousie and Nova Scotia Health’s Central Zone. “We can start closing some of these treatment gaps so access to mental health care doesn’t remain out of reach for these communities in Nova Scotia, elsewhere in Canada, or globally.”
Centering clinical excellence, cultures, and communities
Developing the program was a collaborative journey. It began as a diploma concept in 2022 and evolved into a master’s program based on feedback from extensive consultations with stakeholders such as family physicians in West Africa and nurse practitioners in Nova Scotia.
“What emerged was a clear and urgent need: practicing clinicians need upskilled psychiatric training that doesn't require them to leave their communities or abandon their patients,” says Dr. Eboreime.
This program can help you make a difference in your community’s mental health.
The program integrates clinical excellence with cross-cultural and person-centered approaches, preparing health workers to lead in diverse mental-health settings around the world.
“The program centers people by placing patients, learners, and communities at the heart of the curriculum,” says Dr. Margaret (Leigh) Meldrum, the program’s associate director. “We’ve intentionally created a space where clinical excellence, reflection, and global perspective coexist.”
There will be weekly sessions offered in real time (synchronous) as well as a self-study component at learners’ own pace and time (asynchronous).
A culturally-responsive curriculum
One of the complexities of developing a program applicable to global learners is meeting the needs of different health-care contexts. Not all countries use the same tools to diagnose mental health conditions, for example.
As it prepares graduates to deliver evidence-based care in vastly different health-care contexts, a diverse faculty team has been working to create a culturally-responsive curriculum that integrates both DSM-5 (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) and ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision) frameworks, honours Indigenous and non-Western healing traditions, and includes decolonized approaches to mental health education by allowing space for diverse healing traditions to inform evidence-based practice.
“Mental health challenges don’t exist in isolation — they’re shaped by culture, history, systems, and access to care,” says Dr. Meldrum. “This program was designed to help clinicians think beyond diagnostic checklists and develop the skills needed to deliver thoughtful, ethical, and culturally-responsive care in diverse settings, both locally and globally.”
Mental health challenges don’t exist in isolation — they’re shaped by culture, history, systems, and access to care.
The Department of Psychiatry has committed to fund a limited number of scholarships, ensuring communities most affected by mental health workforce shortages can access this training, says Dr. Eboreime.
The ripple effect
Empowering health-care providers in their communities and investing in their education benefits individual patients and entire health systems.
“This program creates a ripple effect,” says Dr. Eboreime. “When a family physician in northern Nigeria or rural Nova Scotia completes this program, they return to their practice with enhanced skills in psychiatric assessment, culturally-adapted treatment planning, and evidence-based psychopharmacology. That means better care for their patients, reduced unnecessary referrals to overburdened specialist services, and improved capacity to manage complex mental health presentations.”
Graduates also return as leaders on their teams, in quality improvement initiatives, and in integrating research evidence into practice, adds Dr. Eboreime.
“Globally, we're building a network of practitioners who can lead mental health initiatives in their communities while contributing to the global knowledge base through culturally-grounded research and innovation.”
The Master of Clinical Psychiatry and Global Mental Health is accepting applications for its first cohort in September 2026.
Learn more about the program and apply today.
The Master of Clinical Psychiatry and Global Mental Health is designed for eligible healthcare professionals who already hold an active license to practice clinically in their jurisdiction and does not qualify graduates for professional licensing.