On Monday, January 27, 2026, Dr. Theresa Betancourt spoke with Dean Sandro Galea and shared with us her insights on how to understand and foster resilience amid the severe adversities faced by children in conflict zones and stressed the critical need for implementation science in public health research. While Dr. Betancourt's work primarily focuses on war-affected regions, her principles are widely applicable. For public health researchers working in different regions or contexts, the emphasis should be on rigorous research, ethical considerations, meaningful partnerships, and culturally sensitive interventions. 

Key Takeaways for Aspiring Researchers:

Choose Your Partners Wisely:

Dr. Betancourt underscored the importance of selecting dedicated partners. Her success in Sierra Leone was largely due to strong partnerships based on shared missions. “Lean into those partnerships that bring you joy, and sometimes you might say no to things because they don't feel right. And I certainly early in my career was asked to go to different war-torn places and work as a mental health clinician. And I never felt okay with that. I don't know the language, the culture. I wouldn't know the first thing about how to think about me as the responding clinician in this sort of setting. But I do know how to facilitate, and I do know how to bring people together and convene and problem solve and come up with collective solutions.”

Invest in Local Capacity Building: 

Instead of importing researchers, Dr. Betancourt trained local individuals, integrating community-based participatory research approaches. This not only empowered locals but also ensured that research was culturally sensitive and sustainable.

Focus on Implementation Science:

A significant part of Dr. Betancourt's message was the call for more implementation science—research that focuses on how to effectively deliver proven health interventions in real-world settings. There have already been decades of studies on what works; we must move on to finding out how to implement these successful strategies. “The agenda ahead is an implementation science agenda, and it's a health system strengthening agenda. And it's helping us shift to questions of reach, scale, sustainment, quality.”

Thanks to everyone who made this event possible. This event was co-sponsored by the School of Public Health and Program in Public Health & Society. It is part of the WashU Ideas, Discourse, and Exploration (WIDE) Speaker Series.

For more information about Dr. Theresa Betancourt read her book, Shadows Into Light or her Boston Globe article, 400 million children beset by war is a global public health crisis.

View the full presentation on YouTube.