Date : 13 May 2026 (Wednesday)
Time : 11:00am- 12:00nn
Format : Hybrid
Venue : Room 532, 5/F, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
Registration : https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=106613

Abstract of the seminar:
This seminar addresses the core question of how we can enhance the well-being of children. In his seminar, Prof. Raghavan adopts a four-part approach to address the core question of how to enhance children’s well-being. First, he defines child well-being using a theoretical framework called the Two Sources Theory. Second, Prof. Raghavan defines the concept of social vaccines as an alternative to standard treatment approaches, presents examples, and argues for such social vaccines as a way to enhance well-being. Third, he discusses intervention targets for child well-being. One such target is child capacities, which The Two Sources Theory identifies as a core constituent of well-being. Finally, he integrates these three themes to formulate an intervention approach that uses social vaccines to enhance child well-being, and presents recent work testing capacity enhancement strategies to improve positive outcomes among children and youth.

About the speaker:
Ramesh Raghavan is a Professor at NYU Silver School of Social Work whose research focuses on mental health services for vulnerable children. His work spans studies of access to mental health services, quality of care, economic evaluation of implementation strategies, and child well-being. He is the former chair of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Services Research review committee, and currently serves on the editorial board of Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. He is a co-author of the book Investing in Children’s Mental Health (Oxford University Press, 2023). Dr. Raghavan holds a PhD in Health Services from the University of California, Los Angeles, an MD in Psychiatry from Manipal University, and an MBBS from Tamil Nadu Medical University.

Please contact Mr. Sam Lee at snslee@hku.hk for any enquiries.