The horizon of change: An East - West Dialogue on digital mental health amongst youth
NYU Shanghai's Center for Global Health Equity hosted a roundtable on the challenges and opportunities in improving young people's mental health through technology. This roundtable featured experts from the Black Dog institute, Deakin University’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute, RICI Foundation, and Shanghai Mental Health Center (listed alphabetically).
On March 26, NYU Shanghai’s Center for Global Health Equity, directed by Professor Brian J. Hall, welcomed leading experts and researchers for a high-level roundtable discussion with Shanghai’s Shanghai Mental Health Center and RICI Foundation, as well as Australia’s Black Dog Institute and the Deakin University Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute, on the evolving role of artificial intelligence in digital mental health. The event brought together distinguished voices from both China and Australia to explore the opportunities and challenges of using digital and AI-enhanced interventions to improve youth mental health outcomes.
The roundtable, hosted at NYU Shanghai’s campus under Assistant Professor Jin Han’s initiative, aimed to explore cross-functional international cooperation in digital mental health, leveraging AI to enhance accessibility, early diagnoses, and intervention strategies for mental health challenges faced by young people in both countries.
The event was inaugurated by Professor Brian J. Hall, Director of NYU Shanghai’s Center for Global Health Equity, who emphasized the importance of multilateral effort in addressing mental health challenges through digital platforms. Following his remarks, Professor Pierre Tarrès, Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives at NYU Shanghai, welcomed attendees and highlighted the university’s role as a hub for global health innovation.
The keynote speech was delivered by Scientia Professor Helen Christensen from the University of New South Wales, a leading expert in digital mental health and former Director of the Black Dog Institute. During her speech “Digital Technologies – and how they can improve youth mental health” Professor Christensen raised concerns around access to mental health support. To address this, she introduced the concept of digital phenotyping, a cutting-edge approach that passively collects data from smartphones, wearables, and online interactions to track behavioral patterns – such as sleep cycles and speech patterns. "AI-powered digital phenotyping allows us to move towards proactive mental health care, identifying symptoms of risk before patients reach a crisis point," Professor Christensen explained. She also highlighted ongoing efforts at the Black Dog Institute to integrate AI into digital therapy platforms, ensuring that interventions are personalized, scalable, and culturally adapted for diverse populations. Associate Professor Katie Aafjes-van Doorn, Area Head of Social Sciences at NYU Shanghai, served as the discussant to this speech, reflecting on how AI-driven mental health solutions have the potential to bridge this accessibility gap.
The morning session continued with a completion report on the Black Dog Institute’s Chinese Online Clinic, presented by Assistant Professor Jin Han on the outcomes of the collaborative design and development of the Chinese Online Clinic, and announced the launch of this landmark expansion of digital mental health support to include the Chinese speaking community in Australia.
During the roundtable discussion moderated by Dr Wu Yi Zheng, Professor Fiona Shand from the Black Dog Institute highlighted the relationship of technology and culture, encouraging culturally sensitive approaches in digital mental health interventions.
Professor Chunbo Li Shanghai Mental Health Center discussed the need for partnership between technologists, clinicians, and policymakers to ensure digital tools meet clinical standards and integrate into healthcare systems.
The potential of AI for Youth mental health, from chatbots to predictive analytics, was introduced by Dr. Leonard Hoon from Deakin University. He also cautioned about ethical challenges, including value divergence across world regions in shaping LLM training.
CEO Zhen Zhang from the Rici Foundation presented data on the growing adoption of digital mental health platforms among Chinese youth, stressing the importance of accessibility and affordability in low-resource settings.
Following the roundtable, the group visited the Shanghai Mental Health Center for a tour of its clinical facilities led by Professor Chunbo Li. The visit provided international attendees a firsthand look at China’s mental health support infrastructure, call center operations, and ongoing efforts to integrate digital solutions into psychiatric care. This tour was concluded with a visit to the No. 600 Gallery, the first art gallery housed in a mental health clinic in mainland China.
The day concluded with individual research collaboration meetings, with the intention to cultivate partnerships between the Shanghai Mental Health Center, the NYU Shanghai Center for Global Health Equity and The Blackdog Institute.