Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence

This fall, the University of Denver welcomed its first-ever Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence. Hosted by the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), Professor Johannes John-Langba brings his extensive knowledge in the field of global mental health to GSSW for the 2026–27 academic year.

John-Langba’s work advances critical conversations on mental health promotion, digital innovation, ethics, substance use policy, and social justice across African and global contexts. Hosted by GSSW Professor Lena Lundgren, John-Langba is teaching the course Intersections of Mental Health, Substance Use, and Trauma and will be delivering guest lectures and engaging in mentorship activities and research collaborations campus-wide. He also helped to plan the University’s observance of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10.

Lundgren says, “The University is very lucky to have him here. He is providing our students with a global perspective and a global understanding of mental health … helping students to have a much better cultural understanding of how mental health may look in different countries, what is trauma-based, and how do you work with people who are of very different cultures and backgrounds and come from very different experiences.” She explains that mental health and substance use disorders can be highly stigmatized in some cultures but normalized in others. Social work students must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate these cultural differences.

John-Langba is a social work professor in the School of Applied Human Sciences at South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he also serves as director of the College of Humanities Doctoral Academy. He holds a Master of Social Work, a Master of Public Health with a focus on behavioral and community health, and a PhD in social work. In addition to his academic experience, John-Langba’s extensive international development work experience spans the United Nations (UN) and other international nongovernmental organizations. He has engaged in research and/or international development work in a number of countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, United States, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

John-Langba is the World Federation for Mental Health regional vice president for Africa, vice president and mental health ambassador of Cape Mental Health in South Africa, co-chair of the Data Ethics Working Group of the International Science Council Commission on Data, and a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Substance Abuse Forum in South Africa. He serves on the editorial and advisory boards of several professional networks and journals, including Africa Population Studies, Ethics and Social Welfare, Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change, PLOS One, Social Work in Mental Health, and Social Work Researcher. John-Langba’s work has also garnered several awards, including Howard University’s Lindsay Social Work Education Leadership Award, which recognized his outstanding leadership in social work education and the promotion of social justice in Africa. In 2023, the UN recognized John-Langba among the Global Top 100 Most Influential People of African Descent in health and medical care.

John-Langba is a senior member of the Inter-University Research Consortium, a cross-national research network Lundgren founded to advance the UN 2030 global goal to promote good health and well-being for all, including highly vulnerable youth and adults with multiple comorbidities. His current research focuses on data ethics, public health sovereignty in Africa, and the psychosocial dimensions of caring for persons with mental and neurological disorders on the African continent.

Lundgren notes that John-Langba’s Fulbright appointment expands on the work of the Cross-National Behavioral Health Laboratory, where he and Lundgren are collaborating to pilot and culturally adapt an NIH-funded social work research–education intervention implemented in the United States to South Africa and Ethiopia.

Dean Henrika McCoy says, “We are deeply honored to host DU’s first-ever Fullbright Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. John-Langba, who is one of the world’s foremost experts in global mental health. We are excited to learn from and collaborate with such a notable social work scholar, educator, and leader.”