Nhial Tutlam is a scholar whose research centers on the intersection of mental health impact of war trauma and risk of health outcomes such as suicide, substance use and HIV among youth affected by conflict, with the aim of developing and testing culturally congruent community-based interventions to address the myriad of mental health challenges in this vulnerable population both in refugee settlements and resettlement settings.

Tutlam is currently leading an NIH-funded study in refugee settlements in Uganda to understand factors around adherence to HIV treatment, trauma-associated disorders, psychological functioning, and sexual decision-making, which will contribute to understanding of the dual public health threats of mental health and HIV in this vulnerable population.

Additionally, as part of his ACHIEVE Training, Tutlam is testing the feasibility and acceptability of the youth readiness intervention (YRI), a psychosocial intervention, combined with financial literacy training (FLT), to address mental health and HIV risk among refugee youth in Uganda. Tutlam’s work is conducted through the International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD). Before joining ICHAD, Tutlam served as the Chronic Disease Epidemiology program manager at St. Louis County Department of Public Health, overseeing chronic disease and mental health surveillance. Additionally, he led a four-year, $1.7 million, multidisciplinary minority youth violence prevention intervention, Project RESTORE—which has been designated as a Model Practice by the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) — funded by the Office of Minority Health (OMH).