Participants included our long-standing partners from Yale University (USA), researchers from Austria and Georgia, as well as representatives of Ukrainian institutions, including the Public Health Center of Ukraine and the Alliance for Public Health. Importantly, medical professionals from various regions of Ukraine who have been involved in the implementation of our projects also took part in the meeting.

Together with Ukrainian and international experts, we discussed emerging challenges in mental health, substance use, and HIV, as well as ways to strengthen integrated care. The focus was on current trends in substance use, the growing role of mental health disorders, and access to treatment and prevention services, particularly for key populations, in the context of war-related challenges.

Significant attention was given to the results of recent studies and practical implementation tools such as SBIRT, ECHO, and other models that can be scaled within Ukraine’s healthcare system.

A particular emphasis was placed on defining shared research priorities and partnerships, as well as developing a roadmap for implementing integrated care approaches in the context of a prolonged armed conflict.

Following the meeting, we are working on recommendations and next steps to advance a system that integrates mental health, addiction treatment, and HIV prevention.