The first TOUCH Hands-on School will take place from 29 June to 1 July 2026 at the COMTEC space. This three-day programme will provide TOUCH doctoral researchers with practical training in data-driven governance, nature-based interventions, lived experience, participation, and intersectionality in mental health research.
The TOUCH programme is holding its first TOUCH Hands-on School from 29 June to 1 July 2026 at the UAB campus. On 29 June and 1 July, the sessions will take place at the COMTEC centre, which is located on the second floor of the Communication Library within the UAB Central Library. On 30 June, participants will take part in a nature-based intervention in a forest on the campus grounds.
This three-day event will provide TOUCH doctoral researchers with practical training in key mental health research approaches, combining data-driven governance with environmental and nature-based perspectives, lived experience, participation, and intersectionality.
The programme will open with a welcome session led by Dr Jordi Malapeira and Dr Sònia Sánchez, followed by the first thematic block: ‘Data-Driven Governance for Mental Health‘. The first day will include the following sessions: “From Data to Decision: Social Indicators in Mental Health Governance’, led by Dr Mireia Bolivar; and ‘More than the Sum of Individuals: Relational Thinking and Network Analysis in Mental Health Research’, led by Dr Joan Miquel Verd.
On the second day, the school will focus on nature spaces and mental health in a community. Dr Anna Muro will lead the session ‘Nature and Self-Regulation: Practical Tools and Limits of Environment-Based Intervention’, which will include a practical activity in a forest setting.
The final day will address ‘Research with Impact: Lived Experience and Intersectionality in Mental Health‘. Dr Francisco José Eiroá will lead a session on participation and lived experience in mental health research. Dr Montserrat Rifà and Dr Mireia Foradada will conclude the programme with a session entitled ‘Intersectional Spiral in Mental Health Research’.
Through this practical, interdisciplinary and socially engaged format, the school aims to strengthen the TOUCH training programme. The event will provide doctoral researchers with the tools they need to connect research evidence, community perspectives and real-world impact in the field of mental health and wellbeing.