Hala Kerbage is a psychiatrist and published researcher. She graduated as a psychiatrist in 2013 from Saint-Joseph University in Beirut, with an additional post-graduate specialized training from University of Paris. Since then, she has been working in the mental health field in Lebanon, as a clinician, mental health advocate, researcher, instructor at Saint-Joseph University School of Medicine, and mental health consultant for various local and international NGOs. Her main research work revolves around mental health amidst social adversity and the various presentations of trauma among youth. She uses a participatory methods approach to highlight the emic perspective of mental health conditions, traumatic experiences and mental health resources among youth in marginalized communities. She has participated in amending and publicizing the mental health draft law with The Legal Agenda and is a vocal advocate for social justice as an essential component of mental health for individuals and communities.
In November 2020, she joined the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department of the University Hospital of Montpellier, France, as an attending psychiatrist while keeping with her ongoing academic and research commitments in Lebanon.
Hala additionally holds a masters in Bioethics from Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France, a specialized training in Medical Anthropology from Newcastle University, UK, and is currently conducting a PhD on traumatic experiences and prevention of post-traumatic stress disorders among youth in France and Lebanon, with Paris-Saclay University.