Maria Marti Castaner

Maria Marti Castaner is an Associate Professor in Public Mental Health at the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, and a key member of the Center for Migration, Ethnicity, and Health (MESU). Her work bridges clinical psychology and public health to address systemic mental health disparities among vulnerable populations.

Education:

• PhD in Health Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona (2015)
• M.S. in Psychology, University of Barcelona (2006)
• Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Hospital Universitary de Terrassa (2010)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University (2015-2018)

Her research examines how legal, economic, and social systems perpetuate mental health inequalities, with specialized focus on migrant populations and maternal mental health. She employs mixed-methods approaches to develop culturally responsive interventions that address root causes rather than symptoms, emphasizing intergenerational transmission patterns. Current work investigates how migration status intersects with motherhood to shape psychosocial well-being.

Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal consistent thematic concentration on migrant mental health infrastructure, perinatal care equity, and structural determinants of health. Her work increasingly integrates housing instability, policy implementation gaps, and community co-creation frameworks into mental health intervention design.

Research Leadership:

• Principal Investigator: MATER project (DFF-funded) improving maternal mental health for migrant women
• Principal Investigator: INTERGEN project (NNF-funded) on intergenerational health in migration contexts
• Co-PI: iCARE digital intervention for postpartum depression
• Co-I: ADVANCE mental health vulnerability project and CAMINANDO-MH (Columbia University)

Marti Castaner leads MSc courses in Public Mental Health and Mixed Methods, while supervising two PhD candidates and multiple theses. Her teaching integrates real-world policy challenges with research methodology training.