Celestine Shalla Konfor presented a doctoral thesis at the Catholic University of Central Africa within the School of Health Sciences, focusing on strategies designed to strengthen community management of mental-health challenges arising from the crisis affecting the North-West Region of Cameroon. Guided by Professors Albert Legrand Same Ekobo and Julienne Louise Ngo Likeng, the research explored a complex environment where many residents conceal vital information, making fieldwork particularly demanding. Despite these constraints, the candidate documented the realities of the conflict and produced findings of clear value to administrative authorities and academic institutions.
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The examination panel—led by Professor Benjamin Alexandre Nkoum and including Professors Antoine Socpa and Nicholas Tendonfor—praised the dissertation’s scientific rigor. They highlighted its eight-chapter structure, its extensive body of 335 scholarly references, and its compliance with recognized academic standards. They also acknowledged the candidate’s confident defense, marked by strong conceptual command, methodological precision, and constructive dialogue with each examiner. The committee unanimously validated the work and encouraged the incorporation of proposed refinements to further strengthen its contribution.
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The study delivers original insights supported by empirical evidence and meticulous documentation, underscoring the relevance of community-based approaches during periods of regional instability. Its analytical framework, rooted in public-health and medical-anthropological perspectives, demonstrates the candidate’s capacity to generate knowledge useful for decision-making and program design. In recognition of the quality, coherence, and depth of the research, the jury awarded Celestine Shalla Konfor the distinction of Très Honorable.
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