Jean-Francois Trani investigates the intersection of mental health, disability, vulnerability and poverty with a focus on conducting field research that informs policy and service design for individuals living in conflict-affected fragile states and low-income countries. He is a member of the Prevention Research Center and the Social System Design Lab at the Brown School.
Using the Capability Approach of Amartya Sen, Trani hypothesizes that lack of opportunity — or poor conversion factors — is linked to stigma of disability and other discriminated groups, which results in social exclusion and creates mental distress. He argues that efforts to improve the well-being of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups must address the overlooked issue of stigma.
Trani's research has contributed to policy papers of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Health in Afghanistan. He is an editor of ALTER, the European Journal of Disability Research and the Revue Tiers Monde. He is also a coordinator of the Health and Disability group at the
Human Development and Capability Association.
Trani’s teaching is linked to his professional experience in global health and international development, and he involves master and doctoral students in all phases of his research projects.
