The Yale Global Mental Health Program (YGMHP), led by Carla Marienfeld, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry, aims to increase awareness of global mental health issues and social disparities while developing tools to address associated challenges both at home and abroad. In addition to bringing leaders in the field of global mental health to Yale, the program provides education opportunities and electives for the Yale community and mentorship and facilitated international experiences for students and trainees.
Upcoming events
On the heels of a successful daylong symposium in November, YGMHP will host its second biannual symposium on Saturday, March 1st from 10:00am-4:00pm at The Anlyan Center. The symposium will focus on refugee mental health. A list of presenters is available here.
In addition, on Friday, March 7th, the program will host Dr. Vikram Patel, a global mental health expert at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, for a sponsored Psychiatry Grand Rounds lecture. Patel is widely credited with launching the global mental health movement by editing two influential Lancet series (2007 and 2011) on the topic.
YGMHP continues to host speakers as part of its monthly seminar series. Guests are announced on the program's web calendar as they are confirmed.
Individuals interested in learning more about the Yale Global Mental Health Program, or receiving updates about any of the above events, are invited to join the program's listserv.
Residents reflect on YGMHP and international experiences
Key components of the Yale Global Mental Health Program are seminars and hands-on educational opportunities in international settings. Below, a number of residents in the Department of Psychiatry have shared reflections about the opportunities created by YGMHP. You can read more at the Yale Global Mental Health Program web site.
Practice at the forefront of global health: A project in Chiapas, Mexico
Guillermo Valdés, MD
"Working with Partners in Health Mexico (Compañeros en Salud), I was in charge of developing a psychoeducational course for unipolar depression and training local primary care physicians and community health workers. I gave lectures to primary care physicians and local volunteers, interviewed patients, and studied local operations and communities in order to help conceptualize mental health needs with the goal of developing a more systematic approach to the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Traveling to Chiapas, Mexico was a marked experience in my professional and personal lives. Learning about a completely different system of care has given me a new perspective about the health care system in the United States."
Exploring cultural definitions and practices in China
Brady Heward, MD
"I developed a project to further understand cultural definitions and practices of child physical discipline and abuse. In addition to being the world's most populous nation, China provides a fascinating legal and cultural environment for child abuse research because it is a country undergoing rapid changes. In Changsha, I worked closely with local researchers to interview and survey college students, medical students and faculty on their past experiences and beliefs regarding discipline and abuse. Without an understanding of public opinion and practices in China, it is difficult to know what efforts are needed to promote the safety and wellbeing of children."
A project in Sierra Leone: Changing perceptions of global medicine
Ayana Jordan, MD, PhD
"I had the opportunity to continue the work focusing on the mental health needs in the Kono District of Sierra Leone. Through my experience, I really appreciated the desperate need for skilled clinicians to work in areas where people are too often neglected and in crucial need for help. As there are no practicing psychiatrists in the country, many people have taken liberties in treating the mentally ill. Overall, the experience in the global mental health project in Sierra Leone has changed my life and worldview, not only on how psychiatry is practiced, but how medicine on a whole is approached throughout the world. I am now convinced my clinical practice and research endeavors will undoubtedly include some facet of global work!"
Analyzing data on mental health delivery and recovery in Nepal
Anna Fiskin, MD
"I spent six weeks at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine working as a research collaborator with the PRogramme for Improving Mental health CarE (PRIME) on a study looking at best strategies to integrate mental healthcare with primary care in Nepal. My prior experience in anthropology and global mental health was centered on data gathering and fieldwork, but I did not have any experience doing data analysis or writing up my findings. This project not only allowed me to develop these skills, but gave me the opportunity to become a part of a research community dedicated to developing culturally appropriate mental health services based on needs and input of local stakeholders."
Cross-discipline collaborations and mentorship are central to global mental health experiences
Ruby Lekwauwa, MD
"I think the most interesting thing for me about the Yale Global Mental Health Program is the wide array of mentoring opportunities that are available to you as a part of it. I've had really interesting opportunities to do guided readings in global mental health, to meet and have fascinating conversations with thought leaders within the field and to think about my own place in changing how mental health is conducted abroad and among diverse communities within the US. Whatever I have hoped to learn within the field of global mental health I have been able to do so! I've also really enjoyed the interdisciplinary aspects of the program here. Through our monthly seminar series, I've had a chance to interact with trainees and faculty in other disciplines which has offered me a whole new perspective on how one might consider issues related to mental health in both the developing and developed world."