Miraj U. Desai, PhD, Associate Research Scientist in Psychiatry, has been awarded the 2018 Melba J. T. Vasquez Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions in Research from the American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program.
In selecting Desai in his first year of eligibility, the committee noted his "outstanding scientific contributions and the application of this knowledge toward the improved mental and physical well-being of people of color."
Criteria/standards of accomplishment included: empirical and theoretical contributions to knowledge, influence on other scholars conducting research in the field, publication in psychological journals, and programmatic and grant-funded research.
The award will be presented August 10 at the annual Minority Fellowship Program Social Hour/Poster Session held at the American Psychological Association convention in San Francisco.
Desai’s research focuses on cultural, community, and social justice perspectives on mental health. He is a 2017 recipient of a Yale YCCI Scholar Award to fund his project, “Depression, Culture, and Engagement: Partnering with the Community Through Participatory Research.”