Kunmi Sobowale, MD, a fourth-year resident in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, facilitated a three-day workshop on community-based participatory research in Mongolia in June.
The workshop was held in the Mongolian capital of Ulanbaatar. Sobowale led the workshop with Dr. Victoria Ngo of Rand Corporation. They collaborated with the Mongolian National University of Medical Science and the Mongolian University of Science and Technology.
Participants were from universities, non-profits, and government agencies. They were excited to learn about community-based participatory research, in which all members of a community work together to research a particular topic, emphasizing each person's strengths. The goal is to combine knowledge with action to achieve social change.
Non-communicable diseases, including mental health, were highlighted by participants and faculty members at the workshop as prominent health issues in Mongolia.