Jannat Kaur Thind, BSc (Hon)

Jannat Kaur Thind is a Postgraduate Associate in Psychiatry at the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH). Her multidisciplinary research focuses on addressing health inequities among marginalized populations by integrating structural psychology, biological frameworks, and community-based participatory research (CBPR). She is particularly interested in stress neurobiology and the intergenerational transmission of trauma through biological mechanisms (e.g., genetic and epigenetic influences) and social mechanisms (e.g., systemic inequities and family dynamics), with a focus on their impact on mental health conditions such as OCD and SUDs. Drawing on her Punjabi Sikh heritage, she recognizes the resilience fostered by cultural identity and incorporates culturally grounded, community-informed practices into her work.

Jannat earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Psychology from the University of Waterloo. Her journey at Yale began as a fellow in the Yale Let(s)Lead Academy, where she developed skills in appreciative inquiry and transformational leadership to promote recovery-oriented care. She subsequently completed comprehensive training in community-based research as a summer intern, contributing to culturally responsive projects such as the IMANI Breakthrough initiative, a faith-based opioid recovery program serving Black and Latinx communities.

Her research contributions include co-authoring a study on algorithmic bias in psychiatric prediction models, currently under review at Frontiers in Digital Health. At the Yale OCD Research Clinic, she is applying deductive thematic analysis to clinical notes to identify emergent symptom clusters and themes—foundational work supporting a hypothesis on a trauma-induced or trauma-related OCD subtype. Additionally, she leverages Natural Language Processing (NLP) to develop a comorbidity profile for OCD and PTSD, aiming to enhance diagnostic precision and inform tailored interventions.

As a Postgraduate Associate, Jannat advances recovery-oriented care by addressing systemic health disparities. She is the lead author of the forthcoming manuscript, Structural Psychology and the Triad of Stress in Chronic Health Disparities, which proposes a framework linking biological vulnerability, health-risk behaviors, and systemic inequities. She also organizes community advisory boards for projects such as a PCORI-funded study integrating peer support into emergency department behavioral health crisis response teams.

Jannat’s long-term goals include pursuing an MD/PhD in Neuropsychiatry to deepen her impact on mental and public health research. She remains dedicated to fostering community resilience and healing, reflecting her vision for compassionate, evidence-based approaches to recovery and health.