Global Mental Health (GMH) Research Fellowship: Interventions that Make a Difference

这是我们的全球精神卫生研究奖学金的第二次更新：干预措施

This is the second renewal of our Global Mental Health (GMH) Research Fellowship: Interventions that Make a Difference. GMH implementation science (IS) aims to decrease the vast GMH treatment gap both in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), where 75-85% of populations have no access to MH care, and in low-resource settings of high-income countries (HIC), including the US, where 35-50% have no access to MH care. MH disorders are the leading causes of global health-related burden across both sexes, the entire lifespan, and world regions. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has globally increased MH disorder prevalence, worsened the social determinants of health (SDoH) that drive MH disparities, and disrupted the existing health care system. Multiple evidence-based interventions (EBIs) that reduce the impact of MH disorders exist; however, because EBI scale- up has not been a global or US priority, there has been no reduction in global prevalence of MH disorders since 1990. In this renewal, we maintain our goal of training Fellows to use IS to address the challenges of scaling up prevention and recognition of MH disorders and optimizing access to efficacious MH treatment in low-resource settings. With its theoretical rigor, methodological innovation, and practical application, our program leverages extensive facilities at Columbia University, our US and Global partners, and distinguished researchers in the field to provide training to the next generation of GMH scientists with a 2-fold focus: First, Deployment-focused intervention research, in which we train Fellows to contextually adapt and develop MH EBI that are ready to be deployed in resource-poor areas with community collaboration (e.g., patients, relatives, advocates, providers, administrators, and policy makers) while addressing SDoH driving MH disparities among underserved populations; Second, Intervention dissemination, implementation, and services scale-up, to address MH disparities, associated SDoH, and disruptions of the care system. Fellows will learn to examine how MH EBI can be implemented for sustainable scale-up in low-resource settings in the US and LMICs. With robust mentorship, hands-on experience (i.e., pilot projects focusing on sustainability), GMH IS didactic instruction, and training to excel as competitive researchers (e.g., writing scientific papers, competing for grant support), we will maintain a cohort of 4 Fellows, each with a 3-year appointment, and with new appointments made as Fellows graduate. The Program now will 1) Promote health equity by identifying mechanisms driving MH disparities and increasing access to quality MH EBI care among underserved populations; 2) Improve SDoH driving MH disparities; 3) Improve public MH system preparedness to proactively address pandemics; and 4) Foster enhanced research collaboration among the next generation of junior investigators from HICs and LMICs. In addition, we have added an Underrepresented Minority Medical Student (URMMS) Short-Term Summer Research Fellowship in GMH IS to stimulate a workforce pipeline of greater inclusion and diversity in GMH IS.