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Global Mental Health Deep Dive


 This 3-day Deep Dive, chaired by Professor Vikram Patel of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Medical School, will examine the local and global effects of mental health on individuals, leaders, companies, and organizations.

This Deep Dive is open to the ALI Coalition for virtual participation. 

REGISTER HERE

At-A-Glance Schedule (Updated 4/28/22)

PDF of Full Session Descriptions and Background Readings (Updated 4/28/22)

Zoom Link for All Sessions

https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96467704286?pwd=OVJlSFEyQW9nMTFEYkQ4ZWsrRzlTQT09

Meeting ID: 964 6770 4286 / Password: 2022

One tap mobile: +13126266799,,96467704286#,,,,,,0#,,2022# US Toll

Click for more dial-in numbers: https://hbs.zoom.us/u/ajyKtdc9V

The primary goal of this Deep Dive is to explore the need for and nature of the paradigm shift regarding mental health care in light of the failure of the current approach to shift the needle on the burden of mental health problems nationally and globally.  We will examine, for example, how mental health services serve (or fail to serve) populations in the United States and internationally, the extent to which they address historic disparities, the reasons why the current approaches fall short, and what lessons we can draw from innovative practices to inform a reimagined mental health care system.  In particular, the conference seeks to embrace diverse perspectives and approaches on this complex subject. 

Session I: Re-Imagining Mental Health

Wednesday, May 4th from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (ET)

Session Location/Format

Full hybrid technology. Coalition member participation is exclusively via Zoom.

Speaker

Vikram Patel (Harvard Medical School)

Session Overview

This opening session will discuss why we need a radically new vision for mental health in the U.S. and globally and the paradigm shifts needed to realize this new vision, setting the stage for the deep dive and the rest of the program.

Session II: Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health

Thursday, May 5th from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (ET)

Session Location/Format   

Full hybrid technology. Coalition member participation is exclusively via Zoom.

Speaker

Tom Insel (Stanford University School of Medicine)

Session Overview

America faces a mental health crisis. Problems with mental health care preceded the pandemic, but over the past two years we've seen these problems grow into a crisis as young people were more likely to die from deaths of despair than COVID-19. This presentation describes the path to solve this mental health crisis. Part of the solution involves fixing the care system—moving from a crisis-driven sick-care system to a comprehensive, continuous health care system. Innovative technology will be part of this fix. So will innovative policy. But mental health is about more than mental health care. The path to mental health requires a focus on recovery defined by the 3P's : people, place, and purpose. This presentation suggests that we reframe our approach to mental illness, recognizing that the problem is medical but the solutions are social, environmental, and political.

Reading

Session III: Mental Health Policies and Programs: A Global Perspective

Thursday, May 5th from 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET

Session Location/Format

Full hybrid technology. Coalition member participation is exclusively via Zoom.

Speaker

Shekhar Saxena (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)

Session Overview

This session will cover recent activities of international organizations including WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR and World Bank related to mental health policies and programs. The impact of these on national governments, non-profits and businesses will be discussed. Professor Saxena’s personal experience working at WHO for two decades will be utilized to offer some suggestions on leadership in mental health.

Reading

Session IV: Addressing the Crisis of Children's Mental Health – A Call to Action

Thursday, May 5th from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (ET)

Session Location/Format

Full hybrid technology. Coalition member participation is exclusively via Zoom.

Speaker

Tami Benton (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)

Session Overview

This session will provide an overview of children’s mental health in the U.S., including the current state and existing challenges to effective care and treatment. We will discuss the recent declaration of a “State of Emergency for Children's Mental Health” by the American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association and the Surgeon Generals Advisory. We have experienced increasing demands for mental health care for children and adolescents that we have been unable to meet for a long time. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to worsening mental health for youth and will have impact for years to come. We will discuss existing efforts to address this crisis.

Reading

Session V: Reimagining Our Approach to Mental Health: A Population Health Perspective

Thursday, May 5th from 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. (ET)

Session Location/Format

Full hybrid technology. Coalition member participation is exclusively via Zoom.

Speaker

Arthur Evans (American Psychological Association)

Session Overview

This presentation will explore how our conceptual approach to mental health affects – and ultimately, limits – the solutions we can create to effectively address this issue. In this talk, Dr. Evans will propose expanding our current approach using a population health framework, which views mental health in a fundamentally different way and expands the strategies we use across the continuum of mental health needs. He will share several examples of population health strategies in action from his previous role as Philadelphia’s Commissioner for Behavioral Health, and describe how these experiences have shaped his perspective as the CEO of the American Psychological Association. 

Reading

Debrief and Reflections

Thursday, May 5th from 4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Session Location/Format

Full hybrid technology. Coalition member participation is exclusively via Zoom.

Moderators

Vikram Patel (Harvard Medical School)

Meredith Rosenthal (Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health)

Reception

Thursday, May 5th from 5:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (ET)

Session Location/Format

No Zoom participation.

Session VI: Mental Health in American Indian and Indigenous Communities

Friday, May 6th from 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (ET)

Session Location/Format

Full hybrid technology. Coalition member participation is exclusively via Zoom

Speakers

Kamilla Venner (University of New Mexico)

Melissa Walls (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

Cornelia Wieman (Nations Health Authority)

Moderator

Vikram Patel (Harvard Medical School)

Reading

Session VII: Interactive Session Debrief & Reflections

Friday, May 6th from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (ET)

Session Location/Format

Limited hybrid technology. Zoom breakout groups will be an option for interactive portions but virtual participants will have limited engagement during plenary portions of the workshop. Coalition member participation is exclusively via Zoom.

Speakers

Vikram Patel (Harvard Medical School)

Session Overview

This interactive workshop will be facilitated by Professor Vikram Patel and will offer an opportunity to engage with your colleagues, reflect on the previous day's learnings and consider how mental health challenges intersect with your own work.

Session VIII: Fireside Chat: Lived Experience

Friday, May 6th from 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (ET)

Session Location/Format

Limited hybrid technology. Coalition member participation is exclusively via Zoom.

Speaker

Charlene Sunkel (Global Mental Health Peer Network)

Keris Myrick (Mental Health Strategic Impact Initiative)

Moderator

Vikram Patel (Harvard Medical School)

Reading

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