Achieving Equity: Disparities in Mental Health

The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) recently hosted a three-part speaker series, “Achieving Equity: Disparities in Mental Health.” These events discussed equity issues and funding opportunities related to mental health, including barriers to care, service utilization, and risk and resilience in underrepresented populations. The series attracted researchers from 40 departments and 13 colleges across campus as well as several members from the local community.

Brandi Barnes, Health Equity Research Development Manager, is very excited to offer the "Achieving Equity" series, which focuses on health disparities and achieving equitable health outcomes on different topics. “Our goal is not only to hear from campus researchers, but also to spotlight how these inequalities affect our local surrounding community,” said Barnes. “These events serve as just the beginning of these conversations that we hope will elicit more campus-community collaborations around addressing health equity.”

Event 1 | Mental Health Equity Lightning Talks and Discussion 
Illinois faculty members gave brief presentation on current research related to mental health equity, followed by a Q&A session: 

• Mental health during the perinatal period
  Karen Tabb Dina, Social Work
• Changes in sense of belonging among underserved populations
  Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, Educational Psychology
• A Wellness Store: An innovative approach to health and well-being
  Ruby Mendenhall, Sociology
• Issues affecting Veterans and their families
  Rachel Hoopsick, Kinesiology and Community Health

Prior to the second event, IHSI Research Development Manager Brandi Barnes spoke with Shandra Summerville about her role in achieving equity related to mental health in the Champaign-Urbana community. “I hope that I’m able to raise awareness, not just about the challenges of accessing services, but also the opportunities to access those services,” said Summerville.

Event 2 | Mental Health Challenges and Opportunities in the Community
Shandra Summerville, Cultural and Linguistic Competence Coordinator for the Champaign County Mental Health Board and Developmental Disabilities Board, addressed issues of specific importance to the local community, including accessing services, understanding stigma of receiving care, and funding opportunities and barriers.

Event 3 | Federal Mental Health Funding 
In the third event, Four Program Directors from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) discussed current research priorities and how best to secure funding with the agency. Presentation slides and a video recording are available.

• Jovier D. Evans, PhD, Division of Translational Research
• Stacia Friedman Hill, PhD, Division of Translational Research
• Belinda Sims, PhD, Division of Services and Interventions Research
• Christine Ulbricht, PhD, MPH, Division of Services and Interventions Research

The IHSI Health Equity core provides guidance for designing, conducting, and disseminating research that reduces health disparities and works towards positive health outcomes for all members of society. Please contact us regarding research development services and support for community-academic collaborations.

Subscribe to the IHSI e-newsletter to learn about upcoming webinars hosted by the Health Equity team and teams from other IHSI cores aimed to help health sciences researchers increase impact at each stage of the research cycle.