FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2022

Contact
Sophia Majlessi
SophiaM@TheNationalCouncil.org
202-621-1631

One-time $5,000 awards support research to improve training and outcomes.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 19, 2022) – The National Council for Mental Wellbeing awarded four $5,000 grants to outstanding doctoral candidates to support research projects that will improve Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training and outcomes.

This is the second time the National Council has presented the MHFA USA Doctoral Student Grants, which represent its commitment to grow the research behind and evaluation of all MHFA programs.

“These doctoral students submitted innovative proposals for measuring MHFA program outcomes, and their wide-ranging academic interests will help us understand the impact MHFA is having in diverse communities,” said the National Council’s Deanna Roepke, vice president and general manager of MHFA. “I’m proud that we can support their commitment to mental wellbeing and MHFA.”

This year’s grant recipients are:

• Ami Patel, second year Ph.D. student, School Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park. Topic: “Cultural Adaptation and Effectiveness of Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) for South Asian and Southeast Asian American Parents and Teens.”
• Diksha Bali, third year Ph.D. student, School Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park. Topic: “Investigating YMHFA’s Effectiveness in Supporting Low-income and Economically Marginalized Communities in Maryland.
• Ashley Coburn and Breanna King, third year Ph.D. students, School Psychology, University of Northern Colorado. Topic: “A Mixed-methods Effectiveness Evaluation of YMHFA in Rural Mountain States.”
• Natalie Malone, fourth year Ph.D. student, Counseling Psychology, University of Kentucky. Topic: “Investigating the Application of MHFA among Black Church Leaders.”

For more information on eligibility and requirements for the MHFA USA Doctoral Student Grants, visit our web page. 

About Us

Founded in 1969, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing is a membership organization that drives policy and social change on behalf of nearly 3,200 mental health and substance use treatment organizations and the more than 10 million children, adults and families they serve. We advocate for policies to ensure equitable access to high-quality services. We build the capacity of mental health and substance use treatment organizations. And we promote greater understanding of mental wellbeing as a core component of comprehensive health and health care. Through our Mental Health First Aid program, we have trained more than 2.6 million people in the U.S. to identify, understand, and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.

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