An Unexpected Global Maternal & Child Mental Health Crisis: Evolving research, policy, practices and workforce considerations

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Description

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence (Aristotle)’, quoted The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (established in 2012), when the leaders launched its 10^th Anniversary World Happiness Report (2023). The latter Report focused uniquely on the effects of the COVID pandemic as well as some positive social outcomes that surprise in the pandemic context. SDSN took a unique advisory view for the UN from reporting on economic outcomes measures and shifted the paradigm to focus on defining a well-being aspiration for individuals and nations. The methods they deploy incorporate not only the typical health (life expectancy) and wealth (GDP) measures, but also more intangible aspects; i.e., social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity, perceptions of government, business corruption, and recent experiences of emotions. In this current APHA Global Maternal & Child Health/Mental Health two-part series, we will highlight and disseminate international policies and evidence-based practices and resources that are intended to prevent and/or mitigate the deleterious effects of a range of global events affecting maternal, child and youth mental health across the world as well as build optimal GMCYH-MH programs and systems.

Contributors

Aisha K. Yousafzai

completed her doctoral degree at the Institute of Child Health, University College London with a focus on international child health, nutrition, and development. Her research has focused on understanding integrated early childhood interventions. She has 20 years of field research experience in low- and middle-income countries having lived and worked in South Asia and East Africa and led programme evaluations in Central and Eastern Europe. The goal of her research is to promote early childhood development, and to support capacity in order to develop, evaluate and improve early childhood interventions. Dr. Yousafzai also serves on a number of global advisory groups on ECD for agencies such as UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank. She has been principal investigator of two large randomized controlled trials focused on early childhood development in Pakistan—Pakistan Early Child Development Scale-Up (PEDS) and Youth Leaders for Early Childhood Assuring Children are Prepared for School (LEAPS).
Ann Willhoite

is the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) Specialist/Lead in the Child Protection team at UNICEF,
New York City. She has more than 15 years of experience working with MHPSS in global development and humanitarian
emergencies. Ann came to UNICEF from USAID where she served as the Agency-wide Senior Mental Health Advisor. Previously, she served as International
Clinical Advisor for Mental Health with The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT). Ms Willhoite has also worked as a technical consultant to The World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), and numerous community-based organizations. Through her work, Ann has lived in Malawi, Sierra Leone, Kenya and South Africa. She holds an MA in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University.
Brandon Kohrt, MD, PhD

is a psychiatrist and anthropologist who has worked for 25 years to improve mental health services in countries affected by war and political violence, disasters, and other forms of adversity. He holds the Charles and Sonia Akman Professorship in Global Psychiatry at George Washington University, where he is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Global Health, and Anthropology, and Director of the Center for Global Mental Health Equity. He works regularly with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and humanitarian organizations around the world. Dr. Kohrt’s work also addresses reducing stigma in healthcare settings to improve the quality of mental health services. Dr. Kohrt serves as the Scientific Co-Chair of the Health Research in Humanitarian Crises initiative at the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health. He is also the scientific advisor for the World Health Organization’s EQUIP program which is establishing global competency standards for non-specialists delivering psychological interventions. With Emily Mendenhall, professor, Georgetown University, he co-edited the book, Global Mental Health: Anthropological Perspectives.
Evelyn Cherow

serves as Chair, APHA Global Maternal and Child Health Network/Intersectoral Work Group (GMCHN/WG), is in United Nations ECOSOC Special Consultative Status, served as core leadership advisor of UNICEF/RISE Institute Early Childhood Development international task force and invited speaker for a UNGA event, and as a UNESCO research project consultant. She is CEO/Founder of GlobalPartnersUnited, a consultancy designed to foster adoption of robust technology for cross-sectoral integrated systems design in LMICs to ensure accessible, inclusive and affordable public health, healthcare, early childhood development, education, and human capital capacity building. Both in nationally and internationally-scoped agencies, she has served in senior/executive management of a large US national professional/scientific association (ASHA), and creation of two national, federally-funded university-based, demonstration programs serving children with disabilities and families and their related providers. With diverse subject expert task forces and coalitions, she develops and advocates for infusion of evidence-based practices into global and US public health, health care, early childhood development, disability, education, technology, and (re)habilitation public policy. She has served as an advisor to US Congressional policymakers, US federal agencies (CDC, NIH/NIDCD, Education Department, FDA, SSA, OSHA, EPA), UK’s National Health Service, Asia and Africa ministries and Ambassadors, national and international Organizations of People with Disabilities, and medical diasporas. She holds an MPA (Harvard University Kennedy School of Government) and an MA (Northwestern University), and is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

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Description

Contributors

Aisha K. Yousafzai

Ann Willhoite

Brandon Kohrt, MD, PhD

Evelyn Cherow