Vikram Patel succeeds the late global health legend Paul Farmer, who championed the cause of health equity for all, advocated for human rights, and wrote extensively on the consequences of social inequality.
He will take up his new role as Chair of Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine on 1st September 2023 after the transition period.
Commenting on his appointment, Patel said: “I am motivated by the potential of this role at this critical juncture in the long and storied history of a department committed to the goal of health equity in this country and globally.”
The appointment represents his unyielding efforts to promote the ideas of global health equity at the Harvard Medical School (HMS), where he has served as a venerable and charismatic educator since 2017.
Patel is a co-founder of the Movement for Global Mental Health, the Centre for Global Mental Health within the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Mental Health Innovations Network, and Sangath, an Indian non-governmental organization.
Speaking on the leadership changes, Harvard Medical School Dean George Q. Daley said: “Vikram Patel is both a worthy successor and uniquely prepared to carry the torch.”
Patel brings an extensive experience and expertise in global mental health as countries around the globe are working tirelessly to achieve better mental health for their populations
Currently, Patel is the Pershing Square Professor of Global Health in the Blavatnik Institute’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
He is in charge of an interdisciplinary initiative, Global Mental Health@Harvard, that aspires to elevate the profile of mental health as a fundamental public good and universal human right.
He leads this interdisciplinary initiative that reaches across Harvard University, which is a joint effort of the HMS, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Harvard Global Health Institute.
Patel also leads the Mental Health for All Lab, which is housed at the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine of Harvard Medical School.
The Mental Healthcare for All Lab aims to promote the generation of knowledge and its effective utilization with the goal of contributing to the reduction of the global burden of mental health problems.
In his new role, Patel will continue pushing the Lab’s efforts to leverage digital technology and task-sharing to scale up interventions for the prevention and care of mental health problems across the life course.
“Patel’s appointment comes at a time of increasing awareness of a growing mental health crisis around the world,” Dean George Q. Daley said in a statement issued by the HMS.
The Mumbai-born psychiatrist and researcher is also the co-lead for the EMPOWER program, which equips providers with a suite of digital tools and methods to deliver evidence-based psychosocial treatments.
In the next five years, this not-for-profit program aims to train over one million front-line workers to deliver psychological therapies for mood, anxiety, trauma-related, and addiction-related mental health problems.
Co-led by Patel, the EMPOWER program was introduced in 2020 as part of the Global Mental Health initiative to uplift frontline health workers to effectively address mental health issues in their communities.
“Patel’s deep knowledge of the complexities of mental health will complement the HMS community’s strength in neuroscience and neurobiology,” outlined Dean Daley.
He also served on several advisory committees at the World Health Organization and multiple Lancet commissions on global mental health.
Moreover, Patel is widely admired for his notable contributions to leading the Lancet-World Psychiatric Association Commission on Depression.
These endeavors demonstrate Patel’s dedication to addressing mental health challenges through collaboration and innovative approaches.
“As department chair, Patel’s energy, determination, and drive to find solutions will be invaluable as the HMS community responds to the mental crisis and acts on the goals outlined in the department’s new strategic plan,” underscored HMS Dean Daley.
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