Minding the Gap: Gender and the Mental Health Crisis
In a world challenged by COVID-19, the climate crisis, and political and economic instability, mental health issues are escalating. Although recognized as a critical component of public health, mental health services and support remain unevenly available.
Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s 2023 gender conference will explore the relationship between gender and mental health from an intersectional perspective, with a focus on youth, underserved communities, and the impact of social justice issues. Physicians, scholars, writers, educators, scientists, artists, and activists will consider the relationship between gender and mental health along multiple axes—including genetics, lived experience, vulnerabilities, disparate impacts, and access to healthcare. Finally, we will discuss ways to increase resilience and focus on prevention.
Harvard Radcliffe Institute gratefully acknowledges the Perrin Moorhead Grayson and Bruns Grayson Dean’s Leadership Fund for Academic Ventures, which is supporting this event.
See "Tireless Sacred Work: Performance by and Conversation with Ezra Furman" for event information on the Thursday, April 27, 2023, evening program.
Event Videos
Welcome
- Tomiko Brown-Nagin, dean, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School; and professor of history, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Session 1: Mental Health = Public Health
- Rahn K. Bailey, chair, Department of Psychiatry, Louisiana State University New Orleans School of Medicine
- Olivia Okereke, associate professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; inaugural director, Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Racial Equity and Justice
- Esmé Weijun Wang, writer and founder, Unexpected Shape Writing Academy
- Moderator: Michelle A. Williams, dean of the faculty and Angelopoulos Professor in Public Health and International Development, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Session 2: Gender, Mental Health, and Adolescents
- Munmun De Choudhury, associate professor, School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Teresa LaFromboise, professor of education in developmental and psychological sciences, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University
- Tey Meadow, associate professor of sociology, Columbia University
- Moderator: Renee M. Johnson, associate professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Keynote Session
- Introduction: Immaculata De Vivo, codirector of the science program, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School; and professor of epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Devin-Norelle, professional model, trans advocate, opinion writer, and public speaker
- Discussant: V Varun Chaudhry, assistant professor of women's, gender and sexuality studies, Brandeis University
Session 3: Social Justice, Gender, and Mental Health
- Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
- Chase Anderson, assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry, University of California San Francisco
- Lise Van Susteren, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences
- Moderator: Sara Bleich, director of the social sciences program and Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; professor of public health policy, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and vice provost for special projects, Harvard University
Session 4: Working toward Resilience and Prevention
- Richard Layard, professor of economics emeritus and codirector, Wellbeing Programme, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics
- Alisha Moreland-Capuia, assistant professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; director of trauma-informed treatment, consultation, and outreach, Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital
- Rebecca Shansky, associate professor of psychology, Northeastern University
- Moderator: Laura Kubzansky, professor of social and behavioral sciences, director of the Society and Health Laboratory, and special advisor of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Closing Remarks
- Immaculata De Vivo
