Postponed

National Institutes of Health Research Training Opportunities in Global Mental Health

TBD

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION

Please join us to learn more about research training opportunities from the National Institutes of Health for researchers interested in global mental health. The information will be geared more towards researchers who are early on in their research careers, including but not limited to graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, junior faculty, and other trainees. Researchers from the United States and from around the world are encouraged to join. The speakers will talk about funding opportunity announcements at the National Institute of Mental Health and the Fogarty International Center. They will also share tips on how best to interact with program staff at the NIH and how to draft a research concept. Presentations from the three speakers will be followed by time for questions.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Susannah Allison

Susannah Allison, Ph.D.
Program Officer and Training Director
Division of AIDS Research
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Dr. Allison oversees a portfolio of research grants that focuses on innovative strategies to prevent HIV infection among infants, children and adolescents as well as research on the psychosocial and neurobehavioral impact of HIV infection among youth. As the Training Director for the division she assists researchers at all stages in their careers in obtaining the training needed to become independent researchers. She is also the co-chair of the Sexual and Gender Minority Research Coordinating Committee at the National Institutes of Health. Prior to working at NIMH, Dr. Allison worked with children and families infected and affected by HIV in Baltimore, Miami, and Washington, DC.  She completed her doctorate at the George Washington University where she received her PhD in Clinical Child Psychology with an emphasis in child health psychology. She has co-authored several articles on HIV prevention and treatment research focused on adolescents and early adults.

Christine Jessup

Christine Jessup, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Division of International Training and Research
Fogarty International Center (FIC), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Dr. Jessup directs the international health and environment grants portfolio and global health career development programs, including the following: Global Environmental and Occupational Health (GEOHealth), Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (joint program with the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies), International Research Scientist Development Award, and Emerging Global Leader Award. Several of her programs involve partnerships with other U.S. Government and international funding organizations. Dr. Jessup received her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Stanford University. Following postdoctoral research on virus ecology and evolution at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Dr. Jessup received two consecutive American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science and Technology Policy Fellowships: one leading strategic planning for climate and health activities at National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and one conducting research on infectious disease epidemiology and coordinating climate and health activities in FIC’s Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies. In addition to managing a portfolio of research and training grants, she co-founded the Trans-NIH Working Group on Climate Change and Health and participates in several other NIH and U.S. Government working groups. Dr. Jessup has authored a wide range of scientific and policy publications, including research reports, research reviews, commentaries, and book reviews on subjects including microbiology, ecology, biodiversity, and climate change and health.

Makeda J. Williams

Makeda J. Williams, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Chief, Global Mental Health Effectiveness Research
Center for Global Mental Health Research (CGMHR)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Dr. Williams leads strategic planning and technical consultation for global mental health effectiveness research initiatives and manages global mental health research grants. She serves as Project Scientist for NIMH’s Research Partnerships for Scaling Up Mental Health Interventions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, an initiative using implementation research to expand the reach of evidence-based mental health interventions, build research capacity and use scientific evidence to develop mental health policies and programs. Prior to joining NIMH, she served as an International Program Officer in the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Center for Global Health, where she managed global cancer research, capacity building and prevention programs. Dr. Williams participated in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) International Experience and Technical Assistance Program at CDC Zambia and the Center for Infectious Diseases Research in Zambia where she developed strategies and trained health care professionals on cervical cancer and HIV/STD prevention. She received her BA in Psychology from Emory University, MPH in Maternal and Child Health from The Milken Institute School of Public Health of George Washington University, and PhD in Health Education/Health Promotion from University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health. Dr. Williams completed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Emerging Leaders Program, and she is a member of the Delta Omega Honor Society in Public Health. Dr. Williams received two NCI Director’s Awards and three NIMH Director’s Awards related to capacity building for research and research training in global health.