Applying a global lens to student mental health

“As an international student, I have a unique perspective on the importance of accessible mental health services and I understand the challenge that myself and my peers have faced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Rozina Somani, a PhD student at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing who is pursuing a collaborative specialization in global health.

“Being able to share this knowledge with international partners to develop shared language and resources around mental health for students is momentous.”

Somani is a member of the Global Student Working Group supported by the Inlight Student Mental Health Research (Inlight) initiative. With the support of Inlight’s Senior Partnerships and Engagement Lead, Emma McCann, the group has been instrumental to developing the Inlight Global Speaker Series. The virtual webinars share evidence-based knowledge and strategies around specific topics impacting students such as classroom stressors, microaggressions, self-injury and self-harm. The first of these events brought together researchers from over 25 countries.

Both the working group and the speaker series are part of the Inlight Global Research Network to Advance Student Mental Health. That project is funded by a Connaught Global Challenge Award awarded to Kristin Cleverley, a professor in the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and the Director and Chair of Inlight. The support amplifies Inlight’s reach and advances its mission to identify, develop, and apply shared, research-driven best practices in student mental health, while supporting the next generation of student mental health researchers.