The University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry reaches far beyond the state limits of Michigan. Our research impacts and influences clinical care on a much larger scale, touching far corners of the globe. Here we highlight a few sample collaborations of work being done in Uganda, China, and beyond.
Collaborations in China
The Intern Health Study is a longitudinal cohort study that assesses stress and mood in medical interns at institutions around the country, enrolling over 3,000 new interns each year. The Intern Health Study is supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Eisenberg Family Depression Center, and the Taubman Medical Institute. Dr. Srijan Sen, Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Professor of Depression and Neurosciences with the Department of Psychiatry, leads this study.
Improving treatment for children and elders with mental illnesses in rural Ghana
The University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry was awarded a Global REACH Partnership Development Grant in April 2017 to build workforce capacity and improve treatment for children and elders with mental illnesses in rural Ghana. Michelle Riba, M.D., professor of psychiatry, and Gregory Dalack, M.D., chair of the U-M Department of Psychiatry are leading this effort.
Fighting the Cognitive Effects of HIV and Malaria in Uganda
Bruno Giordani, Ph.D., a professor with the department, and his colleague Michael Boivin, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at Michigan State University and adjunct professor in the U-M Department of Psychiatry, have been collaborating for over 25 years all over the world. They have worked in the U.S., Africa, Southeast Asia, and beyond. They have addressed topics such as the effect of lead exposure in children; the role that the environment, nutrition, home setting, and intestinal parasites play in the development of behavior and cognitive abilities; as well as how to effectively measure these factors in cross-cultural and low resource settings, including the use of newer approaches such as eye-tracking and handheld, portable EEG systems.