Over 400 people attended the first trainee-led women’s mental health conference in the nation. Here’s what happened.
On October 25th, a group of 20 dedicated students and trainees launched the first-ever Women’s Mental Health Conference at Yale University. Over 400 people attended the keynote and 150 people attended the afternoon workshops. The amount of interest in the conference far exceeded our expectations, and our team worked hard to accommodate the waitlist of 100 people. The committee was thrilled to raise enough funds for the event to be free and open to the public.
Building Momentum
WMHC at Yale started as a simple idea by Yale psychiatry residents to raise awareness of women’s mental health issues among health professionals and the public. After the co-founders, Stefanie Gillson and Sofia Noori, sought help from other students and trainees, the committee quickly grew to a group of 20 dedicated public health, medical, psychiatry, OB/GYN and undergraduate trainees. The committee met with dozens of advocates, faculty, healthcare providers and organizers in the Yale-New Haven community, who supported their enthusiasm for an inclusive grassroots women’s mental health movement. Through sharing on social media, the conference garnered over 280 requests to attend from around the nation and globe.
Designing the Conference Experience
The conference was intended to be an inclusive space for self-identified women and gender minorities, so great care was taken to design the experience and content to reflect this mission.
Opening Session — The opening session featured powerful talks by two faculty members and two trainees, who outlined why they care about women’s mental health and their hopes for the conference. Each speaker brought a different perspective and powerful life story to their talk. Chyrell Bellamy, PhD, MSW, Ariadna Forray, MD, Kayla Issacs, medical student, and Casey Chu, public health student, were the featured speakers.
Keynote Address — We were thrilled that Eve Ensler, the author of the Vagina Monologues, graciously agreed to headline the conference. Her incredible empathy, activism, and soulful insights into women’s mental health moved the packed auditorium to both laughter and tears. Her talk was open to the public, and attracted over 400 attendees. Eve’s keynote, which is available online, was followed by a private lunch with students and trainees.
Concurrent Sessions — We received over 40 session proposals from around the nation and globe, and ultimately selected 17 for presentation at the conference. These 50-minute sessions provided practical skills and insights on a wide array of women’s mental health topics, from the effects of colorism on women’s wellbeing to the history of women’s marginalization in psychiatric practice to the management of substance use in pregnancy.
Plans for the Future
We hope the momentum from the event will launch more initiatives that improve women’s mental health. To that end, the committee is proud to announce multiple projects in the works:
- Improving women’s mental health education — Members have already written 3 chapters on women’s mental health for the Yale OB/GYN department to use in training future gynecologists in the recognition and treatment of common mental health issues in women, including premenstrual dysphoric disorder, menopausal issues, and perinatal mental health. We are also designing a 6-session psychiatric teaching curriculum for future Yale psychiatrists.
- Creating a clinical training opportunity to care for patients and educate doctors —In collaboration with Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale Psychiatry and Yale OB/GYN leadership, committee members are working hard to create a place where women-identified patients can receive specialized care for women’s mental health issues. Few clinics specifically focused on women’s mental health exist in the United States, let alone the world. Such a cutting-edge clinic could both educate future physicians on women’s mental health while providing top-of-the-line mental health care to women.
- Continuing the conference in perpetuity — The committee is hoping to secure renewable funding to hold the conference annually for years to come. If you’re interested in supporting our cause, please contact us at yalewomensmentalhealth@gmail.com.
Get Involved
This is just the beginning!
- Sign up for our mailing list here
- To volunteer or donate, email us at yalewomensmentalhealth@gmail.com
- Follow the co-founders, Stefanie Gillson and Sofia Noori
- Clap this article on Medium
It Takes A Village
Thank you to the wonderful sponsors, advisors, and supporters who believed in our cause and vision. We couldn’t have held this conference without them!
Sponsors:
- Yale School of Medicine
- Yale Department of Psychiatry
- Yale New Haven Health
- Belonging at Yale
- The Gruber Program for Global Justice and Women’s Rights at Yale Law School
- Poynter Fellowship In Journalism
- Office of Student Affairs, Yale School of Medicine
- Women Faculty Forum
- Yale Department of OB/GYN
- Program for Humanities in Medicine, Yale School of Medicine
- International Association For Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD)
