Thank you @Sai_Jahann_GW, I really appreciate the insight! It is encouraging to hear this perspective as I navigate this high-impact career pivot!
Madeleine_Foley
Karma: 24
Hi Sai! Thanks for taking the time to answer question! I am working on a high-impact career pivot from traditional US Healthcare (non-profit health systems and payer roles) into the global health space. A couple of questions:
What do you see as the most transferrable skills from for-profit business into the global health grantmaking space? What skills have proven most valuable in grantmaking and are most sought after by GiveWell?
How do you view mental health as a potential cause area for GiveWell either as a standalone or contributing factor to overall health? We know mental health increases medical costs, increases mortality, and diminishes quality of life and ability to address the most pressing social determinants of health, however it is rarely a topic I hear about in action-oriented EA conversations.
Thanks!
Thank you for writing! I believe this is a core issue in mental health. As we measure today, mental health and wellbeing is almost entirely subjective and therefore we can’t truly understand the spectrum of human emotion and wellbeing! It is a fascinating issue.
Interesting take @alesziegler ! I do believe it is true that too much of any one thing is usually bad, and also believe that people who are not trained/ underqualified taking on mental health is counterproductive. I think people take on these roles or use clinical language that should not be applied to what they are doing precisely because they cannot get the credible help they need and are trying to fill that void. Mental health is extremely subjective and therefore interventions may look like community connection or involvement in sports rather than clinical therapy.
I am also highly skeptical of the legitimacy of Schrier’s claims and her choice in very carefully selected stastistics as evidence. For ecample, contrary to some of Shier’s claims, evidence-based school-based emotional programs have had profound impact, especially on marginalized populations (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773233924000032). Maybe my thoughts on this is best summed up by saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water”?
As someone in the mental health space, this was an interesting read! I believe that more clinicians with niche specialties would be amazing, however current provider burnout rates and staff shortages would make that nearly impossible (right now). While we figure out that conundrum, utilizing trained lay people is an evidence-based, scalable solution. Community involvement also shows significant impact on mental health, isolation, and loneless, and I wonder if promoting and making space for some of these activities (during the workday) for employees would actually help bring anxiety levels down as well!
Thank you @NickLaing ! I have done a lot of reading on the Wellby and that is one of the reasons I feel mental health is currently under-represented as a global health issue. It is fascinating to hear how people globally weigh the importance of wellbeing and I’m curious how many other aspects of their lives would be more easily improved if wellbeing increased! @MichaelPlant would love to connect on your work!
Thanks @Probably Good ! I actually read this as part of my fellowship and this is one of the pieces that actually sparked my curiousity about ways to amplify the mental health crisis!
Thank you @huw and apologies for my delay- still getting the hang of the forum! I really appreciate these insights and would love to learn more about the work you are doing at Kaya Guides. I have been thinking a lot about what innovation would look like in the mental health space and how the personal nature of mental health makes widespread interventions challenging (for example, medication can not necessarily cure mental illness the way it can cure a physical ailment like an infection).
Madeleine_Foley’s Quick takes
Mental health is one of the most widespread, impactable, yet neglected global health issues of our time. Even knowing mental health conditions are generally under-reported and/ or misrepresented, evidence still shows widespread effects of mental wellbeing on physical health, life satisfaction, and productivity, however it has still not taken off as a major cause area in many EA organizations I have talked to. Why is this?
Hello! My name is Madeleine Foley and I have apent my career in healthcare in the US. I became interested in EA several months ago and am now working on making a high impact career pivot! I just finished the CEA Career Pivot Bootcamp and am currently participating in an Effective Global Mental Health Fellowship. I have met some great folks along the way and excited to further my engagement with the community in this forum.
Fun facts:I have a M. Eng in Systems Engineering and a BA in Cognitive Science and Science Writing.
I am a published author.
I live in the mountains and love to be outdoors.
Thanks @MichaelPlant ! I actually recently connected with Joel from your team and am very interested in leveraging some of your work to influence priorities in my current role. I’m eager to continue talking about mental health and wellbeing in the EA space and hoping to get more involved with HLI or the work you are doing on a volunteer basis!