Through a collaboration with the Medical College of Wisconsin, members of the Master of Science in Global Health (MSGH) class of 2016 assisted in a research study assessing efforts to improve mental health in the 21 economies represented by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). The alumni involved were Michael Prough, Cassandra Sundaram, Scott Klein, John Nida, Desmond Jumbam, and Kaya Garringer, who performed the research as part of a directed readings course in the MSGH curriculum.

Using a subset of the World Health Organization's 2014 Mental Health Atlas database, the authors found reported suicide rates in three of the APEC economies are among the highest in the world. Regional efforts to improve mental health in these areas face significant challenges, outlined in the article. The research was recently published in the International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 

Authors from the Medical College of Wisconsin included lead author Michael Kron, Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and medical students Rupinder Grewal and John Idso.

Click here to read the full article. 

The Eck Institute for Global Health is a university-wide enterprise that recognizes health as a fundamental human right and endeavors to promote research, training, and service to advance health standards for all people, especially people in low and middle-income countries, who are disproportionately impacted by preventable diseases. The Master of Science in Global Health program provides an engaging science-centric training in the context of global health. The program is a one-year, intensive training that includes two semesters of coursework and one (summer) semester of a field practicum, with a major Capstone Project.