Rogers Behavioral Health Psychiatry Scholarship – Summer: 2024 Winner

Winning the Rogers Behavioral scholarship award is a realization that with perseverance, strong will and determination, we are all capable of achieving even the most difficult of dreams. Academically, I am interested in Neuromodulation in psychiatry and advanced psychopharmacology. This award will help me fund some of my research in the pipeline, acquire current literature on relevant topics as well as attend meetings, conferences that will enable me to gain solid grounds in this aspect of psychiatry. I want to thank the leadership for this rare opportunity.

Topic: Inspirations for pursuing psychiatry and how you plan to use your education to better your community and make a difference in the lives of others. By Philip Oreoluwa (Psychiatry resident)

• Item: 2014. I am part of a mobile clinic in interior/rural Nigeria. A Dimmuk tribesman exhibits signs of schizophrenia. His family rejects anti-psychotics on cultural grounds. I persuaded them to let him try them.
• Item: March 2021. I am part of a National Guard medical team during the pandemic. A patient shows symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder that I am not authorized to address.
• Item: Last week. A colleague here tells me of a cousin in Ohio who only wants to see a Black male psychiatrist. He can't find one.

These three real-life incidents are examples of my inspiration for making psychiatry my life calling, and how I intend to be an exemplary psychiatrist. They also depict who I am, positionally: a psychiatry resident at Cooper University Hospital (Camden NJ); now an American fluent in English and Yoruba language; the holder of a medical degree and a Captain (60W, Psychiatrist in training) in the United States Army Medical Department.

My interest in mental health and neuroscience began in Nigeria. Even before medical school, I volunteered at a healthcare facility in suburban Lagos, and watched families abandon relatives who presented with what in the west would be addressable Axis I disorders, because they believed their kin had been cursed by "the gods". It was more of the same after medical school there. I am today quite an expert at dispelling stigma and shame in patients and their families, as well as working interculturally. Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups. I've treated so many of them, which makes it easy for me to form alliances with those of non-dominant cultures here in the United States.

I approach my work and patients from a stance of service born in gratitude. Gratitude is why I joined the Army National Guard after just a few years in America. I hope specifically in the future to work with many active-duty military personnel, veterans and their families. They're too often overlooked and underserved, with specific mental health issues. I surely encountered too many anxiety and trauma disorders in the Guard, cases of depression, and incidences of substance abuse. But there are also challenges for military "brats" – the one million or more children of active-duty personnel. Their parents volunteered for that life. They are born to it. I want to help them, and their families.

My eagerness to enter this field is fueled by an awareness of the necessity of mental health and an appreciation of the vital part mental health workers serve in society. Learning about mental health goes beyond just accumulating facts; it's about grasping how to implement this knowledge effectively in the community setting. Community mental health workers (CMHWs) are crucial, particularly in regions where mental health services are limited, such as in several low- and middle-income countries. This insight reinforces my conviction that through proper training and commitment, I can contribute meaningfully to improving mental health care in my community and the country at large.

A central element of my career strategy is to engage in interventions rooted in the community. As an Army veteran who experienced the scourge of a declining community mental health among young adults' post COVID, I will aim to increase PACT (Program of Assertive Community Treatment) teams for scheduled house visits for individuals and families who have identified worsening of their mental health during an initial intake. These are particularly vital in regions where specialized psychiatric services are scarce. By immersing myself in community-level work, I aim to bridge the gap in mental health care, offering education, support, and care coordination. My objective involves working intimately with community members, grasping their distinct needs and hurdles, and crafting interventions that are both personalized and impactful.

Additionally, my academic journey is preparing me to handle transitional care interventions. This is an essential service for patients who might face the risk of unexpected readmission after being discharged from the hospital. Such care is crucial in ensuring continuous support for patients' post-hospitalization. My aim here is to play a role in minimizing unnecessary readmissions and maintaining ongoing positive health results.

Finally, I know that I'm a relative rarity – an African American psychiatrist. For better or worse, there are intersectional cohorts in America for whom that is a major plus. That there is a mental health crisis among American men is indisputable. It manifests in different ways in different groups, but it is both acute and growing. I know men, particularly first-generation men are drowning in this ever-dynamic society where mental health in their sect is seriously downplayed. I want to help them find stability, functionality, and peace in a world that is changing before our eyes.

Psychiatry is my beloved present, and the future of my dreams. I will practice in service and gratitude, for intersecting populations that need me.

Philip Oreoluwa