Vikram Patel named global health chair at Harvard Medical School

Mumbai-born India American psychiatrist is a leader in research and delivery of mental health care

Vikram Patel, Mumbai-born psychiatrist and a well-known expert in global mental health, has been named the next chair of Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine.

Currently the Pershing Square Professor of Global Health in HMS’ Blavatnik Institute, Patel will succeed Paul Farmer, who led the department until his death in February 2022, from Sep 1, 2023, according to an HMS press release.

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“Vikram is both a worthy successor and uniquely prepared to carry the torch,” said George Q. Daley, dean of HMS, in a letter to the community announcing Patel’s appointment.

“A venerable and a charismatic educator, Vikram was recruited to HMS in 2017 by Paul himself, and he shares Paul’s philosophy that academic engagement is key to delivering quality and equitable health care to all,” Daley said.

“I am deeply honored to serve as the chair of the department,” Patel said. “I am motivated by the potential of this role at this critical juncture in the long and storied history of a department committed to the goal of health equity in this country and globally.”

Patel said he was excited to be a part of this next chapter in the unfolding story of the department, building on the remarkable foundation that his predecessors and current colleagues have built.

“My vision is to work closely with my distinguished colleagues in the department to enhance our footprint in critical areas of global health equity, to promote interdisciplinary scholarship, and to strengthen our bonds with faculty and students across the University and beyond who share our mission,” Patel said.

Patel’s appointment comes at a time of increasing awareness of a growing mental health crisis around the world, Daley noted, adding that Patel’s “energy, determination, and drive to find solutions will be invaluable as the HMS community responds to the crisis and acts on the goals outlined in the department’s new strategic plan.”

Daley highlighted Patel’s commitment to further integrating social sciences research, including in areas not traditionally funded by the NIH, with on-the-ground care delivery.

In particular, he noted that Patel’s deep knowledge of the complexities of mental health will complement the HMS community’s strength in neuroscience and neurobiology.

At Harvard, Patel heads Global Mental Health@Harvard, an interdisciplinary initiative that reaches across the University, as well as the Mental Health for All Lab, housed within the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine.

Patel launched the EMPOWER program in 2020 as part of the Global Mental Health initiative. The aim of EMPOWER is to deploy a suite of digital tools and methods to enable frontline health workers to learn, master, and deliver evidence-based psychosocial interventions needed to effectively address mental health issues in their communities.

One example of EMPOWER’s work is an ambitious new HMS program supported by the Manton Foundation, announced in 2022. The program is building the curriculum for school-based providers to address mental health problems in adolescents.

Read: Patel Named New Chair of Global Health and Social Medicine (June 1, 2023)

Globally, Patel has served on several World Health Organization advisory committees and has served on multiple Lancet commissions on global mental health, most recently leading the Lancet-World Psychiatric Association Commission on Depression.

He is also co-leading the ongoing Lancet Commission on Reimagining India’s Health Care System. In 2015, he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year and, in 2019, he was awarded the John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award, considered the most prestigious global health prize.