Rebecca Stanhope

My name is Rebecca Stanhope, but I go by Becky. I am a PhD candidate in the Microbiology department at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine. I am also an Adjunct Professor of Microbiology at Piedmont Virginia Community College.

I previously served as the president of the Graduate Biosciences Society (GBS) at UVA, a student-led organization that serves students in the Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, and Biology programs and provides academic, professional, and social events. During my term, I established a new initiative called “Mental Health Matters.”

We developed a survey to gauge student interest in workshops on mental healthand received an unprecedented number of responses. Students indicated that there was a need for better mental health resources and awareness. In written responses, students revealed that they felt as though their mentors didn’t understand or care about their well-being. We presented this information at faculty meetings for each department where GBS members do their PhD (10 in total). At these meetings, we found that faculty exhibited a vast range of understanding of mental health issues in general, mental health issues in their own trainees, and the resources available for students.

There is growing recognition nationally that graduate and professional students are at high risk for developing or experiencing exacerbated mental health issues during there training. A study in Nature Biotechnology recently showed that graduate students are 6 times more likely than the general public to experience mental health issues.

Here are some ideas I have to help students to be happier and more productive:

· Gather data on trainee mental health status and feelings of belonging

· Ensure graduate program requirements are well laid out, including detailed instructions on how to prepare for candidacy examinations and how to prepare for thesis defenses

· Hire mental health and academic support professionals to work with specific departments

· Limit work hours to 40 per week

· Promote teamwork, rather than completely individualized thesis projects.

· Raise awareness among trainees and faculty about mental health problems

· Workshops and group discussions facilitated by mental health professionals

· Create programs to train faculty and staff members on recognizing when their trainees are having trouble, academically or mentally, and steps to take to ensure student wellness and success.