Academic Medicine Open Forum

I'm proud to share a new data snapshot on mental health care published today by the AAMC Research and Action Institute and co-authored by Lisa Ramirez, PhD, director of pediatric psychology at the MetroHealth System and associate professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, whose work focuses on making connections to better meet the mental health needs of children and families.   

The snapshot examines some of the main groups of mental health providers across the country. While research and policy tend to focus on psychiatrists and psychologists, there are other mental health professionals (i.e., social workers, counselors, and marriage and family therapists) who provide a significant amount of behavioral health care. Although increasing the number of psychiatrists and psychologists is important, the authors highlight that all types of mental health providers should be considered when addressing current workforce shortages. 

Along with this latest snapshot, you can find all the institute's work on our new website: www.AAMCResearchInstitute.org. 

I welcome your advice and insight. What do you think about the current state of the behavioral health workforce? 

#data-snapshot #mental-health #physician-workforce