The Quadcast: Recent Episodes
Mary Christie Institute
A series of interviews with leaders from higher education and healthcare on the emotional and behavioral health of teens and young adults.
Quadcast hosts Dana Humphrey and Marjorie Malpiede discuss new content in LearningWell magazine, including “Bringing Wellbeing into the Classroom” a profile on the Engelhard Project for Connecting Life and Learning at Georgetown University. The hosts talk about how and why they wrote the stories, bringing insights and information about their subjects that may not have made it into the magazine.
On today’s Quadcast, Boston Globe correspondent Kara Miller comments on the new report by Raj Chetty, David Deming and John Friedman, Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges, which points out the disproportionate admission of affluent students at elite colleges in comparison to students of comparable profiles with less means. Miller questions whether the hyper focus on who gets into so few schools takes away from the broader issue of opening up more opportunities across the board.
A conversation with Richard Miller of the Coalition for Transformational Education and Marjorie Malpiede of the Mary Christie Institute on the debut of their new joint publication, LearningWell.
In this week’s Quadcast, Ann Curzan, the Dean of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA) at the University of Michigan, and Joslyn Johnson, Assistant Dean at LSA, discuss a new initiative at Michigan’s largest school where mental health ambassadors work in curricular and co-curricular settings, doing research and making recommendations for environmental improvements for student mental health and wellbeing. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Student Advocates are two new professional positions dedicated entirely to understanding and improving the institution's impact on mental health and well-being and making systems-level changes in support of student wellness. Curzan says, it is another (big) example of the wellness work taking place at the school, which recently joined the Okanagan Charter (https://wellbeing.ubc.ca/okanagan-charter).
A new paper by Dr. Jeffrey Arnett, released last week by the Ruderman Family Foundation, suggests that the mental health of people between 18 and 29 has, and continues to be, disproportionately affected by the global pandemic. Arnette, a psychologist and scholar who coined the term “emerging adults” in his previous research, shows that the age group that was least at-risk physically from the virus was most vulnerable to it from a mental health perspective. MCI Executive Director Marjorie Malpiede discusses the findings with Dr. Arnette and Sharon Shapiro, Trustee at the Ruderman Family Foundation.
In the second episode of MCI’s Quadcast series on peer support, executive director Marjorie Malpiede speaks with Dr. Ben Locke, chief clinical director of Togetherall, a digital, clinically moderated peer support network. Dr. Locke was formerly the director of counseling at Penn State University, where he was also director of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health. Dr. Locke talks about the “treatment gap” on college campuses and how colleges can respond. When it comes to a population-level issue like mental health challenges, he says, there’s “no single answer.” Yet peer support—in a variety of forms—may work alongside traditional services to be part of the solution. The episode concludes with a conversation between Malpiede and Dr. Zoe Ragouzeous, the clinical director at MCI and head of counseling at New York University, who respond to some of Dr. Locke’s comments.
This week on the Quadcast, we start a two-part series focusing on peer support in college settings, coinciding with the recent release of a new white paper (https://marychristieinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Peer-Programs-in-College-Mental-Health.pdf) on the subject by the Mary Christie Institute and the Ruderman Family Foundation. On this episode, MCI Executive Director Marjorie Malpiede speaks with two former student peer support leaders who have grown their programs into national peer support organizations. Daniel Mirny is the CEO of Lean on Me, a national peer-to-peer text line for mental health support, and Samuel Orley is the co-founder and chairman of The Support Network, a peer-led support group model begun at the University of Michigan. The episode concludes with a conversation between Malpiede and Dr. Zoe Ragouzeous, MCI’s clinical director and head of counseling at NYU, on what was shared and what this means for the field.
This episode of the Quadcast marks the end of our student advocacy series co-hosted by MCI Associate Director Dana Humphrey and Carson Domey, a first-year student at the University of Texas at Austin and longtime youth mental health advocate. Humphrey and Domey talk with Sam Gerry, a junior at Bates College who has spent the last several years channeling his own trials with depression and suicidality into a range of mental health initiatives. The founder of a charity kickball tournament supporting suicide prevention called Kick it for a Cause, Inc., Gerry has also assisted research into the impact of teen social media use and sleep habits on suicidality; how multilingual people navigate the mental health system; and the sources of stress for high schoolers in Maine. On the Quadcast, he shares how these personal and professional experiences with mental health have informed his belief in the need for preventative care on college campuses.
Associate Director Dana Humphrey speaks with Gretchen Ely, PhD, MSW, a professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s College of Social Work whose research focuses on access to reproductive healthcare. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobb’s Decision which overturned Roe V. Wade and ruled that there is no constitutional right to abortion in the U.S., the landscape of reproductive healthcare has changed dramatically. Dr. Ely discusses the impact the decision is having on college students and concerns that she and other experts have about increased barriers to abortion care.
On this week’s episode, Eric Wood, Ph.D., LPC, the director of counseling and mental health at Texas Christian University, talks about evidence-based initiatives within the counseling center and beyond that expand the scope and definitions of mental health support, including community and campus partnerships and peer support communities.
This week on the Quadcast, MCI Executive Director Marjorie Malpiede explores the collaborative work of Archie Holmes and Chris Brownson, kindred spirits from different posts within the University of Texas System that came together in the interest of student wellness. Dr. Holmes is Executive Vice Chancellor of the UT system, while Dr. Brownson is Director of the Counseling and Mental Health Center at UT Austin. With their respective backgrounds promoting academic achievement and mental health—as well as a recent $16.5 million grant from the UT System to support student wellbeing and safety services—the two are paving a holistic, mutually reinforcing path toward student success.
Executive Director Marjorie Malpiede interviews Joe Tranquillo, Associate Provost at Bucknell University, who applies “UX” (user experience) thinking to a host of academic priorities, including retention. The Associate Provost for Transformative Teaching & Learning and Professor of Biomedical Engineering refers to the principles of the Coalition for Life Transformative Education (CLTE), in advising institutions to identify what it takes for students to thrive and apply that to “everything you do.”
Associate Director Dana Humphrey and youth mental health advocate Carson Domey interview Joseph Sexton, a senior at Vanderbilt University who was recently awarded the Jed Foundation’s Student Mental Health Voice Award. Joseph describes how he started an organization at Vanderbilt focused on building a movement around critical psychiatry and improving policy, research and funding with the goal of making “tractable gains” in suicide prevention.
This week’s Quadcast features Samantha DeCaro, PsyD, the director of clinical outreach and education at the Renfrew Center, a national residential facility for eating disorder treatment. Associate director of the Mary Christie Institute, Dana Humphrey, speaks with Dr. DeCaro about the unique stressors that can put college students at risk for new or exacerbated eating disorders. Particularly with the onset of the pandemic, conditions already correlated with disordered eating — isolation, disrupted schedules, and certain social media use — became more prevalent and more destructive. Now, Dr. DeCaro reveals what experts have learned about disordered eating since the pandemic and explores next steps for colleges hoping to foster positive eating cultures.
Elizabeth Ahmed is the Executive Vice President of People, Communications, Brand and Corporate Responsibility at Unum, a disability insurance company with 11,000 global employees. She speaks with MCI executive director Marjorie Malpiede about new approaches the company is taking in areas that are of particular interest to Gen Z graduates entering the workforce: diversity and inclusion, social responsibility, and mental health and wellbeing. Ahmed talks about the ways Unum has re-strategized corporate accountability since 2020, especially towards social justice, behavioral health, and helping Gen-Z workers find purpose in their careers. Creating sustainable work environments includes helping employees thrive, which ultimately helps customers, Ahmed said.
This Pride Month, Mary Christie Institute’s coverage of the unique needs of LGBTQ+ student continues with our latest episode of the Quadcast, featuring David P. Rivera, PhD, associate professor of counselor education at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY) and special advisor to the Steve Fund. Dr. Rivera’s career in higher education has spanned counseling, teaching and administration, always with an emphasis on serving LGBTQ+ students and students with other marginalized identities. With MCI executive director Marjorie Malpiede, Dr. Rivera explains his latest work, Affirming LGBTQ+ Students in Higher Education, which addresses the unique stressors that LGBTQ+ students face and guides administrators toward constructive solutions. The “trillion dollar question,” he says, is how to ensure that all students feel they belong on their campuses.
Researchers Akilah Patterson and Meghna Singh discuss their research interests (including the mental health of graduate students, students of color, and high school students), alternative sources of support and the need for cultural humility in counseling services. Akilah Patterson, MPH, MCHES, is a doctoral student at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a graduate of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, and Meghna Singh is a Community and Global Public Health student at the University of Michigan and Student Associate Coordinator for the Healthy Minds Network.
Maryann Davis, Ph.D. is a professor of psychiatry at the UMass Chan Medical School and the Director of the Implementation Science & Practice Advances Research Center (iSPARC) and the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research (ACR). She discusses the challenges students with mental illness face in their journey towards a college degree and how campus community members, particular faculty, can better understand and support these students. The Center recently released a video guide series (https://www.umassmed.edu/TransitionsACR/hot-off-press/2022/01/pass-videos/) with faculty and student narratives that help inform faculty on issues such as accommodations, reducing stigma around mental health conditions, and helping students thrive academically.
Dr. Zainab Okolo, a therapist, advocate, educator, and strategy officer for student success at the Lumina Foundation, joins the Quadcast today to discuss a host of student mental health policy issues, including new research from the Lumina Foundation and Gallup that identifies college students' emotional stress as the main driver behind stopping college.
Guest host, Carson Domey, interviews his headmaster, Alex Zequeira, at Saint John's High School in Shrewsbury, MA. Zequeira shares his observations on high school mental health from his years of coaching, teaching, and leading high school students -- from social media, the collective trauma of the pandemic, and building resilience before college. Carson and Zequeira worked together to implement the suicide hotline on the back of student ID cards.
Paula Swinford, MS, MHA, CHES, is the director of the Office for Health Promotion Strategy and a clinical instructor for family medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Swinford talks about what it takes to create a health-promoting campus - from assessing student needs to establishing university structures – and discusses the five components of the Collective Impact Framework.
In this week's Quadcast, we speak to Dr. Tia Dole, the new Executive Director of the Steve Fund — the leading national organization dedicated to supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color. Dr. Dole spoke of her background as a clinician, her work at the Trevor project, her motivation to take on this new role, and her passion for connecting disenfranchised young people with the support they need to thrive.
The pandemic has led to increased demand for services at campus counseling centers as well as counseling staff turnover. Dr. Hotaling, the Director of the Eppler-Wolff Counseling Center at Union College and President of the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD), joins the Quadcast today to talk about how counseling centers are evolving, creating communities of care, and what today’s students are experiencing. The AUCCCD is the largest organization of campus mental health leaders in the world. This episode is sponsored by Christie Campus Health.
On today's Quadcast, we interview Sofia B. Pertuz, PhD, SHRM-SCP, CPC, on how higher ed can work towards increasing sense of belonging for students of color and first-generation students and how the workforce can also invite these graduates to thrive at their own companies. Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional with over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, inclusive excellence, and critical incident management in higher education, nonprofit and corporate organizations. Dr. Pertuz currently serves as the Managing Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Billie Jean King Enterprises and a Senior Advisor to the Jed Foundation.
Young mental health advocate Carson Domey co-hosts the Quadcast to interview Massachusetts State Representative Jack Lewis on ongoing legislation to improve mental and behavioral health policies and funding. Representative Lewis discusses prioritizing social and emotional health education in K-12 school systems, adding crisis intervention hotlines to student IDs, and current state efforts to tackle challenges faced by social workers.
In today's episode of the Quadcast, Dr. Carrie Landa, Boston University's new Executive Director of Student Wellbeing, talks about factors that contribute to student wellness and strategic initiatives colleges and universities can engage in to increase social belonging. Landa's expertise in psychology lends itself to teaching students resilience, such as CBT and DBT skills, to help them navigate with day-to-day events while also meeting students where they are when it comes to equity issues.
In a new survey with Born This Way Foundation, we learn students' perceptions and experiences with peer counseling, revealing its increasing value as a resource. Defined as "the process of confiding in trained peers (fellow students, not friends) for mental health support, peer counseling may help ease the mental health crisis on college campuses, as we continue into the 3rd year of the pandemic. Maya Enista Smith, Executive Director of the Born This Way Foundation, and Zoe Ragouzeos, Executive Director of Counseling and Wellness Services at New York University, present key findings and implications of the report, placing this new data in the context of college life and youth voices.
Carson Domey joins host Dana Humphrey to talk about the advocacy work he’s been pursuing since before he was a teenager; more recently including his work with the Massachusetts legislature on promoting information and reducing stigma for teen mental health. Passionate and outspoken about ending the stigma around mental health, Carson Domey will be a recurring guest host on the Quadcast.
As the end of 2021 draws near, the Mary Christie Institute reflects on the continuing impact of the pandemic on college student mental health and higher education’s response to the uncertainty on campuses. Executive Director of Counseling and Wellness at New York University, Dr. Zoe Ragouzeos, discusses student isolation and loneliness, the pandemic’s silver lining that de-stigmatized mental health and outreach for help, and key findings on faculty’s role when it comes to student mental health.
In this interview, President Bradley provides insights from her new paper, Mental Health on College Campuses, a comprehensive overview of the state of college student mental health, from prevalence trends and capacity issues to prevention, education and emerging service strategies.
Co-Principal Investigators of the Healthy Minds Network, Sarah Ketchen Lipson, PhD, EdM, and Daniel Eisenberg, PhD, discuss most recent data from the Winter/Spring 2021 Healthy Minds Study, an annual survey studying mental health and related issues amongst undergraduate and graduate students. Their research reveals recent trends on college student mental health and the pandemic’s effects - from loneliness and isolation to increasing rates of anxiety and depression. They also identify interventions considered most effective.
Andrew Shepardson, PhD, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Bentley University and Zoe Ragouzeos, PhD, Executive Director of Counseling and Wellness Services at New York University and MCI President, share advice for faculty to better support college student mental health and wellbeing at this critical time. Strategies include building trust on campus, referring students to support, discussing mental health, and incorporating community and inclusion in the classroom.
Dr. Henderson, Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Boston Medical Center and Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine talks with us about the importance of acknowledging trauma and cultural difference when addressing the mental health needs of college students, now more than ever. With practical insights from his work in both resource limited countries and at an urban, community-serving health care center, Dr. Henderson provides advice and direction on how to better serve all students, from those of color and lower income, to those with serious mental health conditions.
College mental health expert, Marcia Morris, MD, Associate Professor at the University of Florida's Department of Psychiatry and Associate Director of the Student Health Care Center Psychiatry, brings insight and advice for students and their parents as the pandemic, and its consequences, continue to impact the college experience. Dr. Morris talks about the acute distress facing students of color and low-income students, the anxiety that remains around COVID-19, the four T’s (tips) for parents in supporting their student’s mental health, and how schools and families can help students with serious mental illness thrive at college.
In the new Quadcast, Dr. Hollie Chessman, Ph.D., Ed.M., Director of Research at the American Council on Education, shares insights from three major research efforts, including the Presidents’ Pulse Point Surveys, which tracked leaders’ increasing concern for student mental health throughout the pandemic. Other studies provide best practices on institution-wide prevention and addressment strategies and a deep dive on the mental health needs of minoritized groups – all within the context of the past 18 months and in anticipation of the “new normal.”
Dr. Dori Hutchinson, Executive Director of Boston University's Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, discusses how colleges and universities can vastly improve their support for students with serious mental health conditions, from supported education, to improved access to accommodations, to more flexible policies on leaves of absence and re-entry. Dr. Hutchinson describes working with students in the NITEO program, which helps students on leave build resilience and avoid shame with an 84% success rate of returning to campus. The pandemic, Hutchinson says, has produced an opportunity for college administrators to offer more supportive options for students with serious mental illness.
Dr. Jill Grimes, a family physician, clinical instructor for UMass Medical School and author of “The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook” and Jill Henry, a high school teacher, award-winning cross-country coach, and co-author of the book - “The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed” recently co-wrote an op-ed that was published in the Hechinger Report called “The pandemic gave graduating high school seniors new strength and resilience.” The authors and experts came on the Quadcast to discuss pandemic silver linings - increased resilience, discussion of mental health and appreciation for healthy extracurriculars among teens and young adults.
Michael Gerard Mason, PhD, LPC, NCC, NCSC, is the Associate Dean of African American Affairs, Director of the Luther Porter Jackson Black Cultural Center at the University of Virginia, and expert advisor to The Steve Fund. He spoke with us about his ground-breaking work on the mental health of Black students at UVA with lessons learned for all schools post-pandemic; how the pandemic changed caretaking norms on campus; and the inflection point that now exists for how we respond to racial disparities in this country.
We continue our series on College Presidents and Covid-19 with Dr. Pam Eddinger, President of Bunker Hill Community College in Boston who described how the events of this past year have shone light on decades-long disinvestment in the social networks that are critical to community college students’ success; and how a “just recovery” could impact their mental health and wellbeing in preventative, sustainable ways.
We spoke with Jared Fenton, founder and Executive Director of the Reflect Organization, a non-profit dedicated to empowering college students to foster a culture of authenticity, self-love, and allyship on campus. Fenton describes his organization’s work and how it came to be, the Penn Face phenomenon, and his focus on providing “One Caring Person” for college students nationwide.
We continue our series on college presidents’ during this unprecedented time with an interview with Howard University President, Dr. Wayne Frederick who spoke to us about what life has been like at the DC-based HBCU, his students’ resilience, what to look forward to, and what to look out for.
A discussion about the results and implications of the just-released Role of Faculty in Student Mental Health survey. The survey explores faculty members’ perspectives on the state of student mental and behavioral health and their role as gatekeepers. Our guests are Sarah K. Lipson, PhD, Principal Investigator of the study and Assistant Professor of Health Law Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health; and Zoe Ragouzeos, PhD, Executive Director of Counseling and Wellness Services at New York University and Mary Christie Foundation President. Drs. Lipson and Ragouzeos walk through the survey findings and explain what steps faculty and college administrators can take to improve student wellbeing. You can find the report here (https://marychristiefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/The-Role-of-Faculty-in-Student-Mental-Health.pdf). Tomorrow (4/8) at 1:00pm, a webinar presentation will dive further into the findings with a panel discussion on the important implications for programs, prevention strategies, and campus policy. Register for the event here (https://www.bigmarker.com/communities/mcf/conferences).
Connie Book, PhD., ME, talks about the disruption of the last year and how Elon continues to address the health and wellbeing of students and staff at the North Carolina university.
Dr. Brian Mitra, the Vice President for Student Affairs at Kingsborough Community College, and advisor to the JED Foundation, speaks with us about the mental health and wellbeing of this student population before, during and after COVID-19.
President Frenk, MD, MPH, PhD, leverages his public heath experience to safeguard student health and wellness during these extraordinary times.
The topic this week is students taking the lead in creating change in college mental health. We spoke with Laura Horne, Chief Program Officer of Active Minds, a nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness and education for students, as well as two current college students – Raisa Alam, Senior Advisor at the Columbia University Chapter of Active Minds, and Kama Sharma, Active Minds Chapter President at the University of Pittsburg. Launched this fall, the Active Minds Your Voice is Your Power campaign called on mental health advocates to help establish a campus culture of caring and support for BIPOC students. Laura, Kama and Raisa discussed the campaign, the initiatives undertaken by chapters this fall, and the challenges of grassroots advocacy.
Hollie Chessman, Director of Research at the American Council on Education joins us to discuss the Pulse Point survey series, presidents’ growing concern for mental health, and strategies for addressing the student mental health crisis during COVID and beyond.
President Pelton discusses student affairs issues and young adult mental health at the end of a year like no other.
Talking with college student health specialists Drs. Jill Grimes and Marcia Morris on safeguarding physical and mental health for students returning home.
In the final episode in our Flourishing series, MCF President Zoe Ragouzeos speaks with two college presidents about why higher education should commit to “Creating Environments for Flourishing,” and how to go about doing so in today’s environment. Our guests are Shirley M. Collado, PhD, President of Ithaca College and John J. DeGioia, PhD, President of Georgetown University. The series is based on the report, “Creating Environments for Flourishing” released by the Mary Christie Foundation and Georgetown University.
In the fourth episode in a special series on Flourishing, we spoke with Dr. Zoe Ragouzeos, the Executive Director of Counseling and Wellness Services at New York University and president of the Mary Christie Foundation, and Dr. Sarah Lipson, assistant professor in the Department of Health Law Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health and co-Principal Investigator of the national Healthy Minds Study. Drs. Ragouzeos and Lipson discuss the importance of expanding communities of support for college students, and the role that faculty can play in responding to student wellbeing concerns. This series is based on the report, “Creating Environments for Flourishing” released by the Mary Christie Foundation and Georgetown University.
In the third episode in a special series on Flourishing, we hear from Daniel Eisenberg, PhD, Director of the Healthy Minds Network and the Principal Investigator of the Healthy Minds Study; and James Hudziak, MD, creator and director of the UVM Wellness Environment. The experts discuss the need for innovation in college student mental health, focusing on a successful experiment in wellbeing at UVM and the need to measure and share data on initiatives such as these across institutions. This series is based on the report, “Creating Environments for Flourishing” released by the Mary Christie Foundation and Georgetown University.
In the latest episode in a special series on Flourishing, we hear from Dr. Corey Keyes, a sociologist and professor at Emory University who specializes in positive psychology. Dr. Keyes discusses happiness, the importance of belonging on college campuses, and promoting positive mental health.
This episode is the first in a series of conversations on “Creating Environments for Flourishing,” based on a report released last week by the Mary Christie Foundation and Georgetown University. Our guests, Alan Schlechter, MD and Dan Lerner, MAPP, were the keynote speakers at one of the “Higher Education Leadership Convenings on College Student Behavioral Health,” held at Georgetown, from which the report was derived. Hearing them describe the Science of Happiness course they teach at NYU would make anyone want to sign up.
In August of any year, the big issue in higher education is the start of school. But in August of 2020, return to school has taken on a whole new meaning due to COVID-19 — as has the physical and emotional health of students, whether they will be on campus, learning remotely from home or following a hybrid formula. In today’s quadcast, we welcome two college student health care experts who have advice for students — and their parents — about how to navigate your physical and mental health while in college, in general, and in the time of COVID-19. Dr. Jill Grimes is a Family physician, author, and educator who works with college students in Austin, TX. Her latest book is called “The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook: Your Guide for Everything from Hangovers to Homesickness” Dr. Marcia Morris is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Florida and Associate Program Director for SHCC Psychiatry. She is the author of “The Campus Cure: A Parent’s Guide to Mental Health and Wellness for College Students.” Listen to the Quadcast here, or by searching “Mary Christie Quadcast” on Apple Podcasts.
In our second “Quadcast” episode, The Mary Christie Foundation spoke with Will Meek, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Brown University about how he and his staff are supporting students throughout COVID-19 and the upset over continued racial injustice in this country.
For the very first episode of the Quadcast, we host a conversation with Dr. Zoe Ragouzeos, Director of Counseling and Wellness Services at New York University. With the disruption and distress of COVID-19, Dr. Ragouzeos led her team of counselors through the transition to remote mental health services; and the increase and complexity of student mental health issues during this unprecedented time.