ABSTRACT
Well-supported student and trainee engagement in global mental health (GMH) is key to strengthening the global mental health workforce and, ultimately, to improving the mental health of people around the world. In this chapter, the authors offer a trainee-centered point of view and practical suggestions for both mentors who support trainees across the educational spectrum as well as trainees who seek opportunities for meaningful engagement. More robust GMH curricular training and extracurricular opportunities, including research, service, and advocacy, can serve as a catalyst for trainee involvement to advance the field. These efforts should focus preferentially on trainees in low- and middle-income countries and low-resource settings more broadly, given the disparities in access to GMH training and extracurricular engagement and the need for a professional pipeline in these settings. The authors provide recommendations for integrating GMH content into existing academic and training programs, and they highlight advocacy for mental health equity as a key extracurricular area in which trainees can engage. Drawing on lessons from successful HIV/AIDS advocacy, the authors present student advocacy strategies that could promote concrete, current policy changes and may spark trainee interest in longer-term engagement in the field of GMH.
