Pamela Y. Collins, MD, MPH, who holds a joint professorship in psychiatry and global health, has been appointed to the prestigious National Institute of Mental Health’s National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC) for a three-year term.

The Mental Health Council advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) on all policies and activities relating to the conduct and support of mental health research, research training and other programs of the Institute. The Council is chaired by NIMH Director Dr. Joshua Gordon.

“For me, this is a re-entry into NIMH at an incredibly meaningful time for research on BIPOC mental health and health equity, as well as racial equity in NIH funding. NIH has expressed its commitment to antiracism, and I look forward to contributing to NIMH’s efforts to stimulate innovative research on disparities reduction that engages communities in the US and internationally.”  

Dr. Collins is the Director of the UW Global Mental Health Program, Executive Director of the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), and associate director of the new NIMH-funded UW Behavioral Research Center for HIV (UW BIRCH). She coordinates the West Coast Global Mental Health Consortium, among other leadership roles.