Improving Mental Health Literacy in a University Community (QOL)

Christi M. Navarro, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, and an NSU Alumna (Go Sharks!). She teaches in both BSPH and MPH programs, while also being an affiliated faculty member for the Farquar Honors College. She received a NSU Quality of Life (QOL) grant for her project “Improving Mental Health Literacy in a University Community.”

 

Tell me about your recent grant-funded project.

The overarching goal of this community-engaged project is to improve mental health outcomes on campus by increasing the mental health literacy of students and the faculty and staff that interact and support students. We use a pre-post study design and activities, including: 1) measuring the current mental health literacy on campus, 2) implementing an internationally recognized and evidence-based training called Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), and 3) assessing the effectiveness of MHFA on improving mental health literacy among participants.

 

Who is working with you on this project?

The United Way of Broward County (UWBC) is our community partner on this project. UWBC is a prominent community-serving organization focused on optimal health, education, and financial stability and creating better lives overall for individuals, families, and communities. One of their many initiatives is to provide MHFA trainings to the community, specifically to groups and organizations that serve vulnerable populations for mental illness.

 

 

How does this project connect with your other work at NSU?

Since 2020, I have partnered with Aisha McDonald, LMHC (UWBC Director of Training Initiatives, Certified Trauma Expert, Suicidologist, and MHFA Instructor) to offer the MHFA training to students in her two mental health courses—Understanding Mental Health as Public Health and Exploring Population Mental Health and Well-being (Mental Health Honors). The current grant program enables us to expand this offering and meet the demand and need for increasing access to mental health “first aiders” to the university community.
The mental health courses and the current QOL grant are important elements of my overall “Mental Health Literacy Project” to promote and protect mental health and well-being while preventing and managing mental health problems through health literacy and advocacy. In addition, I mentor mental health researchers and develop social marketing campaigns with students in order to reduce stigma about mental illness and raise awareness about the need for culturally-competent and developmentally-appropriate services for the population of focus.

 

How has NSU helped you pursue and/or achieve personal and professional goals you have set for yourself? NSU resources used?

I am a NSU alumna, receiving my M.S. in Educational Leadership from the Fischler College of Education in 2005. Since returning to NSU in 2017 as faculty in the public health department, I have had multiple opportunities for personal and professional development including, but certainly not limited to, mentoring opportunities (e.g., Grant Writing Mentorship Program), faculty development (e.g., LEC, KPCOM faculty development); research dissemination (e.g., FPHA; APHA), and invited talks and workshops (e.g., The Open Classroom; Broward Behavioral Health Conference).

I consider the ability to creatively develop and implement courses that satisfy student interests in the public health department and Honors College programs as part of my professional goals. In that context, I have been tasked with creating a graduate-level mental public health course as there is an increasing interest in mental health topics from the medical student and public health professional students that are enrolled in the MPH program.

 

What advice do you have for other grant seekers at NSU?

Among the resources available at NSU, I have found much value in attending grant workshops and webinars offered by the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) within the Division of Research and Economic Development (DoR). I have been able to ask for help with project ideas, budget preparation, and finding funding opportunities. Melanie Bauer, the Grant Writing Manager in DoR, has been especially helpful over the past few years, and she has recently made useful connections in University Advancement. I also recommend networking both internally and externally with other academics, researchers, and community organizations who have like interests. I have made gains with having conversations that include: “We should work together. Let’s do a thing. We should definitely do a thing.”

 

What is the next grant proposal or project on your agenda?

The thing about grant projects is that before the project sunsets, one already has to plan way ahead for the next proposal. I have a few project opportunities in queue which will effectively scale-up and refine the activities of the current grant. I am looking to serve more of the university community, provide targeted trainings to departments and programs that serve vulnerable student populations like Housing and Residential Life, Athletics, and health professional students. I am preparing a proposal for a foundation grant and plan to apply to a federal SAMHSA training grant in early 2024. I am also looking forward to working with overall NSU initiatives that improve mental well-being including the JED Campus task force.