New York: Mumbai-born Vikram Patel, a well-known researcher and mental health expert, will be the next chair of the Harvard Medical School’s department of global health and social medicine. Patel, who is the Pershing Square Professor of Global Health at the school’s Blavatnik Institute, will assume charge on September 1, according to an official announcement.
Patel, whose work focused on the burden of mental health problems across the life course, their association with social disadvantage, and the use of community resources for their prevention and treatment, will succeed Paul Farmer, who led the department until his death in February 2022. “Vikram is both a worthy successor and uniquely prepared to carry the torch,” said George Daley, dean of the Harvard Medical School, in a letter to the community announcing the appointment. His appointment comes at a time of increasing awareness of a growing mental health crisis around the world, Daley noted.
“I am deeply honoured to serve as the chair of the department,” Patel said. “I am motivated by the potential of this role at this critical juncture in the long and storied history of a department committed to the goal of health equity in this country and globally,” Patel added.