# Lab Researcher Spotlight: Anushka Patel November 22, 2024 Born and raised in the vibrant city of Bombay, Anushka grew up in a family rich in history, cultural diversity, and resilience. As the daughter of a mixed-heritage family, her mother being half British and her father from a proud line of Indian freedom fighters, including the ‘Iron Man of India,’ Sardar Patel, Anushka had a unique vantage point on cross-cultural collaboration and conflict from an early age. Anushka’s academic journey has been equally diverse, taking her from Carleton College in Minnesota to Harvard University for work, to graduate school in Oklahoma, and specialized clinical training in California. These experiences shaped her fascination with how trauma manifests across cultures. Today, Anushka works as a trauma-focused clinical psychologist, using her “superpowers” to democratize access to quality trauma-informed care for low-resource contexts. She is excited to foster a vision of mental healthcare that honors cultural considerations, so that treatment is accessible and appetizing to people across cultures. Let’s hear directly from Anushka about her career, work in mental health, and advice for the next generation of researchers. ## Q&A With Anushka Patel ![A banner showcasing the spotlight of one of the lab researchers](/sites/g/files/omnuum8326/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2025-04/MHFAL%20Spotlight%20Series%20%283%29.jpg?itok=wYeVnR0G) ### Path, Projects, and Impact of Mental Health Research **Q: Can you tell us about your role with the Mental Health for All Lab and the focus of your research?** My role at the Mental Health For All Lab has been fairly independent, as I joined as a postdoctoral fellow with my own funding. Vikram, my mentor, has always encouraged me to protect my time and focus on my own research. As I grew my traumatic stress focus within global mental health, I also contributed to the EMPOWER project, where I co-led the content for two courses - the Foundational Counselling Skills and Behavioral Activation (BA), an evidence-based treatment for depression. I still contribute to EMPOWER in a consultative role, focusing on clinical consulting and implementation of EMPOWER in complex health systems. My research during my postdoctoral years focused on three key areas: 1. Systematic Review on Non-Specialist Trauma Treatments: Over the past two years, I’ve led a review on trauma treatments delivered by non-specialists. We’ve collected 24 years’ worth of data on how nonspecialists of diverse cadres can effect positive changes in PTSD, depression, anxiety, and impairment. This is the first review to analyze all four outcomes together, and we’re looking at differences based on trauma type, treatment type, country type, and treatment settings. Interestingly, we’re finding that peer-delivered interventions often outperform those delivered by medically trained personnel, which opens up exciting avenues for future work. 2. Domestic Violence Interventions in India: I’ve also conducted qualitative research in India with stakeholders involved in domestic violence cases, such as ASHA and Anganwadi workers, police officers, and lawyers. We have three datasets, and I’m working on papers to triangulate findings across all these groups. The police data - though smaller in sample size - is especially unique since there’s very little research on their subjective views on domestic violence and their perceived role in facilitating interventions. 3. Single-Session Intervention for Domestic Violence Survivors: My latest project, funded through a K23 award, is focused on developing a scalable single-session intervention for domestic violence survivors in India. As 41% of Indian women experience domestic violence across the lifespan, and the public health system offers no therapeutic support, this project aims to get women help where they already go - primary care health centers. Based in Goa, India, community health workers with no prior training in mental health will gain skills to deliver a single-session intervention with follow-up mHealth supports. We’re designing this transdiagnostically to target PTSD, depression, anxiety, and functional impairment. I’m currently recruiting a research coordinator and field researchers for the next phases. **Q: Are there any key findings from your recent postdoc research that you'd like to share?** One of the most significant findings from my systematic review and meta-analysis is that non-specialist-delivered care for trauma survivors leads to consistently better outcomes than no care at all, regardless of the setting, treatment type, trauma type, etc. This is a huge win, showing the effectiveness of the task-sharing model that Vikram Patel pioneered in global mental health extends to trauma-related outcomes. There are subtle differences in how this model can be amplified for trauma survivors, but so far, we know it works well including with a host of trauma-related outcomes. We also found striking differences across regions. For instance, in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), the effect size was almost twice as large compared to that of high-income countries. Learning this can clarify our priorities for science and public health funding; in other words, when resources are directed towards LMICs, the impact on mental health outcomes is significantly higher. This raises important questions about why this happens and what high-income countries could potentially learn from non-specialist models of care from LMICs. Another fascinating finding is that trauma survivors of war—particularly refugees—show greater reductions in symptoms after therapy compared to veterans experiencing war or survivors of interpersonal violence. There may be something about the collective refugee experience that seems to enhance treatment outcomes. I am still unpacking this but it gives me much hope! We also found that peer-delivered care outperforms other non-specialist workers, which highlights the crucial role of shared experiences in reducing shame and thereby healing the effects of trauma. Lastly, our findings challenge the long-held belief that exposure is a necessary ‘active ingredient’ for reducing PTSD. Multi-problem trauma-informed approaches are proving to be more effective than single-diagnosis or exposure-focused treatments - at least when delivered by non-specialists - which is an exciting and valuable insight for public health. ### Innovation and Impact **Q: What innovative approaches or technologies are you utilizing in your research?** One of the key innovations is the use of a chatbot as the mHealth tool in my K23 award project. This chatbot will reinforce therapy skills between sessions, supporting adherence and follow-up in underserved areas. While it doesn’t replace therapy, it acts as a low-cost, scalable tool to help survivors practice skills after their single therapy session. The lab has emphasized that while human connection is central to care, technology can complement and enhance mental health interventions. **Q: What have you found helpful in ensuring that your research findings are translated into practical interventions?** One surprising moment for me was seeing my research cited in The New York Times. That media exposure amplified the impact of my work and doubled my citations in about 6 months on that particular work. Collaborations with mentors and writers have also helped translate my findings into broader public conversations. For example, I applied the continuous traumatic stress theory from apartheid-era South Africa to gender-based violence in Indian slums, reshaping how we think about trauma in environments of ongoing violence. I do think we need more training - as a field - in how to action these learnings into constructive dialogue with policy-makers, and I look forward to learning much more about this important process in the years to come. ### Challenges and Opportunities **Q: What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your research?** Academia can be isolating, especially post-COVID, when much of the work becomes remote. The lack of in-person community and support made it harder to navigate academia’s pressures. I miss the organic moments of connection and collaboration with peers, but lab meetings, retreats, and social events have helped to rebuild that sense of community. **Q: What opportunities do you see for future research in mental health?** We focus on supply-side barriers a lot in global mental health. I’ve been focusing more on the demand-side barriers to mental health treatment and I see this as an important direction in my future work Cultural norms and societal beliefs often prevent people from seeking help, even when services are available. I’m interested in understanding how these beliefs shape treatment-seeking behavior and designing interventions to address harmful norms, such as the acceptance of violence or internalization of rape myths. Community-level interventions will be key to changing group attitudes toward mental health, and improving the treatment gap through demand-side barriers. ### Personal Insights **Q: What is it that personally drives and motivates you?** It's conversations like this that keep me going! Moments where I feel like I’m really connecting with someone who shares the same passions, and it’s nice to realize there are people out there with the same fire, people who want to do good in the world. It’s like, 'Oh, I’m not doing this alone,' there are actually armies of people working toward the same positive goals, and that can be energizing. But on a broader level, it’s the act of storytelling itself that motivates me. Whether it's at conferences where I get to condense years of work into a 15-minute story or when learning research participants’ stories, there's something about those moments of story-telling in connection with others that brings out my passion. The opportunities to distill my research and share it with others reconnects me to my North Star, which is helping trauma survivors. It’s good to remind myself that I’m lucky; I get paid to read, think, and try to find ways to help gender-based violence survivors. That’s a pretty incredible privilege. **Q: What advice would you give to aspiring mental health researchers?** First of all, welcome! It’s an amazing field. And my biggest piece of advice is to learn as much as you can from as many people as possible in as many spaces as possible. Global mental health is such a multi-disciplinary space that it's all about how you can take different threads from diverse sources, disciplinary knowledge, cross-cultural relationships, soft skills, technical skills, and weave them together. Learning from varied people and perspectives will give you a broader toolkit, which is essential for this field. And don’t miss out on resources like [Vikram Patel's TED Talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/vikram_patel_mental_health_for_all_by_involving_all?subtitle=en)—it’s an 11-minute summary of key principles, paradigms, and successful ideas in global mental health. Consume this kind of knowledge voraciously because the more you expose yourself to, the more you'll be able to absorb and apply ideas that inspire you in the field. ### **Conclusion** Anushka Patel's work exemplifies the intersection of culture, trauma, and innovative mental health interventions. Her dedication to cross-cultural mental health and trauma recovery is not just reflected in her research but also in her commitment to making these interventions accessible and relevant to underserved communities globally. Her journey highlights the importance of integrating cultural contexts into mental health care and underscores the potential for technology and collaboration to drive meaningful change in global mental health. Through her storytelling and scientific rigor, Anushka is helping shape a future where mental health care is more inclusive, accessible, and effective for all. Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)