Project Description
This research opportunity will allow the student to contribute to two interconnected projects within the mhSEVA Lab, both focused on strengthening equitable access to mental health support in underserved and culturally diverse settings. The first project is a scoping review examining the availability, accessibility, and structure of campus-based mental health services at universities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This review seeks to map what services exist, identify gaps in student mental health support, and highlight the resource and implementation barriers faced by institutions in LMIC contexts. The second project is part of our ongoing collaboration with the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition (MWC). Here, the student will support qualitative research focusing on nonspecialist staff delivering a narrative-therapy–informed intervention to adolescent girls and women. This work explores culturally grounded ways of communicating empathy, navigating trauma narratives, and delivering support in multilingual, immigrant, and faith-centered community environments. Methodologies across both projects include structured literature searches, data extraction and charting (for the scoping review), and qualitative data collection and coding (for the MWC project).
Tasks and Responsibilites
Student responsibilities include:
1. Assisting with database searches, screening, and data extraction for the LMIC campus mental health scoping review
2. Contributing to the creation of a data-charting framework and preliminary thematic synthesis
3. Supporting participant recruitment and scheduling for the MWC qualitative study
4. Observing or assisting with qualitative interviews when appropriate
5. Supporting transcription, organization of qualitative data, and preliminary coding 6. Participating in weekly mentorship meetings focused on research skills, professional development, and public mental health frameworks