embrace different, live well
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EVENT UPDATEsRegistration Open Now!
our partners
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Key Note Speaker
Dr. Katie Wang is an assistant professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health. She received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Yale University and completed postdoctoral training at Yale’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS. As an Asian American woman with a disability, Dr. Wang is passionate about understanding and addressing the role of stigma as a driver of mental and behavioral health inequities among diverse marginalized populations, including members of the disability and LGBTQ+ communities. In her future work, she is excited to explore how disability and mental illness intersect with other marginalized identities, including membership in the Asian American community, to shape health and well-being. |
STAY TUNED FOR PROGRAM UPDATES NEXT WEEK!
about the forum
In 2010, Chien-Chi Huang of Asian Women for Health, Niem Naykret of the Lowell Community Health Center, Pata Suyemoto, and a handful of others concurred, "We need to come together and talk about our mental health in an open, positive way." Thus was born the volunteer, community-run, annual Asian American Mental Health Forum!
Thanks to strong and continuous DMH support, the Forum has become a statewide event that addresses the mental health concerns of Massachusetts’ Asian American communities. The Forum brings together people with lived experience of mental and behavioral health challenges with researchers, policy makers and practitioners, all on an equal footing, to share their expertise and learn from each other.
The Forum’s mission remains to bring the many stakeholders concerned about the health of Asian American communities together to share information, improve care and treatment, and create community. In recent years, the forums have also integrated the role arts and creativity can play in helping individuals and communities recover and maintain mental wellness. Genki Spark, a women’s taiko drumming troupe, did the keynote address in 2014. Princess Moon, a young Cambodian spoken word poet, rhythmically evoked her experience with depression during the opening of the 2016 forum.
The Forum provides a space in which attendees feel comfortable sharing their mental health strengths and challenges. Coming together creates connections. Attendees at the 2019 forum commented:
"Having a safe, shared space to talk and learn about issues so central and stigmatized in the Asian community [was most valuable to me]."
"The positive energy I have from this forum helps me own and let go of some of my internal discrimination."
The most valuable part of these forums is the connections that are created. DMH and Malden’s Mayor, Gary Christenson, continue to work together to find mental health resources for the city’s students; the Forum’s social policy networking table resulted in outreach funding for Action for Boston Community Development’s Health Services Program; and the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Workers reached out to help find Asian social workers interested in joining their Racial Justice Committee.
Thanks to strong and continuous DMH support, the Forum has become a statewide event that addresses the mental health concerns of Massachusetts’ Asian American communities. The Forum brings together people with lived experience of mental and behavioral health challenges with researchers, policy makers and practitioners, all on an equal footing, to share their expertise and learn from each other.
The Forum’s mission remains to bring the many stakeholders concerned about the health of Asian American communities together to share information, improve care and treatment, and create community. In recent years, the forums have also integrated the role arts and creativity can play in helping individuals and communities recover and maintain mental wellness. Genki Spark, a women’s taiko drumming troupe, did the keynote address in 2014. Princess Moon, a young Cambodian spoken word poet, rhythmically evoked her experience with depression during the opening of the 2016 forum.
The Forum provides a space in which attendees feel comfortable sharing their mental health strengths and challenges. Coming together creates connections. Attendees at the 2019 forum commented:
"Having a safe, shared space to talk and learn about issues so central and stigmatized in the Asian community [was most valuable to me]."
"The positive energy I have from this forum helps me own and let go of some of my internal discrimination."
The most valuable part of these forums is the connections that are created. DMH and Malden’s Mayor, Gary Christenson, continue to work together to find mental health resources for the city’s students; the Forum’s social policy networking table resulted in outreach funding for Action for Boston Community Development’s Health Services Program; and the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Workers reached out to help find Asian social workers interested in joining their Racial Justice Committee.
This year's sponsors
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