About

Mental health is a serious concern in academia, across the world and at all levels of professionals. There is an increasing global push to acknowledge and bring discussions on mental health to the forefront (‘out of the closet’), and seek and share individual and collective solutions to support and promote the mental well-being of academic professionals. Taking the initiative to create awareness and de-stigmatize mental health will be vital to making science in India a more inclusive and supportive place.

Date and Time

Friday, September 11, 2020 | 4:00 PM — 5:00 PM IST

Panellists & Moderators

Shubha Tole
Shubha Tole is a neuroscientist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai. Her seminal contributions to understanding how the brain develops in the early embryo have been recognised by prestigious awards such as the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award and the Infosys Prize. Prof. Tole leverages her experience as a mentor, policy-maker and senior scientist to actively engage in science outreach that inspires younger scientists and is a vocal advocate for women in science and of mental health awareness in academia.
Soumitra Pathare
Soumitra Pathare is a consultant psychiatrist and the Director of the Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, Indian Law Society, Pune. He has provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for drafting India’s Mental Health Care Act 2017, which takes a rights-based approach to mental health care and served as a World Health Organization consultant assisting low and middle-income countries in drafting and implementing mental health legislation and policies. His special interests include mental health policy and legislation and service development.
Karishma Kaushik
IndiaBioscience
Mayuri Rege
HBCSE, TIFR

Registration

Please click here to register.

Format

The webinar will be a closed-door discussion with up to 500 participants who register. Attendance will be on a first come first serve basis. The event will not be live streamed to protect the confidentiality of the participants. The session will however be recorded, for internal use only.

Please Note
In the registration form, you may enter your first name (or) if you wish to protect your identity, you may type in just your initials. Providing your last name in the form is optional

Disclaimer

This knowledge broadcast session is intended to discuss and help de-stigmatize mental health (in the broadest sense), and specifically in the academic setup.

It aims to generate a healthy dialogue among stakeholders in the community towards making conscious, well-informed and progressive changes, both at the individual and systemic level. The information shared and discussed is intended to shape conversations in science in India, to lead to more inclusivity and empathy, and will in no way compromise confidentiality of the participants.

This session is not a substitute for medical consultation / treatment / or counselling. In addition, the session does not provide training of any kind, and hence no certificate of participation shall be awarded to the webinar attendees.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the webinar for? / What is the purpose / intent of this webinar?: This knowledge broadcast session is intended to discuss and help de-stigmatise mental health (in the broadest sense), specifically in the academic setup. It aims to increase the overall awareness by generating a healthy dialogue among stakeholders in the community towards identifying issues, and making conscious, well-informed and progressive changes, both at the individual and systemic levels.
Who is the webinar targeting?: The webinar will be conducted as a three part series. The first one will target PhD students and postdocs. The second will target undergraduate and masters students. The third one will target faculty in academia.
Will this be open to all?: The webinar will be in the format of a closed-door discussion, and requires prior registration. The discussion will be live recorded, but will not be live streamed / broadcasted. The webinar platform can accommodate a maximum of 500 attendees on a first come first serve basis.
Can I sign up anonymously?: Yes. The registration form will allow you sign up using your full name or using just your initials, if you wish to remain anonymous. Other questions in the form are also optional, and can be filled based on what the participant wants to share.
Will my confidentiality be kept?: Yes. The session will be a closed door discussion and will not be live streamed or simulcast. We respect your privacy and will not reveal your identity without your explicit consent. Questions can be typed into the chat window anonymously. Registration form enables sign up with initials to maintain anonymity.
Is this a standalone event or will there be more such webinars?: This webinar part of a three-part webinar series targeting different stakeholders in the academia — PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, undergrads, masters and faculty.
Is this a counselling session?: This session is NOT a substitute for medical consultation / treatment / or counselling.
Will I be provided with a certificate?: This session will not provide training of any kind, and hence no certificate of participation shall be awarded to the webinar attendees.
How will any information shared be used?: The confidentiality of participants and questions will be maintained at all times. The overall gleanings of the webinars could be used to formulate articles/policy proposals by IBS, but will not divulge participant details and information will be shared in such a way that it cannot be tracked or traced to a specific participant.
Mental health in academic science in India is a very serious issue, can a webinar solve it?: We agree, and the intention of the webinar series is to discuss, help de-stigmatize and increase overall awareness, and find collective and individual solutions, and in no means claims that these issues can be solved over the webinar series.
Will the webinar be recorded?: IndiaBioscience will record for INTERNAL PURPOSES only. Recordings will not be made available after the sessions. Participant recording will be disabled.
If it is not recorded, how will large numbers of people benefit?: While this is relevant, the privacy and confidentiality of the participants is critical. Hence no recording shall be made public.
Will this be a continuous series?: As of now, it has been planned as a three-part series. Further engagements on this topic will be looked into, but nothing has been planned.
Does registration for the webinar guarantee me a spot?: No. While registration is required, please ensure that you join the discussion room before time as we can only accommodate the first 500 attendees.
Is this only for science professionals?: This webinar is part of a three-part webinar series targeting different stakeholders in the academia — PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, undergrads, masters and faculty. It primarily concerns with aspects of mental health relevant to science in India, hence the discussions will be particularly relevant to science professionals.
Is this only for biological science professionals?: This webinar is part of a three-part webinar series targeting different stakeholders in the academia — PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, undergrads, masters and faculty. It primarily concerns with aspects of mental health relevant to science in India, hence the discussions will be particularly relevant to science professionals. While concerns and challenges vary across disciplines, the overall discussions (we believe) will be helpful across science professionals in India.