Social Work's Pivotal Role in Reducing Mental Health Disparities
Mental Health Expert
Saturday, November 1
9:00 am–10:15 am
Lonnie Snowden’s knowledge of disparities between minorities and Whites regarding access and quality of mental health care provided an eye-opening discussion on diversifying social work education at APM. By establishing a context for renewed federal and local attention, his lecturer left a lasting impression on the considerable crowd in attendance.
Snowden argued that, by virtue of training, outlook, and professional roles in the mental health services system, social workers are well-positioned to lead disparity reduction efforts. He proposed a method by which disparities research and practice could develop a reciprocal relationship necessary to advance the disparities-reduction agenda. The audiences' thoughtful questions following the speech demonstrated that his lecturer undoubtedly increased the scientific understanding on ethnic minority-White disparities in mental healthcare.
Professor of the University of California, Berkeley’s Health Policy and Administration Program in the School of Public Health, his research has won continuous grant support for almost 25 years, including support from the National Institute of Mental Health. Snowden has served on review and advisory committees for the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as well as the Office of the Surgeon General. A frequent contributor to the scholarly literature, Snowden wrote sections of Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General and served as co-scientific editor of the supplement: Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity.