Conquering mental health demons: Editage Insights to host motivational talk for STEM academics

The pressures that researchers are subjected to on a regular basis and the impact this has on their mental health are topics that have been typically discussed in silos. Research on this area on a global scale is scarce. In October 2019, Cactus Communications (CACTUS), a global scholarly, medical communications, and technology solutions company, launched a large-scale survey to shed light on joy and stress triggers and overall mental health in academia. The survey – powered by Cactus Foundation, an initiative aimed to help researchers grow into leaders and create global impact with their work, and supported by Editage Insights, a CACTUS solution offering resources and advice to researchers worldwide – has thus far garnered responses from over 2,000 researchers. To give impetus to this novel initiative, several new collaborators and two participating organizations (Moneague College and IndiaBioscience) have come onboard.

As part of its continued efforts to spread awareness around mental health in academia, Editage Insights will host an online talk with the founder of the popular Her STEM Story podcast, Prasha Sarwate Dutra. The talk will be held at 8:00 AM EST on January 11, 2020.

In this hour-long talk, Sarwate Dutra will talk about her personal struggles during her STEM journey and how she overcame depression and anxiety to build her career. She will also share advice on staying motivated while pursuing a PhD.

On the motivation behind this talk, Clarinda Cerejo, Editor-in-Chief, Editage Insights, says, “It’s heartening to see that researchers, academic societies, and research institutions are warming up to the important topic of mental health in academia. I believe that giving researchers a platform to share their personal experiences in the form of talks like this will really help all stakeholders understand their perspectives and shape this global movement further.”

The survey is now available in English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese, and will soon be available in French and Arabic. Early results from the survey will be presented in May at the Society for Scholarly Publishing Annual Conference 2020 in Boston.

To sign up for the free online talk with Prasha Sarwate Dutra, visit editage.com/insights/conquering-mental-health-demons-in-my-stem-journey

To participate in the Cactus Foundation Mental Health Survey, visit cactusglobal.com/mental-health-survey/