Attending the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting

Nicole Benson, MD

Fellow, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital

PGY-5

June 6, 2019

I was pleased to receive a grant to participate in my first AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting. As a mental health services researcher, I was looking forward to attending one of the largest meetings that brings together leaders in the field of health care and policy. I was hoping to learn about the latest findings in healthcare service delivery. One of the major benefits of attending this conference for me was to be able to meet likeminded researchers and to learn about their work. I also was looking forward to the opportunity for invaluable networking and mentorship.

 

I saw presentations ranging from how to better integrate social determinants of health into care and research to how disparities in care are evident in mental health care across the lifespan. I particularly benefitted from learning about interventions that are being implemented and tested to evaluate ways to increase access for mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

In addition to being able to attend the meeting, I also participated as a panelist in a policy roundtable to discuss alternative payment models in behavioral health and was selected to present my research in a workshop on behavioral health policy interventions and impacts. Being able to discuss my findings with experts in these areas was a great opportunity for my career development and helped shape my thoughts for more research moving forward.

Attending this conference more than exceeded my expectations. I met many leaders in the field of health services research across all aspects of medicine. It was exciting to hear about innovative ideas for the major issues in our field.