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Home About MHFA Research and Evidence Base Mental Health First Aid Doctoral Student Grants

Mental Health First Aid Doctoral Student Grants

Overview

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is committed to expanding the research and evaluation of all Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) programs. The MHFA USA Doctoral Student Grants Program demonstrates this commitment by supporting doctoral students interested evaluating the processes, outcomes and impacts of MHFA in the United States. Each year, the grant will provide a one-time award of $5,000 to six outstanding full-time doctoral students who demonstrate significant potential as researchers in their field of study.

Eligibility

  • Demonstrated experience with MHFA (e.g., MHFA Instructor or Coordinator) and/or strong interest in MHFA.
  • Full-time doctoral student (e.g., Ph.D., DrPH, Psy.D.) pursuing a degree in psychology, public health or related field of study.
  • Previous evaluation experience and demonstrated ability to document findings through publications and/or presentations.

Requirements

Once funded, doctoral grant recipients must:

  • Participate in quarterly research update calls with the MHFA team.
  • Submit a final report of research findings to the MHFA team within two years of receiving the grant.
  • Participate in an MHFA-sponsored event highlighting research.
  • Pursue a formal non-MHFA publication or presentation opportunity.

Application

The grant application will be posted to this page on April 03, 2023. The deadline for applying is May 21, 2023.

All interested doctoral students must apply to be considered for the grant. Successful applicants will bring diverse experiences evaluating programs and demonstrate innovative ideas for measuring MHFA programs’ processes, outcomes and impacts. Priority will be given to research proposals with strong experimental or quasi-experimental designs that:

1. Aim to measure a priority core MHFA course in a diverse community sample to understand large-scale implementation, outcomes, and/or impacts. Core MHFA courses include:

  • Adult MHFA Version 2.0
  • Youth MHFA Version 2.0

OR

2. Aim to measure a priority core MHFA course in a diverse community sample to understand large-scale implementation, outcomes, and/or impacts. Core MHFA courses include:

  • Adult MHFA for Older Adults Version 2.0
  • Adult MHFA for Fire/EMS Version 2.0
  • Adult MHFA for Higher Education Version 2.0
  • Adult MHFA for Military, Veterans and Their Families Version 2.0
  • Adult MHFA for Rural Communities Version 2.0
  • Adult MHFA for Public SafetyVersion 2.0
  • Youth MHFA for Tribal Communities and Indigenous Peoples Version 2.0
  • Adult MHFA for Spanish-speaking Communities Version 2.0
  • Youth MHFA for Spanish-speaking Communities Version 2.0

Awardee Selection

A selection committee of MHFA staff and Research Advisory Group members will review all applications received by the deadline between May 22 and June 2, 2023. A panel will interview finalists June 5-9, 2023, and the six top candidates will be selected by June 16, 2023. Prior to receiving the grant funding, top candidates and their advisors will be required to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) committing to all requirements.

Learn More

Important Dates

DateTask
April 3, 2023Grant application released
April 5, 2023Informational webinar
May 21, 2023Grant application deadline
May 22–June 2, 2023Grant applications reviewed by Selection Committee
June 5–9, 2023Finalist interviews
June 12–16, 2023Awardees selected
by June 23, 2023Awardees notified
July 14, 2023Awardees announced

Our 2022 MHFA Doctoral Student Grant Awardees

Headshot of Ami Patel

Ami Patel

Second-year Ph.D. student, School Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park
Diksha Bali Headshot

Diksha Bali

Third-year Ph.D. student, School Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park
Ashley Coburn Headshot

Ashley Coburn

Third-year Ph.D. student, School Psychology, University of Northern Colorado
Breanna King Headshot

Breanna King

Third-year Ph.D. student, School Psychology, University of Northern Colorado
Natalie Malone Headshot

Natalie Malone

Fourth-year Ph.D. student, Counseling Psychology, University of Kentucky

Our 2021 MHFA Doctoral Student Grant Awardees

Caroline Barry

Second-year PhD student, behavioral, social and health education sciences, Emory University

Mazneen Havewala

Second-year PhD student, school psychology, University of Maryland, College Park

Olivia Khoo

Fourth-year PhD student, school psychology, Columbia University

Melanie Soderstrom

Fifth-year PhD student, criminal justice, University of Central Florida
  • Mental Health First Aid training has taught the officer to ask his charges, “What happened?” instead of, “What’s wrong with you?”” –Officer Orlando Singleton
  • So many people are out there wishing for something better, hoping that help will show up. That’s what Mental Health First Aid is – it is help to get people connected to care and ultimately to get them to a better place.” –Tousha Paxton-Barnes, U.S. Army Veteran
  • I wish that every corrections officer could receive Mental Health First Aid training. I believe that our corrections system would be better because of it – the inmates would benefit, the officers would benefit and ultimately our communities would benefit.” –Lt. Virgil Meyer, Lieutenant, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
  • As adults, we sometimes forget how hard it was being an adolescent. When we see a kid who is just miserable at school, we might think they choose to be that way – or that it’s just part of adolescence. But in fact, they might be in a mental health crisis, one they certainly did not choose and do not want. When a teacher says “how can I be helpful,” that is a powerful question. ” –Alyssa Fruchtenicht, School-Based Mental Health Counselor
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