On the 8th of February 2023, WiN UK hosted a virtual event, “Minds Matter: Rethinking Mental Health in Academia”, featuring Dr Jelena Brasanac and Dr Julia Rummel as our two incredible guest speakers. The event kicked off with Sirjan, the WiN UK Virtual Events Officer, stating crucial facts: approximately 15% of undergraduate students and 13% of graduate students suffer from anxiety or depression during their studies. Moreover, those in PhD programmes are particularly vulnerable to these mental health disorders, highlighting the immense psychological pressure of academia as a professional environment. It is essential that light is shed on these pressing statistics, and that more is collectively done to inform and promote changes to what can be a frequently isolating and overwhelming environment, particularly for young people.
DR JELENA BRASANAC
Researching and cultivating mental health in academia
Dr Jelena Brasanac began her talk by reflecting on her journey in academia thus far. Notably, one of her key points was the importance of a supportive supervisor whilst completing a PhD, something echoed by many. Currently in a Postdoctoral Researcher position, Dr Brasanac specialises in immunopsychiatry and altered states of consciousness. Her interest in this area sparked from her curiosity about the crossover between the nervous and immune systems in psychiatric diseases.
Dr Brasanac’s work has largely focused on depression and employing psychedelics as a revolutionary treatment. Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, affecting approximately 6% of the population worldwide. This heterogeneous disorder has a variety of phenotypes, complex pathogenesis, and diverse clinical presentation, so it is incredibly hard to identify universal biological markers to improve diagnosis and treatment.
Much of Dr Brasanac’s research has looked at uncovering biological similarities across depression cases to provide clues as to how this disorder initiates and progresses. This has included investigating inflammation as a stratification factor. Underlying inflammatory medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), are a frequent co-morbidity with depression. Between 30-50% of MS patients develop depression in their lifetime, referred to as MS-associated depression, and this is a field in which Dr Brasanac is actively investigating.
Furthermore, Dr Brasanac is a co-founder of DRAGONFLY Mental Health, a non-profit on a quest to cultivate excellent mental health in academic institutions worldwide. This organisation was founded in April 2020, and now encompasses over 300 volunteers from 45 countries. DRAGONFLY Mental Health disseminates educational material across university campuses, builds communities to share experiences (café networking, a joint Slack workspace), and conducts research (global consortiums). More than 25,000 academics have been reached across 17 countries, including through DRAGONFLY’s programs on mental health literacy; skills training workshops; and anti-stigma films.
There is a worryingly high prevalence of anxiety and depression in PhD students, with a survey published in Nature showing over a third of PhD students sought external help regarding their mental health related to their PhD studies. It is imperative to prioritise mental health in any relationship, both personal and professional, including with academic supervisors. Dr Brasanac emphasises the beneficial nature of self-compassion, connecting with like-minded people for support, and reaching out to external mental health professionals.
If you are interested in the services offered by DRAGONFLY, including tackling mental health in universities and academic societies, please find out more about DRAGONFLY on their website, or follow the DRAGONFLY Instagram.
See Dr Brasnac’s Publications
Brasanac, J. et al. (2022) “Cellular specificity of mitochondrial and immunometabolic features in major depression,” Molecular Psychiatry, 27(5), pp. 2370–2371. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01473-2.
Brasanac, J. et al. (2022) “Immune signature of multiple sclerosis-associated depression,” Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 100, pp. 174–182. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2021.11.022.
DR JULIA RUMMEL
My path from academia to an own consultancy business – or: ‘why not?’
The second speaker of our event, Dr Julia Rummel, talked at length about her impressive career journey, from being in academia to taking a leap of faith into entrepreneurship. Dr Rummel is a certified professional coach, wingwave (emotional) coach, and a neuroscientist.
Whilst completing her PhD, Dr Rummel came across a ‘Design Thinking Training’ course while considering what to pursue as her career. She enjoyed the translational elements of neuroscience, as well as the array of soft skills required, including independence and innovation. Whilst attending a ‘Design Thinking Training’ course, Dr Rummel met several individuals through networking with whom she later went on to build a whole consultancy company with. Although this was not something Dr Rummel had initially had in mind for her career, she remains highly confident in this decision and has been very successful in this field. She serves as an inspirational role model for the alternative career routes available outside of academia, which should be more actively promoted to young people in higher education.
Her consultancy group, named INNOKI, is based in Berlin. The extensive services they offer include consulting for professional teams or organisations that want to develop a new product, service, internal process, or communication culture. Importantly, INNOKI focuses on augmenting the human side of consultancy, with a real emphasis on what the people, rather than the business, truly need. Some of Dr Rummel’s work with INNOKI includes collaborating with PhD students and academic research groups, improving interpersonal culture, and promoting healthy working environments, which are essential for the prosperity and productivity of any professional group.
Dr Rummel left research and does not regret her choice, despite the immense pressure many scientists feel to continue their journey in academia. She explained the many features of her current position that she prefers to her time spent in academia, particularly the teamwork, shared responsibility, creativity, ability to be her own boss, and financial freedom. Although Dr Rummel did not have an extensive education or prior experience in finance, business, or marketing, she emphasised the point to follow your gut feeling and make the necessary career decisions that suit your personal skillset and professional desires. There is no pressure to stay in academia, and many other options exist that are not widely discussed with students, especially in fields external to traditional academia or the pharmaceutical industry.
Find out more about INNOKI on their website, or follow the INNOKI Instagram.
Thank you to both our incredible speakers for taking the time to provide us with their unique insights and advice.
This article was written by Lauren Wallis, and edited by Ailie McWhinnie. Interested in writing for WiN UK yourself? Contact us through the blog page and the editors will be in touch!