Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH)

05/21/2025

03/17/2025

Please join Dr. Annie Harper and others t this great event.
8th Annual Yale Refugee Health Conference
THURSDAY, MARCH 27
5:30 - 8:15 PM
This event will be held in the Hope Memorial Building, Room 110, 315 Cedar St. To view a poster for this event with more information and a link to register please click here. Everyone is invited.

"Physical and Mental Health of Refugees: From Surviving to Thriving"

Speakers:

Oballa Oballa, BSW, Senior Team Leader, Hormel Foods; City Councilman, Austin, MN; Former Ethiopian refugee

Maya Prabhu, MD, LLB, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; Associate Professor Adjunct of Law, Yale Law School

Sarah Mervine, JD, Director, Yale New Haven Health Medical-Legal Partnership for the Center for Children's Advocacy

Annie Harper, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health, Yale School of Medicine

The conference will feature an update on national refugee policy and discussions of key resources and advocacy strategies to promote resilience and thriving amongst refugee communities in Connecticut. It is sponsored by the the Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Memorial Fund and The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale.

03/17/2025

Please join us...

Public Psychiatry Division
FRIDAY, MARCH 21
12:00 - 1:00 PM
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Please click here to log in. Everyone isi invited.

"Attending to Racial Stress and Trauma"

Angela Haeny, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; Director, The Racial Equity & Addiction Lab (REAL) at Yale

02/06/2025

THE PERCH announces an open call for submissions for its new issue, SOCIAL, to be published in September 2025!
The PERCH is a creative arts journal with mental health themes focused on original voices.
What does being “social” look and feel like in today’s society? How do you experience your own social life? What do your social support networks look like? What does the lack or loss of social support feel like? How have your social networks changed? What does it mean to be in connection with others, in person or virtually? What are you doing or planning to do to stay connected to counteract loneliness and isolation?

Many studies have shown the significance of socializing and social support networks in promoting wellness and recovery from mental health issues, substance use, and physical health challenges. THE PERCH’s new SOCIAL Issue will explore the relationship between our social lives and health through artistic contributions in 2025!

We seek poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, artwork, virtual [visual] art, and scholarly pieces that illustrate the many aspects of social support and its relationship to wellness and recovery. Narratives may include personal stories about seeking social support, the loss of social support and its consequences, and the complex range of thoughts and feelings you experience about your support systems. Submissions should reflect social support’s many forms, including but not limited to friendships, relationships, mentorship, peer support and support groups, community, and social media. We are looking for specific and, in some cases, unusual or unexpected stories and images.

This is an open call—all are welcome to submit pieces for consideration!
Please submit your stories or artwork by March 30, 2025, at 11:59 pm. We anticipate a publication date in September 2025. Email Graziela Reis at graziela.reis@yale.edu with questions or concerns.
Link for Submission:

The PERCH announces an open call for submissions for its new issue, SOCIAL, to be published in September 2025! The PERCH is a creative arts journal with mental health themes focused on original voices. Many studies have shown the significance of being social and that of social support networks in pr...

02/03/2025

Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds will be in person unless otherwise noted and on Zoom this academic year. Please click this link to sign into the virtual presentations. The passcode is 793432.

All presentations begin at 10:15 and end at 11:30 am.

All in-person talks will be at Fitkin Auditorium. To reach the auditorium, enter the main entrance of the Boardman Building, 330 Cedar St. Proceed down the hallway to a "T" intersection. Go right, pass the elevators, and proceed through an arch and doors. Access a stairwell through the doors on the right and ascend the stairs to Fitkin.

Please visit the department's Grand Rounds website to view videos of past presentations.

MARCH 7, 2025
Honoring Dr. Larry Davidson: A Global Legacy - "Advancing Recovery-Oriented, Rights-Based Care, Systems Transformation, Peer Support, and Community Inclusion Worldwide"

A tribute to Larry Davidson, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine. Speakers will be announced soon.

12/20/2024

Janis Symanski-Tondora Maria O'Connell Bonarrigo Maria Elvira Restrepo Kelvin Young Annette Diaz ward Yale Department of Psychiatry Dana Smith Chyrell Bellamy Elizabeth Flanagan Lorraine Johnson Michael Rowe

Department of Psychiatry
December 18, 2024

Dear Colleagues,
With great sadness, we announce the passing of Cheri Bragg, BA, MSW, program manager (M&P) for the Yale Department of Psychiatry's Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH).

Cheri's legacy is one of advocacy and commitment, particularly in creating better support for all people, especially family members/carers of those who have experienced trauma, distress, mental illness, and drug use. Her impact as a state and national leader in Recovery Community Affairs, with over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field, is immeasurable.

Cheri's unique perspective, gained from her own lived experience, enriched her work in advocacy, peer support principles, community organizing, and knowledge of cutting-edge mental health/substance use/trauma responses. Her focus on person-centered, strengths-based, community-oriented solutions has left a lasting mark on the field.

Cheri's achievements were remarkable. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut in 1989 and recently graduated from the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Springfield College in May 2024. Cheri's journey at Yale began in 2019, when she was appointed the assistant director of the Office of Recovery Community Affairs for the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (CT DMHAS). For the past two years, she has worked more specifically at Yale PRCH as the program manager and creative designer for the newly established PRCH Family Lived Experience Initiative. She was key to designing the first Family/Carers Lived Experience Transformational Leadership Academy (LET(s)Lead) Australian cohort.

Prior to coming to Yale, Cheri served various positions over the years focused on the protections and rights of people with mental illness diagnoses through the State of CT Office of Protection & Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities (PAIMI), as a family advocate for FAVOR Inc., as a coordinator at Keep the Promise Inc., and as a human services worker at Community Health Resources (CHR), Inc. Cheri was also a community volunteer and spent many years volunteering for the Connecticut Legal Rights project (CLRP), Witnesses to Hunger – New Haven, Special Olympics CT, and Unified Sports. Cheri received the 2024 Connecticut Upward Spiral Award: Spirit of the People Award for her leadership and advocacy.

Cheri leaves behind a loving family who will deeply miss her. She is survived by her spouse, Paul Acker; her son, Brian McGuire; her father, Kenneth Bragg; and her sister, Dawn Bragg. Her passing is mourned not only by her immediate family, but also by her extended family, friends, and all of us in the Department of Psychiatry and at PRCH.

The family is planning a celebration of life for January. Cheri's legacy will live on through the Family Lived Experience Initiatives, which will be named after her in honor of her invaluable contributions.

Cards and condolences for the family can be sent to Chyrell D. Bellamy at chyrell.bellamy@yale.edu and they will be sent to the family.

Sincerely,

Chyrell D. Bellamy, Janis Tondora, Maria O'Connell, Maria Restrepo-Toro, Kimberly Blackman, and Annie Harper

PRCH Leadership

Department of Psychiatry
300 George St., Suite 901
New Haven CT 06511
Yale School of Medicine

12/04/2024

Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health
Phenomenology and Qualitative Methods Seminar

The course meets weekly beginning on October 28, 2024 through April 27, 2025. It is open to anyone planning to or currently engaged in qualitative research, including students, faculty, postdocs, community members, and people with lived experience. Students will learn basic skills, including conceptualizing projects, data collection and interviewing skills, and analysis. Students also will have the opportunity to discuss their own planned or in process research.

The instructors are Anthony Pavlo, PhD, Associate Research Scientist, Yale School of Medicine, and Eve Gardien, PhD, Assistant Professor Adjunct, Yale School of Medicine.

Please click here to view a poster with more information and a QR code to register.

12/04/2024

Please join Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon at Grand Rounds.
December 13, 2024
Title: "SAMHSA's Work Advancing the Nation's Behavioral Health: Federal Policies, Strategies, Services, and Supports"
Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, PhD, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Associate Professor Adjunct of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine