2021 Naveed Arif Iqball Award Recipient Announced

Led by the Eisenberg Family Depression Center, the annual Naveed Arif Iqball Award for Mental Health Advocacy and Stigma Reduction supports new and innovative community initiatives that raise mental health awareness through a $2,000 grant. Recently, future clinical psychologist Hannah Becker was granted the 2021 award.

Hannah Becker is a 2nd year Clinical Science doctoral student at the University of Michigan. Her work as a child mental health trainee and experience with the negative impacts of stigma in her own family have motivated her to create change in the field of mental health.

Becker’s project involves the creation of a podcast aimed towards helping young adults who struggle with their mental health or want to help their peers. She hopes to use the power of shared experience in reducing stigma by inviting Washtenaw County community members to talk about their own mental health stories. When considering who her guest speakers will be, she acknowledges the importance of inviting people form a variety of different backgrounds and cultures to be as inclusive as possible, while also retaining a “physical and emotional closeness of podcast listeners to guests.”

Recognizing that many youth refrain from speaking about their conditions or symptoms due to the fear of social or professional consequences, Becker hopes that this podcast will decrease the number of individuals who would’ve otherwise missed the opportunity to receive treatment. Becker, who will host the podcast herself, plans to produce at least one podcast every month.

To learn more about the award and former grant recipients, visit https://www.depressioncenter.org/naveed.

We are grateful to Arif Iqball of Kyoto, Japan for establishing this award in memory of his son Naveed, and to the many other generous donors who have made contributions to support this annual award.