Farha Abbasi, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM), has been named one of the top 15 women in the nation to be honored at the Women on the Frontlines: Celebrating Women Faith Leaders celebration. The invitation, which comes on behalf of Xavier Becerra, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, will recognize Dr. Abbasi’s transformative work on minority mental health and “extraordinary leadership on behalf of humanity.”

She calls this recognition on the national stage “humbling, validating and rejuvenating.” She continues, “Visibility is viability, and getting this award will help bring focus on the stigma and shame that silences mental illnesses in minority settings.”

Dr. Abbasi’s areas of interest are cultural psychiatry and teaching medical students how to provide culturally appropriate care to Muslim patients. She works directly with Muslim American community members to encourage integration rather than isolation in mainstream society. In addition to these efforts, Dr. Abbasi’s work as a psychiatrist has led her to address the barriers that stigmatize mental health.

When she was a second-year psychiatry resident, Dr. Abbasi received a minority fellowship from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She used the fellowship to launch a Muslim mental health conference in 2008 and for the last 15 years, she has worked relentlessly to establish Muslim mental health as a specialized field.

Read the full story on the College of Osteopathic Medicine website.