Alisha Monnette, PHD | Mental Health trauma-informed Consultant

I was literally in school for 22 years straight! Having gone straight from high school to college to graduate school to recently finishing my PhD, I’ve been a professional student all my life. The thought of having to enter the professional world was intimidating; and although the work I had been doing was aligned with the work being done in community/industry settings, it was scary and I was unsure how my skills would transfer.

Imposter syndrome is real. 

However, with every new life change comes new challenges and rewarding experiences, and the transition from academia to community-based work has been no different. I’ve been able to take my skills and knowledge and apply them in real-world settings. It's been rewarding to see my work manifest into actual action items that impact the communities I work with daily. 

I received my PhD in Health Policy and Management from Tulane University, where my research focused on evaluating how healthcare policies, programs, and preventive measures were used to impact access to care and health outcomes for vulnerable populations, such as low-income minority groups and those with chronic conditions like mental health and homelessness. Through this work, I was able to provide evidenced-based research that could impact large populations at a time.

Academia taught me how to develop a study from start to finish—generate the research question, understand how to collect the data to address the research question, analyze the data through qualitative and quantitative techniques, and disseminate findings in a way that is understandable and captures the attention of all stakeholders—but not necessarily how to work with the people in a study. I had to learn that on my own. 

A lot of times within academia and working with such large datasets, although you can make a large impact, the human interaction lacks and you don’t get to see the effects of your work in the short term. For example, a study on Medicaid expansion won’t see its impact for years after the research has been published due to the legality and political processes in government and the healthcare sector. These were some of the factors that helped me decide to do more community-based work, to be able to work in partnership with community members in study design and implementation, as well as see the possible impacts of our research on real people’s lives.

Transitioning from academia to a community-based setting has been refreshing and motivating. I’ve been able to take all that I’ve learned in academia and use that knowledge to further the work being done in a community that I call home. I had to learn to take my experience and translate my skills into a professional work setting, and in this case that’s at the Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies. I’ve worked with IWES for 2.5 years as a mental health trauma-informed consultant. In this role I support a variety of grant projects, focusing on evaluating trauma-informed approaches to improve the mental health and mental well-being of underserved populations. My responsibilities include:

• Analyzing and assessing health care infrastructures in urban communities

• Identifying existing mental health resources, service gaps, and access barriers

• Advocating for a more responsive public mental health system and improving overall access to health care services

Skills needed include:

• Qualitative techniques such as survey development, conducting interviews and focus groups, and synthesizing findings

• Quantitative analysis using statistical software and advanced analytical thinking

• Developing dissemination materials such as reports, briefs, and presentations

• Project planning and management, organization, meeting facilitation, and time-management

In academia, when working behind the scenes from an office and never engaging or being on the front lines with the populations that you are evaluating, it can be easy to forget the importance of the work. However, being at IWES, I can truly see how my efforts make an impact and it allows me to be intentional through every step of the work. 

Through community work, the important thing I’ve learned is how to take all of the advanced analysis, critical thinking, and study design and simplify that information in a way that is easily digestible for the average person. Though the work we do is very important, if we cannot convey that in a way that our community leaders, advocates, and patients/consumers understand, then the work will not be as meaningful. It is very important to be able to translate the information to different populations and different stakeholders. 

Through this work I am able to be on the frontlines and see how my efforts make a true impact. I’ve been able to use my PhD to leverage my skills for a larger cause and work with a team towards a common cause, rather than be the “lone wolf” researcher I had been for so many years. I now have the responsibility and opportunity to make decisions that have an immediate impact upon the direction of the organization and communities we serve. It has been an enriching experience that I am thankful to be a part of.