Mumbai born Vikram Patel, a well-known researcher and mental health expert, will be the next chair of the Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine. Patel who presently the Pershing Square Professor of Global Health at the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, will assume charge on September 1, according to an official announcement last week.
Patel, whose work focused on the burden of mental health problems across the life course, their association with social disadvantage, and the use of community resources for their prevention and treatment, will succeed Paul Farmer, who led the department until his death in February 2022. Vikram is both a worthy successor and uniquely prepared to carry the torch, said George Q. Daley, dean of the Harvard Medical School (HMS), in a letter to the community announcing the appointment.