Twenty-Four Students Explore Careers in Public Health as Dwight Hall Community Mental Health Fellows

In 2018, the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) and Dwight Hall launched the Community Mental Health Fellows program with an inaugural class of seven undergraduates. The program aimed to support research and community-based initiatives and expand the pool of students focused on educational and career pathways in public health. 

CMHC, a partnership between the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Yale University, was founded in 1966 and offers comprehensive mental and behavioral health services to tens of thousands of low-income New Haven residents every year.

Today, the Community Mental Health Fellows cohort has grown to 24 students who are evenly split between two tracks—service and clinical research. Students on the service track are engaged in Outpatient Rehabilitation, Street Psychiatry, Early Intervention in Psychosis, Assertive Community Treatment, and population health projects with the City of New Haven’s Office of Community Mental Health Initiatives. Meanwhile, 12 students on the clinical research track work in labs to investigate the science behind mental health and mental health treatment.

Kyle Pedersen ’02 M.A.R., Director of the CMHC Foundation, is one of the co-founders of the Community Mental Health Fellows program and the coordinator of the service track. “We were inspired by our former CEO at CMHC, Dr. Michael Sernyak, who wanted to offer meaningful ways for students to get involved, gain experience, and pursue academic and career interests in public health, especially public mental health,” Kyle explained. “We approached Dwight Hall as a partner because of its strong connection to the student community and for the infrastructure  and support it can provide.” 

In his role, Kyle works closely with Dr. Sarah Fineberg, who directs Fellows on the research track; Mark Fopeano, Director of Programming and Evaluation at Dwight Hall; and current student co-coordinators Karen Ayoub ’25, Nicole Campbell ’25, Goeun Lee ’25, and Jessica Na ’25.

According to Kyle, current and previous Fellows showed tremendous skill and flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic and as the program shifted back toward in-person events and opportunities. “The students have been great every year. During the application and interview process, we ask students how they want to use the internship to inform postgraduate academic and career paths. They are very thoughtful and use the experience to learn firsthand about different disciplines and different opportunities to engage in public health work,” he noted.

Dr. Sarah Fineberg, coordinator of the clinical research track, has also enjoyed her time working with the Fellows. She explained that the program allows interested students to collaborate with clinicians and scientists to learn how to better help patients in public psychiatry settings. The laboratories and research the students support cover a wide variety of subjects, allowing students to pursue the kind of research that is most interesting to them. 

“Students meet regularly with their mentors to talk about the practice of public psychiatry and to learn and practice clinical skills through work with people affected by serious mental illness,” Dr. Fineberg explained. 

Dr. Fineberg gave several examples of the work that students on the research track are pursuing: “One student interested in becoming a doctor has been learning how to use detailed clinical research interviews to characterize symptoms of schizophrenia. Another student who is interested in becoming a nurse practitioner has been learning to collect blood pressures and update clinical histories for patients enrolled in the medication treatment clinic for severe substance use disorders. Another student who is interested in becoming a clinical psychologist is applying skills from a vision neuroscience lab to clinically-directed work with fMRI scans and is using his new experience interviewing patients to inform the design of the fMRI analyses.” 

Merit Onyekwere ’26 is a Community Mental Health Fellow on the clinical research track. Originally motivated to apply by her desire to attend medical school in the future, her research has led her to discover new scientific interests. “Working in a psychedelic studies lab has revealed to me that I am deeply interested in unconventional treatment methodologies, so I intend to further explore that niche throughout my pre-medical and medical career,” emphasized Merit.

Ben Swinchoski ’25 is another Fellow on the research track. To Ben, participating in the program has taught him about the different perspectives needed to fully understand psychiatry and public health. “Becoming acquainted with the Connecticut Mental Health Center through this fellowship has opened my eyes to the rich, interdisciplinary clinical research carried out at this institution and motivates me to integrate public health perspectives and principles into my future desired career as a clinical psychologist with a focus in cognitive neuroscience,” he explained. 

In addition to their work with a lab, which typically involves six to ten hours of work every week, students on the clinical research track have the opportunity to meet regularly with Dr. Fineberg and each other, organizing monthly dinners to discuss progress in their labs and share insights about their experiences. “I especially enjoy [these] monthly Research Track cohort dinners, where we talk about our experiences in our respective placements and our future career plans while eating [at] House of Naan,” said Ben.

Sarah detailed what these moments of connection between students can offer. “The students eagerly encourage and challenge each other, providing ideas, resources, and troubleshooting,” she said. “Overall, they reflect that their interest in social justice-engaged careers in healthcare is amplified by the program, and that they appreciate the many opportunities Community Mental Health Fellows affords to extend their knowledge of the broad interdisciplinary career options in public healthcare.”

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The Community Mental Health Fellows program exemplifies the Grow pillar of Dwight Hall’s Engage, Grow, and Advance program delivery model, providing field experiences, training, and mentorship that develop students’ intellectual, moral, and civic capacities. 
You may learn more about Dwight Hall Community Mental Health Fellows here and contribute to the program here.