Addressing the unmet mental health needs of patients with chronic conditions

In 2019, I completed a placement at a Costa Rican public hospital as part of my clinical training at the University of Costa Rica.  During my training, I learned first-hand the unmet mental health needs of patients with chronic health conditions and the lack of evidence-based guidelines. This experience sparked my interest to explore the relationship between mental and physical health and help improve evidence-based clinical practice.

I worked as an intern at UNESCO in 2020 to develop mental health programmes for Latin American journalists in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this position, I also encountered many unmet mental health needs and a lack of evidence-based guidelines.

Following these experiences, I was awarded a Chevening Scholarship in 2021/2022 to pursue a MSc in Health Psychology at University College London. After completing my MSc, I worked as a research and teaching assistant at the University of Costa Rica where I focused on health-psychology related topics.

However, I wanted to pursue a PhD to acquire more advanced research skills and lead future projects that may help fill in the gaps in mental health research in people with chronic health conditions.

My current role as a PhD student at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London is a significant step to meet my future goals and aspirations. Funded through the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre and supervised by Dr Helena Zavos and Dr Moritz Herle, my PhD aims to explore the relationship between cardiovascular disease and mental health and identify intervention targets. This PhD project uses mixed methods and a translational approach, which will strengthen my academic skills while helping improve evidence-based clinical practice for people with cardiovascular disease. I hope that my PhD project will be a catalyst for future research addressing the mental health needs of people with chronic health conditions.