As an HSOC major interested in the holistic aspects of both medicine and community health, and a Muslim who has witnessed the stigma against mental health within Muslim communities, I sought to research mental health stigma amongst the Muslim community off campus. Although there are many studies regarding mental health stigma amongst general populations, the research on specific challenges facing Muslim communities is limited. I began actualizing this project as a Research Intern at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety (CTSA), which was my first opportunity exploring research on mental health. Alongside my PI Dr. Brown and Research Assistant Reem AlRabiah (COL ’19), both of whom I work with at the CTSA, we have been working on gathering information about causes for mental health stigma within the West Philadelphia Muslim community. Afterwards, we will produce a list of possible modes of advocacy for religious leaders within this population.

I have applied for and received IRB approval, however we aspired to be further in our project at this point. We have had to shift our timeline back due to COVID-19 but we have worked hard to modify our approach by advertising remotely, and preparing to soon safely advertise in person. Our research will then consist of first conducting qualitative interviews and analyzing the results by transcribing and coding the interviews. Based on the common themes and repeatedly discussed points, we will then determine the best strategies for trusted community leaders to carry out. 

As someone who is not from West Philadelphia, my goal as well as the collective goal of our research team is to work with the community to determine ways to normalize mental health issues, and have their community leaders advocate for the importance of mental healthcare. By basing our recommended strategies entirely off of the interviews, our aim is to let community members themselves determine what will uplift their community. I intend to continue carrying out this project for the entirety of my senior year, but it has already been incredibly rewarding. I look forward to continuing to work with the West Philadelphia Muslim community while having the privilege to constantly learn from them.