In this session, Dr. Courtney Beard, PhD, a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, will present the results of her research on digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) for individuals from minoritized communities, with a focus on Black and Latinx adults. She will explore how smartphone-delivered interventions, such as the "HabitWorks" interpretation bias intervention, can improve engagement and the acceptability of mental health care among these populations. Dr. Beard will discuss the potential of DMHIs to increase access to evidence-based mental health care, especially for those facing unique barriers to traditional treatment. The findings from her study offer promising insights into how digital tools can play a pivotal role in addressing mental health care disparities. Read the full study: https://mental.jmir.org/2024/1/e56758

About Dr. Courtney Beard: Dr. Courtney Beard is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She is also the Director of the Cognition and Affect Research and Education (CARE) Laboratory at McLean Hospital, where she has led research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) since 2008. Dr. Beard's research focuses on uncovering the cognitive and emotional mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders, with a particular emphasis on anxiety and mood disorders. She is dedicated to developing targeted interventions to improve mental health care, especially for underserved populations. Through her innovative work on digital mental health interventions, Dr. Beard seeks to enhance accessibility and effectiveness of mental health treatments for individuals from diverse and minoritized backgrounds.