Washington, D.C. — Farha Abbasi, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Michigan State University, has been appointed to the APA Foundation’s Board of Directors. A respected clinician, educator, and advocate, she was recently recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services as one of fifteen impactful female faith leaders nationwide. Both in her local community and internationally, Abbasi is an advocate for Muslim mental health and culturally competent care.
“Dr. Abbasi’s contributions as a board member will go a long way towards advancing our mission of a mentally healthy nation for all,” said Marketa Wills, M.D., M.B.A., Chair of the APA Foundation Board and CEO and Medical Director of the APA. “The APA Foundation, with its public education and innovative mental health programs, improves the lives of people and the various communities in which they live, work and play across the country. Dr. Abbasi’s previous leadership makes her a terrific candidate to help steer our organization.”
In addition to Abbasi’s clinical practice and academic research, she served on the APA’s Committee on Minority Mental Health from 2018-2020. She currently serves as an Executive Committee Member of the World Psychiatric Association’s Section on Religion, Spirituality, and Psychiatry. At Michigan State University, her work extends beyond the Department of Psychiatry to roles in the Muslim Studies Program, the Center for Gender Studies, and the Advisory Council for the College of Human Medicine. She has received Community Service Awards from both the Pakistani Physicians of North America and the Pakistan Women Association of Michigan. She also currently chairs the Mental Health Task Force for the Mayor of Lansing, Michigan.
Dr. Abbasi received a SAMHSA Minority Fellowship through the APA Foundation in 2009 when she was a second-year resident. She used her fellowship to launch the first global Muslim Mental Health Conference, now in its sixteenth consecutive year, and she has worked throughout her career to integrate Muslim mental health care into the American health care system. Originally from Pakistan, she earned her medical degree from Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences in 1989 and immigrated to the U.S. to complete her residency at Michigan State.
“As a SAMHSA Minority Fellow in 2008, I have seen the American Psychiatric Association Foundation evolve into one of the most effective national platforms to reflect and encapsulate the mental health needs of the people,” said Dr. Abbasi. “I am a big proponent of culturally competent care, working relentlessly to integrate mental health care that befits patients’ culture and faith needs in minoritized settings. My hope is to improve acceptance, affordability, and access to mental health care, and I am grateful to have found a team that really cares in the APA Foundation Board of Directors.”
“We are overjoyed that Dr. Abbasi is deepening her engagement in the strategic growth of our work to make mental health accessible,” said Rawle Andrews, Jr., Esq., Executive Director of the APA Foundation. “Her advanced clinical and cultural skillsets, including her proclivity for community engagement, will both drive the development of the Foundation and inform each area of our programmatic work.”
APA Foundation board members serve three-year terms. Visit our website to learn more about the APA Foundation Board of Directors.