Yee Xiong, MD, Awarded 2019 Bob Baumer Scholarship

Yee Xiong, MD, described her interest in the scholarship and the opportunities it offers, “As the second Hmong psychiatrist in the state of Minnesota, I stand at the forefront of tackling mental health disparities in the Hmong community. The Hmong community encounters a complex interplay of disproportionately high prevalence of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicide in the setting of ongoing social marginalization, chemical use adaptation, and a unique social determinant of mental health. I hope to become a psychiatrist whose services are extended beyond community mental health centers/hospitals into the locus of care for the seriously mentally ill: the community itself. By using the clan organization and complementary and alternative health modalities as stepping stones to shared decision-making and evidence-based care, my approach to community psychiatry can become tools for prevention, treatment, action, and support to promote good mental health for the Hmong community and the neighboring communities that mental illness and its stigma transmit to.” Dr. Xiong will also pursue APA scholar opportunities in New York City