Erela Datuowei

Erela Datuowei is a rising senior double majoring in Health and Human Sciences, and French at the University of Southern California. Erela is also a Master’s in Public Health candidate with a concentration in health services and policy. She is particularly interested in how the origins of western medicine inform its current practices and systems and the ways in which it can be reformed to make healthcare systems more accessible and equitable.

While at the Global Mental Health Programs, Erela worked under Dr. Geoffrey Reed and Dr. Tahilia Rebello to develop materials for the Global Mental Health Academy, an interactive online course intended to train mental health professionals at all stages of their careers on the ICD-11 Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines for Mental, Behavioural and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. This involved reviewing, editing, and reformatting training units for the course. Erela also took part in the Africa Mental Health Foundation projects aimed at addressing the high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Kenya. For this project, Erela drafted biographical sketches in accordance with guidelines provided by the NIH, reviewed grant applications and interacted with researchers on the ground in Kenya with regards to formal documentation required by the World Health Organization.