Sanaya Shikari

Sanaya Shikari worked with Neha Kinariwalla, the Founder/CEO of the Humanology Project, to create a massive open online course (MOOC) that educates science journalists on how to communicate mental health in the media in a non-stigmatizing way. This endeavor allowed Sanaya to investigate mental health stigma in differently resourced communities and gain insight into various cultural perspectives on mental illnesses and mental health services. She worked extensively on translating relevant research into a digital medium that was accessible to everyone by creating and editing animations, videos, and presentations. Her creativity was also displayed when she created social media posts that transformed information and academic jargon into visuals that were more palatable for the public. Sanaya hopes to work for reformation of educational policy to benefit the psycho-social development of children, and she is excited to incorporate her experience at GMHP into her future research.