August 13, 2022

Civilians Helping Soldiers Cope

Active duty military personnel who need private mental health services are now able to receive them, thanks to a nationwide civilian network of volunteer mental health professionals. Then, there has been a dramatic change in the number of women receiving college degrees in recent decades. What caused the change, and what does it mean for women and society?

Episode Segments:

Private mental health services for the Military Howard Waitzkin, M.D., Ph.D. is Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at the University of New Mexico and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois. Dr. Waitzkin said many active duty military personnel are making extensive use of private mental health services. He explained that they often do so because they are dissatisfied with the quality of military care and are worried about reprisals from their command. He discussed outside help that is offered by a nationwide civilian network of volunteer mental health professionals.
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Higher Education Policy and the Changing Gender Dynamics Deondra Rose, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Duke University, and author of Citizens By Degree: Higher Education Policy and the Changing Gender Dynamics of American Citizenship. Dr. Rose discussed the striking change in higher education over the past few decades, as women have come to earn college degrees at higher rates than men. She explained the reasons behind the trend, and the broader implications for women and society. She believes it empowers women to become not only more financially independent, but also more socially integrated and more politically engaged. She also discussed the impact of the “#MeToo” movement in the empowerment of women.
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Be Positive About Math Lang Chen, PhD, postdoctoral scholar in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine was the lead author of a study that identified the brain pathway that links a positive attitude toward math to higher achievement in the subject. He found that a student’s attitude is an even a greater factor in their performance in math than IQ. He stressed the importance of parents and teachers, in encouraging students to keep an open mind and a positive attitude.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Howard Waitzkin Howard Waitzkin is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Sociology and the School of Medicine at the University of New Mexico. He also practices medicine as a primary care practitioner in rural northern New Mexico. His work focuses on social conditions that lead to illness, unnecessary suffering, and early death. Dr. Waitzkin at the University of New Mexico

Deondra Rose Deondra Rose is an Assistant Professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy with a secondary appointment in the Department of Political Science. Her research focuses on the feedback effects of landmark social policies on the American political landscape. In addition to U.S. public/social policy, Rose's research and teaching interests include higher education policy, American political development (APD), political behavior, identity politics (e.g., gender, race, and socioeconomic status), and inequality.Her first book, Citizens by Degree: Higher Education Policy and the Changing Gender Dynamics of American Citizenship (Oxford University Press, 2018), examines the development of landmark U.S. higher education policies--including the National Defense Education Act of 1958, the Higher Education Act of 1965, and Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments--and their impact on the progress that women have made since the mid-twentieth century. Rose's research has appeared in Studies in American Political Development, the Journal of Policy History, the Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, and PS: Political Science & Politics. Follow Deondra on Twitter