Patricia Areán, PhD found an interest in skilled nursing and working to cheer up patients before she pursued her PhD. That was where her initial interest in mental health began. She received her PhD from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She worked a rotation in depression group therapy, which was primarily filled with seniors, and found working with this population to be rewarding. She did her internship at Bellevue Hospital and a fellowship at University of California, San Francisco in academic medicine.
Dr. Areán is currently working on three different randomized clinical trials: one is at UCSF in the treatment of depression with the usage of apps, the second tests cognitive training through a video game that is designed to condition the brain, and the third one is testing specific Behavioral Intervention treatment that is tailored to the patient’s presentation of depression. She believes her most important work is in all of her team sciences approach. She finds working in teams to be hugely beneficial. Five years from now, she hopes that collaborative care is how most mental health care is delivered.