By: Hannah Heitz
Thus, in Dr. Druss’ work, he prioritizes function, especially in disadvantaged populations: “It is about more than just dialing down psychosis—what is meaningful to them? Are there other aspects of things we can do to help them? Housing? Employment?” He looks beyond the acute symptoms of mental illness and looks at how the symptoms have a holistic impact an individual’s life. Dr. Druss is currently conducting research in health system level interventions in order to foster integration between mental health and medical care. He wants to find unique ways to fill existing gaps in the health service system.
Dr. Druss has seen vast changes in the field of both medicine and public health in the past years. Through is research and various professional roles, he gets to keep learning and promoting improvements in mental healthcare access through his work at RSPH and the Carter Center. Dr. Druss found his niche at the population level with a focus on improving mental health care and believes that changes at the level of larger systems can foster improvements in patient care and functioning.