Dr. Lisa Augustine (she/her/hers), MB BCh (WITS), Dip HIV Man (SA), MHRT/C, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow from Johannesburg, South Africa at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, College of Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University. Lisa is a people-first medical doctor and mental health rehabilitation technician who has worked with clients experiencing serious mental illness (SMI) in in-patient, forensic and community psychiatric settings. She believes in preventative and rehabilitative mental health approaches and views trauma-informed practice, cultural congruence, connection, and storytelling as keys to unlocking human potential. Lisa’s research interests include mental illness and suicidality in physicians in training and female physician wellness. She is conducting two independent studies at the Center, one a secondary analysis of the Healthy Minds Survey data to observe trends in US medical student mental health and suicidality before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and a qualitative study exploring the factors and conditions that impact the mental health of female physicians in training.
Lisa has previously worked for the Service Division’s College Mental Health Educational Programs (CMHEP) as a cofacilitator and coach in the NITEO program for undergraduate students. She has also served as an instructor and coach for Flourishing Families, a program for caregivers of young adults with SMI, and partnered with the Newbury Center to support first-generation undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at Boston University.