The first session of our mental health mini-talks will focus on self-care and coping strategies, particularly for public health and healthcare professionals dealing with burnout and fatigue while addressing the pandemic. We'll hear from two experts, Patricia Haynes, PhD, and Thaddeus Pace, PhD, about frameworks and strategies you can apply to improve your mental health.

Target Audience: Allied Health Professionals, General Public Health Professionals, Mental Health Professionals, Nurses, Public Health Nutritionists, Others

Duration: ~ 1 hour

Format: recorded webinar, February 10, 2022

Continuing Education Information: 1.0 CECH for CHES

Speakers: Dr. Patricia Haynes is an associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health University of Arizona. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist with an expertise in cognitive behavioral therapies for PTSD, depression, and insomnia. Her research examines sleep, mental health, and lifestyle behaviors in various occupations and groups exposed to stress, including first responders, veterans, and people who have experienced involuntarily job loss. She has authored multiple publications and therapy manuals for veterans with PTSD and insomnia, and her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and the American Sleep Medicine Foundation. Dr. Haynes has a well-established partnership with the Tucson Fire Department, where she provides services to fire service members and assists in the administration of behavioral health programs to foster resiliency.

Thaddeus Pace, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Colleges of Nursing (Division of Biobehavioral Health Science), Medicine (Department of Psychiatry), and Science (Department of Psychology) at the University of Arizona. His research at UArizona explores stress biology in populations who are likely to experience distress, fatigue and depression (e.g., cancer survivors, firefighters). Informed by this work, Dr. Pace also investigates the effectiveness of novel interventions designed to optimize psychological, inflammatory, and endocrine functioning. These include a kindness and compassion meditation program called CBCT, and other contemplative interventions including those delivered by smartphone app. Dr. Pace's research is supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health of the United States. He is a PopTech Science Fellow and was named one of Tucson's 40 Under 40 by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Disclosures:  The planners, reviewers, and authors have no declared conflicts of interest.