This past week we were excited to welcome Dr. Norman Sartorius to CSEPH and to the University of Michigan! Dr. Sartorius is currently the President of the International Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programs, and is the former director of the Division of Mental Health at the World Health Organization. He is also a mentor for our MIWI program, or the Michigan Integrative Well-being and Inequality Training Program, which took place earlier this week.

During his visit, Dr. Sartorius gave a lecture to CSEPH titled “On the Future of Medicine and Psychiatry” that took a deep dive into major social and economic trends affecting the practice of medicine and psychiatry now and in the future. Throughout this presentation, he highlighted the importance of strengthening and supporting community health and caregiving.

Overall, Dr. Sartorius teaches and reminds us of the importance of empathy and humanism in the practice of medicine, psychiatry, and public health. He especially emphasizes the role of teaching and mentorship in both research and clinical education settings as a way to center empathy and respect for the person or patient. It was a pleasure to meet and discuss with Dr. Sartorius and we were happy to welcome him to the University of Michigan!

Dr. Norman Sartorius (center) pictured with folks from GREMAP