19 FEBRUARY 2026The lack of conversation about mental health issues has been a tremendous barrier between the patients and the care provider. I think stigma has been a huge issue not only in many patients' minds, but also in other providers' minds, so it is important to increase education about mental health among professionals within healthcare space. It's also crucial to help patients understand and be aware of the support available for both the mind and body. This will make mental health more accessible to everyone.What are the recent developments in the medical field that will shape the future?A deep understanding of the industry today gives a vision for its future. With the destigmatization of mental health, psychologists are increasingly coming to the forefront of care, not only to provide direct assessment and treatment but also to develop interdisciplinary health programs, especially in partnership with their physician and advanced providers. These kinds of collaborations will become more widespread, for example, with psychologists being directly involved in primary or specialty medical treatment. This can further evolve to provide patients not only mental health guidance but also an interdisciplinary whole-team approach to focus on the needs of the patients at the time of care delivery, where we know their needs are more intense, and we can work together to meet them in real time.What is your piece of advice to a fellow peer to navigate these changing world orders? The advice would be to be conscious of the increasingly interactive environment and new ways in which our society has interconnected communication and technology across various disciplines, which will afford us unprecedented ways to be connected. Fields like medicine and psychology that were previously in their silos are now working collaboratively, not only with each other, but with patients as well. It is important that professionals have a holistic understanding of what's happening outside their silos. It gives us insight into what greater assistance our peers and patients might need, so we can partner together across medicine and psychology to better meet their needs on the mind-body frontier. HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSIONALS MUST HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIFFERENT FIELDS OF MEDICINE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE APPROPRIATE SENSITIVITY AND DIVERSITY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE PATIENT.
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