WASHINGTON: The US Department of Health and Human Services will honour Dr Farha Abbasi, a Michigan-based Pakistani-American psychiatrist, on Thursday as one of the top 15 women faith leaders in the United States.

The event — “Women on the Frontlines: Celebrating Women Faith Leaders” — will be hosted by Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra on Thursday (today), where Dr Abbasi will be recognised for “her incredible work and extraordinary leadership qualities in the service of humanity”.

She urges using faith as a tool to fight isolation.

“Imagine being alone in a new country — unable to speak the language, surrounded by an unfamiliar culture, and forced to leave your entire life behind,” Dr Abbasi writes in one of her papers on the power of faith in dealing with trauma.

“Immigration, even when it’s by choice, can cause serious trauma, and for many it becomes a significant risk factor for mental health concerns.”

Dr Abbasi teaches her medical students at Michigan State University to “make the faith conversation a part of every patient evaluation”.

Now an assistant professor at the university’s psychiatry department, Dr Abbasi did her MBBS from Liaquat Medical College, Hyderabad. She received the American Psychiatric Association’s Minority fellowship.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2023