Mind Ya Mentals: Part 1 – Where Mental Health Meets Cultural Responsiveness
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Chad Lennon and Dr. Enyo Dzata to explore the complexities of supporting Black mental health in professional contexts. We discuss curiosity, care, and cultural awareness as they relate to mental health and its intersections with spirituality in the Black community. We also explore strategies for advocating for youth across settings. Finally, the guests provide insights on navigating systemic expectations, the importance of representation, and how lived experiences inform nuanced understanding and practice.
Dr. Chad Lennon, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Sheppard Pratt’s Baltimore/Washington Campus. He is board certified in neurology and child and adolescent psychiatry. Dr. Lennon received his bachelor’s degree from Franklin & Marshall College, attended a post-baccalaureate program at CUNY City College, and earned his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine. He completed the University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt Residency Program, followed by a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program at Mt. Sinai Elmhurst Hospital. Dr. Lennon was psychiatry chief resident at Adventist Behavioral Healthcare-Shady Grove Medical Center and then worked as lead psychiatrist on the adolescent unit. Dr. Lennon has won a number of academic excellence awards including the Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center Physician RISES Individual Award and the Franklin & Marshall College Sydney N. Bridgett ’51 Award. He is a member of a number of professional societies including Black Psychiatrists of America, American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry, and Maryland Psychiatric Society. He is also widely published, has authored numerous blogs, and participated in many speaking engagements. Dr. Lennon’s presentations have included topics such as suicide, anxiety, and lectures series for both medical students and residents, respectively. His blogs have included topics such as the stigma of mental illness in the African American community, and managing stress, trauma, and anxiety in children and adolescents. Dr. Lennon has also participated in medical mission work.
Dr. Enyo Dzata is a pediatric nurse practitioner with a special interest in mental health. This interest first started in her undergraduate studies where social sciences were used to examine human behavior through psychological concepts. After transitioning from pediatric endocrinology to primary care Dr. Dzata developed an interest early on in understanding how best to care for patients with behavioral, developmental, and mental health concerns and pursued a fellowship in pediatric Childhood and Adolescent Mental Health. This training was helpful in gaining knowledge and tools to provide evidence-based care, but it was clear that the educational system, like other constructed systems, was not supporting black and brown students, despite families of color seeking help to address their child’s needs from school personnel. Inequitable outcomes in healthcare and education led Dr. Dzata to pursue a doctoral degree looking at how to implement screenings for students in public school settings, particularly elementary school, to identify supports needed in the areas of student/life functioning. Additionally, her work looked at methods used to engage families in this process and which areas teachers believe would help in teaching their students with identified needs.
Connect with Dr. Chad Lennon
Website [https://www.sheppardpratt.org/why-sheppard-pratt/our-experts/details/chad-lennon-md/]
Phone: 410-938-3000
Connect with Dr. Enyo Dzata
LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/enyo-dzata-9b684431/]
To contact and/or book an event with Dionna Latimer-Hearn: dlhearn.net [http://www.dlhearn.net] | dlhearn@yahoo.com [dlhearn@yahoo.com] | 682.777.2749
