Building Tomorrow's Leaders: Advancing Diversity in Early Psychosis Care through 2B-EPIC

Melanie Maldonado , Joey Rodriguez , Antachia Brown , Bella King-Harvey , Vera Muñiz-Saurré, Olivia Helfrich-Tapia, Kwame Dance, Michelle Friedman-Yakoobian
Interns represented the following schools:
a. Response to Risk Research Program, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston MA,
b. Northeastern University,
c. UMASS Dartmouth,
d.Williams College,
e. William James College

The "Building Bridges toward Equity in Psychosis Intervention and Careers Program" (2B-EPIC) seeks to address the significant underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx professionals in the early psychosis workforce. This initiative is important given the disparities in psychosis diagnosis and treatment outcomes among Black individuals, who are often diagnosed later and misdiagnosed more frequently than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Early detection of psychosis significantly improves prognosis, but this requires culturally competent care, which is more effective when delivered by providers who share the racial and ethnic backgrounds of their patients. Despite the growing demand for mental health services, particularly in Massachusetts, there is a shortage of providers trained in early psychosis care, with an even more pronounced lack of Black and Latinx professionals in this specialty. The 2B-EPIC program, launched in 2023 with support from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, offers paid internships to Black and Latinx high school and college students. The program introduces these students to early psychosis treatment and research, aiming to create a pathway to graduate education and careers in this critical area. Through mentorship from clinicians, researchers, and individuals with lived experience of psychosis, interns gain practical experience and knowledge, which they share with their peers through community presentations and social media campaigns. This poster presentation will provide an overview of the program’s structure, including key components such as workshops, field trips, passion projects, and career networking. It will highlight the program’s impact, including the number of interns, their demographics, satisfaction levels, and future career plans. Challenges faced during the program and the innovative solutions implemented to overcome them will be discussed. Finally, the poster will outline future directions for sustaining and expanding the program, offering recommendations for similar initiatives aimed at diversifying specialized fields