US Surgeon General visits UCL
US Surgeon General visits UCL This week UCL welcomed Vice Admiral Dr Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, for a special discussion about the importance of relationships in maintaining wellbeing at university. Dr Murthy was joined by the Students' Union UCL President Mary McHarg for a 'fireside chat' where she asked Dr Murthy about topics such as mental health stigma, the university experience, and social media. Originally born in Yorkshire but raised in Florida, Dr Murthy is the US government's top advisor on health and wellbeing. He has served as both the 19th and 21st US Surgeon General and was co-chair of President-elect Joe Biden's Covid-19 Advisory Board. Throughout his career, Dr Murthy has been passionate about addressing the youth mental health crisis, the loneliness and isolation epidemic, and tackling burnout among health professionals. In UCL's Sir David Davies Lecture Theatre, Dr Murthy began the discussion by framing social and emotional health as intrinsically linked to physical health. Dr Murthy said: "Our connections to each other are more than just a nice thing to have, something that makes us feel good. They're vital to our survival". He spoke about why he sees the mental health crisis as the defining public health challenge of our time and about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental resilience of young people. On student and youth mental health, the Surgeon General stressed the importance of addressing the root causes of loneliness and isolation. " "One university in the US recently told me that in the last 10 years they have tripled the number of mental health councillors they have. That's a big deal! And you know what happened to the wait times?
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