About Norman Kim, (he/him), PhD
Norman Kim, PhD (he/him). Norman is the inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the Center for Practice Innovations at Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and the NY State Psychiatric Institute, the co-founder of the Institute for Antiracism and Equity, a social justice focused consultancy, and adjunct faculty in the Department of Applied Psychology at NYU. He completed his B.A. at Yale and his Ph.D. in Psychology at UCLA. His research and clinical interests include the social development of people with autism, the developmental course of bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. In conjunction Norman has developed an expertise in psychiatrically complex populations, and his primary areas of interest are health equity and antiracism, the application of a transdiagnostic framework for eating disorders, taking an evolutionary approach to shame and anxiety, and minority mental health. He is a regular national and international speaker, educator, and passionate advocate with a particular focus on health equity, systemic racism and anti-Blackness. He advises health tech startups in the UK and US, professional organizations, and providers. Most recently Norman was employee #1 for a tech startup focused on providing culturally intelligent, adapted, and accessible care to marginalized communities, and was the co-founder of a national eating disorder center.
Embedding Equity And Social Justice Into Clinical Practice: Identity, Authenticity, and Allyship.
Systemic discrimination has pervasive impacts on those suffering from mental health conditions as well as those engaged in trying to alleviate that suffering. A stance of clinical neutrality and an individualistic focus are not only inadequate, they are harmful. We explore the urgent need within our professions to address the systemic nature of barriers to accessing care, stigma, lack of representation among providers and mistrust of providers who do not possess an adequate understanding of cultural factors. We will explore structural and institutional, as well as interpersonal, manifestations of discrimination essential for an equitable and social justice based foundation to our work.