Why McLean Focuses on Women’s Mental Health

McLean’s Division of Women’s Mental Health provides positive, life-changing opportunities for women and girls of all ages. By supporting this division, you can too.

Up until the mid-1990s when the federal government mandated that women be included in clinical trials in human health studies, the vast majority of federally funded medical research was conducted with men. This meant there was limited information to help inform best practice when providing care for women.

Through the Division of Women’s Mental Health at McLean, we are changing this by recognizing there are many important differences in the ways women and men experience medical illnesses, including mental health disorders.

To treat women more effectively, these gender differences must be accounted for—biologically, genetically, and socially.

Uniquely McLean

There is no other division anywhere that focuses on the mental health of girls and women across the life span.

Historically, McLean’s focus has been on patient care. The Division of Women’s Mental Health seeks to leverage its extraordinary expertise in new ways that will benefit women and girls globally. The division provides a unifying infrastructure to advance clinical care, training, and education.

Patient and clinician talk

Philanthropy Changes Lives

McLean Hospital has a long history of inspiring transformative philanthropy, both due to the hospital’s reputation for innovative translational research and because, as the top-ranked freestanding psychiatric hospital in the country, McLean is well-known as the place to find the best treatment and the most experienced clinicians.

Philanthropic support has launched countless programs across the breadth of the hospital—from McLean’s world-class eating disorders program to an innovative, first-of-its-kind clinical fellowship in women’s mental health.

Donor support has also helped bolster critical research.

For instance, two early career investigators at McLean are doing novel research into common issues that affect women—severe menstrual-related pain and emotional eating. Millions of women around the globe struggle with these issues but there is scarce scientific research being conducted on either.

Philanthropic support for research is critical to the division’s ability to establish new labs, pioneer new studies, and discover new treatments.

Your Support Makes a Difference

As the psychiatric arm of Harvard Medical School, McLean attracts some of the best and brightest early career clinicians, investigators, post-doctoral students, and interns.

Educating and mentoring the next generation of mental health professionals is a key component of the hospital’s mission.

The Division of Women’s Mental Health is committed to ensuring that these new professionals are well-versed in the need to differentiate between how men and women are treated in a clinical setting and that research is not effective if these differences are not recognized and considered.

With the goal of sharing this expertise well beyond the walls of McLean Hospital, the division is fast becoming a resource for clinicians and researchers across the country and around the globe.

Philanthropy is a vital aspect of attracting seasoned clinicians, mentors, and investigators; seeding vital research; providing expert consultation; and establishing the infrastructure of a global women’s mental health center.

How Can Your Support Help Us Help Others?

McLean’s Division of Women’s Mental Health is seeking philanthropic for four key strategic objectives: research, education, consultation, and capacity-building.

McLean works closely with donors who want to help the Division of Women’s Mental Health achieve its short- and long-term goals and serve women and girls at McLean and beyond.

Our team is experienced with wide-ranging giving methods including working with family foundations, donor-advised funds, gifts of stock, IRA rollovers, estate planning and other gifts.

We are eager to help design a gift opportunity that will be meaningful for you and your family.

Please contact Claudia Haydon so that we can learn more about the impact you’d like to make. We look forward to having a conversation with you!