Douglas Flora: A Future where Mental Health gets unstuck—and finally starts moving forward
Douglas Flora, Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, reshared a post by Rebecca Driscoll on LinkedIn, adding:
“This is heartbreaking. The field of mental health is overdue for some therapy of its own.
We’ve made huge strides in precision cancer care, cardiology, and even rare diseases—yet mental health too often remains stuck in a cycle of trial, error, and waitlists.
Diagnosis still leans too much on observation. Treatments can feel like guesswork. Access is broken. And we’re missing the predictive tools that could personalize care, prevent crises, and bring relief faster.
It’s time we give mental health the innovation it deserves—with the same urgency, investment, and imagination we’ve applied elsewhere.
AI won’t replace empathy. But it can help us deliver it at scale. Let’s build a future where mental health gets unstuck—and finally starts moving forward.
If you are, or know a senior mental health professional interested in tackling this problem, send them to me, or tag them in comments.
Avengers, assemble!”
Quoting Rebecca Driscoll‘ s post:
“MAY is Mental Health Awareness Month:
As I sit and toast to my sister on her birthday, I am reminded by the ebb and flow of the ocean waves that the tides of life can carry us and sweep us away.
Tomorrow begins the first day of Mental Health Awareness Month-a time to shine a light on the struggles that so often remain in the shadows. Depression and addiction took my sister from us in 2016. Just last week, I learned that we lost a beautiful colleague to depression as well. These losses are not isolated; they are part of a silent epidemic that touches families, friends, and entire communities.
Cancer patients and their loved ones face tremendous challenges with mental health. But mental health struggles are everywhere-sometimes invisible, often unspoken, and always deserving of compassion and care. In May, I ask you to reach out to someone who may need you. Call a friend, check in on a neighbor, show up for someone if they start to go dark. Sometimes, a simple message or a listening ear can be a lifeline.
I have committed to this for the rest of my existence, because I know firsthand how much it matters. This month, let’s break the silence and the stigma together. Let’s make it clear that mental health is just as important as physical health, and that nobody should have to struggle alone. If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available-call or text 988 at any time.
Let’s honor those we’ve lost by taking action for those still here. Your voice, your presence, your kindness can make a difference. This May, let’s lift each other up and remind one another: You are not alone.”
More posts featuring Douglas Flora.
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Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
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ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
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ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
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Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
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OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
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Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023