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The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Lecture Series highlights faculty excellence in learning, discovery, and engagement in Iowa State’s most academically diverse college. Each semester, the dean invites LAS faculty of distinction to present lectures from their own areas of expertise on topics of interest to the general public, designed to stimulate high-quality, intellectual discussion among faculty, staff, students, and community members. Lectures are held during the fall and spring semesters during the academic year.

David Vogel, professor in the Department of Psychology, was selected by Dean Beate Schmittmann to deliver the spring 2024 LAS Dean’s Distinguished Lecture on Tuesday, March 26, at 6 p.m. The lecture, “How Stigma Derails the Help Seeking Process,” will be presented in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union and will also be available virtually.

In his research, Vogel focuses on stigma and reducing barriers to seeking mental health treatment. In his lecture, he will discuss one of the key barriers that keeps people from getting the help they need, the stigma associated with seeking help, and how we might reduce it.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health concerns affect 13% of the global population and will cost the world economy approximately $6 trillion by 2030 – more than the projected costs of cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease combined. Further, the rates of mental health problems have increased in recent years and have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, National Center for Health Statistics reports that less than 10% of those experiencing mental health concerns seek therapy each year, and those who do seek help often wait years before doing so or drop out of treatment early.

Vogel is co-editor of “The Cambridge Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health,” has published more than 140 journal articles and chapters and has given more than 100 national conference presentations. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the American Psychological Foundation, and the Military Suicide Research Consortium.

Vogel serves on the editorial board for Stigma and Health and as a consultant for the RAND Corporation’s Department of Defense Stigma Reduction Report. He is also the director of Iowa State University’s Interdisciplinary Communication Studies program, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in Divisions 17 (Counseling Psychology) and 51 (Men and Masculinity), and a licensed psychologist in the state of Iowa.

A live Q&A session with Vogel will follow the lecture.

This event is free and open to the public.

Or watch on YouTube.