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Meet the 2024-2025 Rosalynn Carter Fellows for Mental Health Journalism

Founded in 1996, the groundbreaking Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism program awards year-long, non-residential fellowships to journalists to report on a mental health topic of their choice.

Fellows receive a generous stipend, training, networking opportunities, and access to top experts and resources in mental health and journalism.

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Mental Health Parity Collaborative

The Mental Health Parity Collaborative is a partnership between The Carter Center and newsrooms across the U.S. To date, 45 newsrooms and 120 reporters and editors have participated in the program. Through training and resources, journalists publish stories on mental health care access and inequity in their state or region.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Our Mental Health
Reporting Guide is Here

The Carter Center Journalism Resource Guide on Mental Health Reporting — available in English, Spanish, and Arabic — supports journalists' efforts to report accurately and effectively on mental health issues, including suicide and addiction and substance use, in ways that do not reinforce stereotypes or perpetuate stigma.

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Covers of the guide in Arabic, Spanish and English

Meet the Fellows

Introducing the 2025-2026 Rosalynn Carter Fellows for Mental Health Journalism

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Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter talks to fellows at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Informed journalists can have a significant impact on public understanding of mental health issues as they shape debate and trends with the words and pictures they convey. They influence their peers and stimulate discussion among the general public, and an informed public can reduce stigma and discrimination."

— Former U.S. First Lady Rosalynn Carter

Meet the Fellows

The Carter Center’s Mental Health Journalism Fellows report on some of society’s biggest mental health challenges during their year-long, non-residential fellowship.

MEET ALL 2024-2025 FELLOWS

Newsroom Collaborative

Recent stories from reporters in our newsroom program

For People With Mental Illness, the Path to Disability Benefits Can Be Long and Difficult

October 6, 2025

Diane Searle holds up a poster of her daughter, Jillian, who died in 2018 from a heroin overdose. Searle remembers her daughter's humor, love for her siblings and beauty.

Oklahoma pulls back curtain on opioid settlement money, but victims’ families still have questions

September 19, 2025

Shadow Arrests: Chicago Police Make Growing Use of Forced Psychiatric Hospitalization

September 4, 2025

©Elissa Jorgensen/Texas Community Health News: An Austin-Travis County EMS special operations commander truck parked at the Austin Fire Department headquarters on May 18, 2025.

Community Paramedics Bring Mental Health Support to Rural Texas, but Funding Is a Challenge

July 9, 2025

Courtesy of Cabell County QRT/Larresca Barker of the Cabell County Quick Response Team speaks with an ambulance crew.

Across W.Va., Localities Look For New Ways To Help People In Crisis

July 8, 2025

©Noah Arroyo using Canva AI/San Francisco Public Press: A person’s journey through San Francisco’s behavioral health system can start at many points, including after their deteriorating condition lands them on the streets.

SF Has a Chance to Reinvent Its Mental Health Care System

June 11, 2025

Our Latest Instagram posts.
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Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism fellow, Micah Fink (2022-2023), continues his mental health reporting with a new podcast season of “Conversations with Sydney.” This season explores the mental health consequences of outing middle school students, the experiences of young trans people, teen resilience in the struggle for civil rights, and the connection between music, creativity, and mania. Listen to the new season at the link in our bio.

Last week, our Newsroom Collaborative held its second ever in-person convening at @wbezchicago on @navypierchicago! 🎡Illinois reporters from the past three collaborative cohorts attended, along with other journalists from Chicago, greater Illinois, Indianapolis, and St. Louis. Mental health speakers from @luriechildrens hospital and @thresholdsschi presented. Attendees also participated in a data journalism workshop and had time to share and discuss their work. Thank you to all who joined for the day and to @elfeneorks and @tdb_family_foundation for their support! Photos by @alexgarciaimages

Where should we hold our next event?! 👂Let us know in the comments.

Congratulations to our newest Rosalynn Carter Climate Change Mental Health fellow, Hammad Sarfraz! His project will focus on Pakistans droughts and harsh winters and how they impact mental health, family structures, and gender dynamics. The fellowship is made possible through the SNF Global Center Communicators program at the @childmindinstitute. Learn more at the link in our bio!

In October, we had the pleasure of welcoming advisors, fellows, and special guests to The Carter Center for our RCJF annual meeting! Over three energizing days we hosted trainings, presentations, workshops, and even enjoyed some trivia! There were many opportunities to connect and collaborate. We are excited for the fellowship year ahead and all that is to come!

In “The boots on Buck Jackson Road,” newsroom collaborative reporter Molly Montgomery covers the mental and physical cost of New Mexico’s—and the nation’s— dependence on oil and natural gas for @searchlightnm. Permian Basin laborers work grueling hours, in extremely dangerous conditions, and regularly witness or experience violent accidents. Many workers are undocumented, making it more difficult for them to access legal and medical services. This labor takes a severe toll on their mental health and their families. Over the span of six months, Molly estimates she drove more than 1,600 miles in southeastern New Mexico and examined thousands of pages of state documents to report the story. Across New Mexico, theres a silence around the depression, PTSD, anxiety, and suicide risk oil and gas workers are experiencing, as well as around the physical illnesses and injuries inflicted on them, Molly writes. This story aims to break that silence.

“Growing up in New Mexico, Ive relied on the labor of oil and gas workers all my life,” Molly says. “But I had no idea how severe the toll of their labor was—workers described to me working 120-hour shifts without sleep; watching their fellows die on the job; feeling trapped and depressed; losing access to their vision, hearing, taste and smell.”

Click the link in our bio to read her story, which was co-published with @highcountrynews. Photos by David Cox.

$From Burundi to the U.S. to Uganda, our 2024–2025 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellows recently covered many topics, including the toll of climate change, gun violence, and unemployment on mental health. • Avit Ndayiziga reports on how women in Burundi bear the psychological weight of climate-driven displacement and loss. • Amanda Miller Littlejohn explores how midlife professionals face anxiety, shame, and identity loss amid long-term unemployment. • Aitana Vargas examines the lasting trauma and fractured community in Uvalde, Texas, three years after the school shooting. • Hellen Kabahukya highlights how recurring droughts in Uganda push farmers into debt, despair, and silence around mental health. Read all of their powerful stories at the link in our bio.$

Edward Graham, one of our current 2024-2025 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism fellows, recently published an article about how Veterans Affairs (VA) is using artificial intelligence to better protect veterans at risk of suicide. Launched in 2017, Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health-Veteran Enhanced Treatment (REACH VET) is a predictive model that analyzes health data to identify individuals at the highest statistical risk of suicide. This allows clinicians to proactively reach out and offer timely support to veterans in crisis. Read more at the link in our bio.

Today marks the second anniversary of former First Lady Rosalynn Carters passing. Her legacy of compassion and commitment to mental health continues to inspire us all—especially through the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism and Mental Health Parity Newsroom Collaborative programs. We are thinking of her family, friends, and all whose lives she touched.

Congratulations to our newest class of Rosalynn Carter Fellows for Mental Health Journalism! These 9 Carter Fellows will delve into a wide range of #mentalhealth topics as they learn to effectively and ethically report on these issues. Learn more about them at the link in bio!

November is #nationalfamilycaregiversmonth, a time to recognize the 63 million caregivers across the country who show up daily for their loved ones. Kat McGowan, 2024-2025 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow, and Connie Hanzhang Jin invited caregivers to share their stories and offer guidance to those facing the challenges of caregiving.

In the latest article, six sections of advice are each tailored to different aspects of caregiving. The article is part of the larger series, What It Takes, that helps those navigating the role feel less alone. Read more at the link in our bio.

Language guide for reporting on mental health

The Carter Center Journalism Resource Guide for Mental Health Reporting supports journalists’ efforts to report accurately and effectively on mental health topics, including addiction and substance use, in ways that do not reinforce stereotypes or negative perceptions. This guide can serve as a starting point for new journalists and as a reference guide for experienced journalists.

FREE DOWNLOAD in English and Spanish

Improving Mental Health Reporting Worldwide

Meet the 2024-2025 Rosalynn Carter Fellows for Mental Health Journalism

Mental Health Parity Collaborative

Our Mental Health
Reporting Guide is Here