Postbac Alumna Serves as First Author of Acclaimed Study on Youth Mental Health Screenings

In the arena of medical research, serving as first author of a published study is a major accomplishment usually reserved for people decades into their careers. For Elle Kass ‘23PBPM, however, her first-first authorship came while was a student in the Postbac Premed Program. As first author for “Parental Preferences for Mental Health Screening of Youths From a Multinational Survey,” published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Kass is already making meaningful contributions to an under-studied yet critical healthcare topic.

Kass’s Columbia GS journey began in high school when an internship at the Stanford University Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences awakened a passion for neuroscience. Simultaneously, Kass was being recruited to play collegiate volleyball, and ultimately chose to attend Connecticut College where she was able to pursue interests in both medicine and athletics. 

Despite knowing that a neuroscience research career was her goal, Kass struggled to determine the exact path forward, initially envisioning a PhD as her next academic step. However, after beginning a full-time role at the Child Mind Institute, guidance from mentor Dr. Michael Milham, MD, PhD led her to switch her aim to MD-PhD programs where she could earn both degrees simultaneously and become a physician-scientist: qualified to work hands-on with patients solving day-to-day medical challenges while engaging in research with the potential to minimize or even eliminate those challenges at the root. 

Kass enrolled part-time in the Postbac Program to complete her remaining MD requirements while working full-time at the Child Mind Institute. Balancing academic and professional commitments wasn’t easy, but Kass shared that she found an abundance of support within the Postbac community, specifically highlighting Professor Talha Siddiqui of the Department of Chemistry who taught one of the first Columbia courses Kass took. Feeling overwhelmed with the transition back to the classroom, Kass reached out to Professor Siddiqui who responded with flexibility and encouragement.

“Her willingness to go the extra mile and provide personalized support exemplifies the sense of community and dedication to student success that I have come to cherish at Columbia,” Kass said. “Balancing the demands of full-time employment and part-time enrollment was undoubtedly challenging, yet it provided me with invaluable opportunities for growth and learning that solidified my interest and dedication to pursue an MD-PhD.”

One such opportunity was the study which Kass became first author of. The project came about as part of the Pediatric Screening Initiative, a collaboration between the Child Mind Institute and the Office of the Staten Island Borough President. Focused on supporting pediatric screenings for mental health and learning disorders, Kass assisted with background research which revealed a critical gap in medical literature: “Studies frequently explored the perspectives of patients and medical staff,” she said, “but rarely explored the attitudes of parents and caregivers.” 

A team of leading neuroscience and public health researchers set out to rectify this in an interdisciplinary way perfectly matching Kass’s MD-PhD aspirations. “The combined knowledge and expertise of the study’s leadership embodied a kind of dance between clinical and research spaces, which allowed the study to playfully blur the lines between these two sectors,” she said.

Fittingly then, Kass was asked to lead the study as first author, which is “an incredibly rare opportunity for someone in a junior role,” shared Kass. “It’s been an invaluable experience to say the least, and one that I’m humbled and grateful for.” 

In her role, Kass led all data analytics and the creation of the manuscript. Data was drawn from an online survey covering caregivers’ pediatric screening preferences. Administered to 1,000+ participants across multiple English-speaking countries, the study resulted in numerous findings that could inform pediatric screening practices for the better, namely that across countries caregivers consistently support regular screenings while having clear preferences regarding screening methods and topics.

Following the survey, data compilation, and manuscript drafting processes, Kass and the team spent months fine-tuning the resulting paper. Near the end of the self-review, the team consulted senior investigator and chief of the Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health Dr. Kathleen Merikangas for an epidemiological perspective, something which Kass said helped put the finishing polish on the paper. She credited the team’s rigorous internal review for easing the paper submission experience. Kass submitted the paper to JAMA earlier this year and the manuscript was accepted after only a single round of revisions—a rare feat.

The success has continued post-publication, with the study being accompanied by an Invited Editorial Commentary (a mark of significance) in JAMA, attracting considerable media attention, and landing in the 98th percentile of more than 20 million research outputs tracked by Altmetric. Kass is excited by the chance to contribute to scholarship in such a critical topic, given longtime evidence of the major benefits of early screenings in pediatric mental health care. 

It’s also clear that the journey was just as important as the destination for Kass in her inaugural first author experience. “This publication serves as a testament to the tremendous collaboration and efforts put forth by my co-authors and I,” she said. “I honestly don’t remember how many late night meetings occurred, but I do remember how productive and thoughtful each one was.”

Now in the process of applying to MD-PhD programs, Kass is excited to continue her work in pediatric neuroscience and mental health care. “I’ve always held a strong belief in the transformative power of research to improve our healthcare system and enhance patient care,” said Kass of leading the study and its impact on her future goals. “This paper serves as a powerful embodiment of that belief, as it presents the potential to directly impact the lives of children and adolescents through the implementation of the study’s findings. The thought that this research may contribute to better care and outcomes for our youth was all the inspiration I needed. It fuels my motivation to pursue a career centered around conducting a high-level of research and sharing scientific knowledge to contribute to positive advancements in healthcare.”