Recipients of 2021-2022 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism in the UAE Announced

ATLANTA (Sept. 8, 2021) …As part of a partnership with The National media outlet in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Carter Center announces two new fellows for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism Program in the UAE.

Fellow recipients Amandeep Bhangu and Anam Rizvi will join an international cohort of journalists who have been awarded fellowships over the past 25 years. Since 1996, the Center has awarded one-year fellowships to more than 220 journalists, connecting them with resources and experts to increase the quality and accuracy of mental health reporting around the world. The program is currently in the United States, Latin America, Qatar, the UAE, and was previously in New Zealand, South Africa, and Romania.

Bhangu worked for BBC TV News for a decade and has worked as a freelance journalist, presenter, and reporter during her residence in the past eight years in the UAE. During her fellowship year, Bhangu plans to focus on the role that culture plays in mental health and within diverse UAE communities.

Rizvi, The National’s education reporter since 2018, previously covered health for the paper. She has also written and reported for outlets in the United Kingdom and India.

  • Side by side portraits of Amandeep Bhangu and Anam Rizvi.

    Amandeep Bhangu left, and Anam Rizvi, right, are new recipients of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism.

This month, the pair will join the UAE program of the year-long, non-residential fellowship, which aims to increase and improve the quality of mental health reporting in the media.

During their time as fellows, both journalists will be assisted by a local advisory board in the UAE and receive intensive training from experts and mentors in the U.S. to help them accurately report on mental health.

“These fellows reshape how media in the Middle East covers one of the most significant, misunderstood public health problems. Like the fellows before them, they will likely impact their colleagues and newsrooms, and become the point person in their field on mental health issues,” said former U.S. First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

The Carter Center provides training, educational materials, mentorship, evaluation tools, and technical assistance to develop a sustainable and tailored program in the UAE. The National manages the program in the UAE and is responsible for the selection of journalists and the adaptation of the program to meet the needs of the population.

Applications for the 2022-23 UAE cohort of Rosalynn Carter Fellows for Mental Health Journalism will open in February 2022. Learn more details and how to apply here: http://bit.ly/39KE9FD.

Fellows will be assisted by a local advisory board in the UAE and experts and mentors in the U.S.

Since Rosalynn Carter established the Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism Program in 1996, fellows have produced more than 1500 stories, documentaries, books, and other works during and after their fellowship year. Their projects have garnered Emmy Awards, nominations for the Pulitzer Prize, and other awards. See mentalhealthjournalism.org and follow @CarterFellows on Twitter for more information about the fellows and tips on mental health journalism.

Contact: In Atlanta, Rennie Sloan, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org
Contact for fellowship questions: carterfellows@cartercenter.org

Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.
A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.