Ph.D. Candidate

Mohamad Adam Brooks

Mohamad Adam Brooks’ research interests: Refugee and migrant populations, Mental health and comorbidities, Gender and mental health, Violence and trauma, Stigma, Vicarious trauma, Secondary traumatic stress, Burnout, and Vicarious/post-traumatic growth


Adam is an Advanced Practice PhD student working with the Advancing Solutions in Policy, Implementation, Research and Engagement for Refugees (ASPIRE) project at Columbia University Social Intervention Group (SIG). Under the guidance of Dr. Nabila El-Bassel, Adam’s current research interest include the mental health of refugee and migrant populations as well as the mental health of service providers who assist them.

Adam completed his MSW from Boston College and his BS in Psychology from the University of Connecticut. As a licensed social worker in Massachusetts, Adam worked with individuals who experienced mental health emergencies and provided behavioral health services in outpatient settings. Prior to Columbia, Adam was the Community Support Program Director at Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts (JFSWM) and supervised a culturally diverse clinical and paraprofessional staff who provided behavioral health and community support services for refugees. At JFSWM, Adam liaised with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers to focus mental health disparities among Bhutanese refugee youth. Adam has considerable global and life experience having lived in Indonesia, India and completed his MSW internship in South Africa.