Robert Kraus, dean of UND Aerospace, took part in the virtual co-event on UND’s campus. Credit: Mike Hess/UND
Key Takeaways:
The University of North Dakota hosted a summit, prompted by a student's death, bringing together aviation industry leaders, medical experts, and academia to address mental health and well-being among students and the workforce.
The summit aimed to establish a collaborative network to destigmatize mental illness in aviation and improve support, acknowledging that mental health discussions are less common at the university level than in major airlines.
Key discussions highlighted pilots' fears of career repercussions for seeking mental health help, alongside recent FAA policy changes expanding the use of approved antidepressants for pilots under specific conditions to encourage disclosure and support.
The University of North Dakota hosted a summit at the United Airlines’ ALPA Headquarters in Chicago on Wednesday to bring all sides of the aviation industry to discuss mental health and the well being of the industry’s student body and workforce.
Based in Texas, Ashley is the former Marketing Manager at FLYING and focuses deeply on training and education. She graduated from the Baylor Institute for Air Science with a Bachelor's in Aviation Science and holds an MBA specializing in Marketing. She is an also instrument rated private pilot and licensed FAA dispatcher.
