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 fatal crash and mental health struggles, bringing together aviation industry leaders to address mental health and well-being for students and the workforce.
Discussions highlighted the historical lack of mental health dialogue in university aviation and pilots' fear of career repercussions from seeking help, often leading to undisclosed issues or unauthorized medical behavior.
The summit aimed to foster a collaborative support network, coinciding with recent FAA policy changes that expand approved antidepressant use under specific conditions to destigmatize mental health care for pilots.
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.
