Computer science alumna Akanksha Shelat is one of three co-founders of Mind-Easy, an adaptive mental health platform that provides knowledge and tools in more than 100 languages, dialects and accents. (Photo: supplied)
A new app launched by University of Toronto alumnae aims to make cultural competence a minimum standard in mental health — including innovative ways to deliver identity-centric preventive care.
“Available to anyone around the world, the Mind-Easy app is an adaptive health platform that uses avatars with human-like characteristics that help guide users through their therapeutic journey,” explains Mind-Easy co-founder and chief technology officer Akanksha Shelat, who graduated in 2018 with an honours bachelor of science from the Faculty of Arts & Science as a member of New College, majoring in computer science and cognitive science.
“This platform is designed to provide personalized care to patients, using a proprietary human taxonomy and artificial intelligence to deliver tailored mental health plans.”
Shelat and fellow Faculty of Arts & Science alumna Alexandra Assouad, along with Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) PhD candidate Dalia Ahmed, developed and launched Mind-Easy, drawing from their own experiences as international students.
In consultation with mental health professionals across the country, Mind-Easy provides knowledge and tools in more than 100 languages, dialects and accents. Asynchronous learning makes the resources available on demand. Leveraging the OISE and psychology network at U of T, the team built a database of carefully curated content for Canada’s diverse and often marginalized groups.
From the start, the co-founders' goal was to solve two major problems: the shortage of therapists and the lack of cultural competence. Mind-Easy checks both boxes.