Inside and Out of Mental Health: From Neuroscience Research to Clinical Practice

Hello! My name is Mina Bayraktar, and I am a senior at UNC Chapel Hill majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry. My family is originally from Türkiye, but now we call Cary, North Carolina home.

My passion for neuroscience began in an unexpected way, through the movie Inside Out. I remember being in middle school, completely mesmerized by how the film illustrated the inner workings of the brain and connected it to behavior and emotions. That was the spark that set me on the path toward understanding the mind, and since then my interest in psychology and neuroscience has only deepened.

I was fortunate to gain hands-on experience through my 2.5 years of work at the Frohlich Lab, also known as the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation. During my time there, I contributed to two major studies focused on depression. The first study explored whether neurostimulation, specifically transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), could enhance the effects of psychotherapy. The second investigated synchronization between therapist and client during a therapy session, using EEG, EKG, and breathing belts to measure physiological signals. These projects gave me invaluable exposure to the research process from designing protocols to recruiting participants and collecting data. Beyond the science, I also had the opportunity to interact with hundreds of individuals, which reminded me that behind every data point is a real person with a story. I loved my time at the Frohlich Lab because it challenged me intellectually while also grounding me in the human side of research.

Now, as a Gil Intern at the Carolina Community Clinic, I am experiencing a different but equally meaningful side of mental health. Whereas the Frohlich Lab focused on testing innovative treatments, at the clinic I see how conditions are diagnosed and treated in real-world settings. The UNC Psychology and Neuroscience Community Clinic provides high quality and affordable psychological services to the Triangle and the UNC community. Besides its clinic role, it is also a training ground for clinical psychology graduate students as they learn evidence-based psychological treatments and assessments. My tasks at the clinic range from monitoring and responding to voicemail messages, the primary way patients reach out to the clinic, to updating assessments and organizing materials. I review and write descriptions for videos created by clinical psychology PhD students, which has helped me better understand therapy techniques and interventions. Each week, I also serve at the front desk, where I support therapists and contribute to the flow of the clinic’s daily operations. I attend assessment meetings where graduate students teach about a different assessment each week and also attend clinic meetings, when many of the major decisions about the clinic’s operations are discussed.

What I find most rewarding is the contrast between my research and clinical experiences. At the lab, I worked on the “what ifs” of treatment innovation, while at the clinic, I see the “here and now” of patient care. Together, they have given me a fuller picture of mental health: the importance of advancing new treatments while also ensuring access to compassionate, evidence-based care today.

As an aspiring medical student and future physician, these experiences have been invaluable. They have strengthened my desire to work at the intersection of neuroscience, psychiatry, and community health—fields that I now see as deeply interconnected.

I would like to thank Dr. Youngstrom and Yoyo for their continuous mentorship and support at the clinic. I am also very grateful to Dr. Buzinski and Richie for leading the Gil Internship program and providing such thoughtful guidance during our class sessions. This internship has not only expanded my professional skills but also reaffirmed why I want to pursue medicine: to serve patients with both knowledge and empathy.