Mariella got her Medical Degree from the Hashemite University in Jordan. During her two months of elective clinical rotations she chose to pursue her area of interest in Psychiatry. Mariella spent her time in the United States at two programs, one at the University of North Carolina because of its first ever inpatient clinic for moms with Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs), and the other at the Mayo Clinic where they had an outpatient program.

She completed the Postpartum Support International (PSI) certificate training in “Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care”. Now, empowered by her PSI training, her commitment to perinatal mental health, and her desire to increase awareness and resources in Jordan, Mariella is the first-ever PSI coordinator in her country. 1 in 7 women get affected by Postpartum depression and this can be a very distressful time for a family. The biggest obstacle in our region includes the stigma surrounding psychological disorders during and/or after pregnancy. “I believe that when you save a mom you save a family which goes hand in hand with something that Queen Rania often says: “If you empower a woman, you empower a whole society.”