You are cordially invited to attend an IN-PERSON President’s Series lecture on the subject of:
Ukrainian Courage and Hope: Trauma, Trafficking, Troll Farms, and Tenacity
Speakers
Mitzi Perdue
War Correspondent
Date/Time
Thursday, January 23, 2025
1:00 – 2:00 PM EST
Location
The Institute of World Politics
1521 16th St NW
Washington, DC 20036Commodore Barry Room – Marlatt MansionGetting to campus
About the Lecture:
Join war correspondent Mitzi Perdue as she shares compelling insights from her four journeys to Ukraine, including on-the-ground reporting from bomb shelters in cities under siege. Explore innovative police initiatives to combat human trafficking and counter Russian propaganda, as well as the pioneering efforts of Mental Help Global, an initiative inspired by her harrowing encounter with a 14-year-old orphan who survived the atrocities in Bucha. She will highlight how artificial intelligence, combined with Ukrainian psychological expertise, is bridging the mental health gap for the estimated 15 million Ukrainians in need of support—an urgent crisis compounded by the limited number of mental health professionals available in the country. This lecture is a powerful testament to human courage, innovation, and resilience in the face of devastating conflict.
About the Speakers:
Mitzi Perdue is a seasoned war correspondent specializing in reporting on Russian war crimes, including the abduction of children, landmine deployments, and cyber warfare. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she has published over 5,200 columns in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Epoch Times.
Her current focus is addressing the mental health crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. In collaboration with American University Kyiv, she founded Mental Help Global, a nonprofit dedicated to providing free, AI-driven mental health care. This initiative supplements traditional mental health services in Ukraine by offering immediate, empathetic support with 24/7 access in Ukrainian, Russian, and English. The World Health Organization estimates that 15 million Ukrainians suffer from debilitating mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, and panic attacks, making this work critically important.
Mitzi is proud to note her sister, Augusta Petrone, as one of the earliest financial supporters of the Institute of World Politics.
Registration is available at the door if seating permits.
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