A scoping review of student-faculty interactions and their impact on health professions students’ mental health

This week, we’re featuring a scoping review of student-faculty interactions and their impact on health professions students’ mental health published in Health Professions Education by PhD by Research student, Mr. Paolo Miguel Bulan, CAMP Professor, Dr. Maria Concepcion Cabatan and Visiting Professor, Dr. Elena Wong Espiritu.

This research addresses an often-overlooked factor in health professions student mental health which is the quality of student-faculty interactions (SFI). While many institutions implement mental health services, few examine how daily interactions influence student mental health. Through a scoping review of 21 studies, we systematically mapped how student-faculty interactions are defined, where they occur, how they influence mental health outcomes, and what institutional supports exist. Results show that positive SFI, such as clear communication, mentorship, and approachability, are linked to reduced stress and improved engagement. In contrast, negative SFI, such as lack of support, and rigid hierarchies, contribute to anxiety and academic disengagement.

This research is significant because it identifies SFI as both a protective and risk factor for mental health. It reveals gaps in current approaches, including the limited use of validated tools and the lack of structured faculty development programs that address SFI in academic and clinical settings.

Therefore, this study provides a foundation for designing responsive interventions, such as mentorship, training workshops, and context-specific policies, that supports students’ mental health. It also advances scholarship by framing SFI not only as an instructional process but as an influence on student mental health. These insights are timely and actionable, especially in fields where students face high performance demands and complex learning environments.

This project supports CAMP’s research agenda on building evidence-driven and transformative allied health education, particularly on knowledge, skills, and attitudes of educators, and faculty development.📚

This study challenges us to rethink how we teach, mentor, and support our students. By valuing and strengthening student-faculty interactions, we take an important step toward building learning environments that uplift the next generation of health professionals. 🇵🇭