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Apeksha Mewani Develops First Hindi Tool for Prolonged Grief Disorder
March 17, 2026
A new study led Apeksha Mewani, assistant professor in the Department of Health Education, Administration, and Technology, has validated the first Hindi-language clinical tool to identify Prolonged Grief Disorder. A collaboration with researchers at York College, Columbia University, and Weill-Cornell Medicine, the work helps address a longstanding gap in mental health assessment for Hindi-speaking communities.
The findings were published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine.
Without a validated, culturally and linguistically appropriate tool for patients and clinicians, certain types of emotional experience may be difficult to express, making it harder for health care providers to recognize when—and what—support is needed, said Mewani.
“Grief is often experienced privately and silently, and in many cases, people do not have the language or framework to describe when it becomes overwhelming or prolonged,” she said. “I wanted to help ensure that people in Hindi-speaking communities, both in the United States and globally, have access to tools that allow their experiences of loss to be recognized and understood.”