Health Frontiers has supported the development of mental health training for primary care practitioners including pediatricians and pediatric residents, family practitioners and residents, and internal medicine practitioners and residents.  There is a shortage of mental health professionals worldwide, especially in the developing world.  By integrating mental health care with primary care practice, patients will be able to be treated for physical and mental health problems in one setting. 

Health Frontiers sponsored Dr. Manivone Thikeo , a physician trained in Vientiane, Laos who recently received her PhD in psychology from the University of Rhode Island.  Dr. Manivone has returned to her native Laos with her family in 2010.  She worked under the umbrella of Health Frontiers in the training of primary care practitioners in mental health practice and now is fully supported by the World Health Organization to participate in the development of mental health programs in Laos.  She has had an international team that will help her in this endeavor including psychiatrists and psychologists from the USA, Norway, and Thailand.