Statewide System and Organizational Strategy for Evidence-Based Practice Implementation and Sustainment in Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Principal Investigator(s): Gregory Aarons, Ph.D. UC San Diego

Co-Investigators(s): Mark Ehrhart, Ph.D. Univeristy of Central Florida, Marisa Sklar, Ph.D. UC San Diego

This project will test an implementation strategy that seeks to align system, organization, and clinic leadership and strategies to implement and sustain an evidence-based practice (EBP) for substance use disorders. The Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation - System Level (LOCI-SL) seeks to improve implementation leadership, climate, provider attitudes and behaviors, and EBP fidelity for enhanced client engagement in services and outcomes. LOCI-SL will be tested in integrated mental health and substance use disorder treatment clinics across the state of Oregon while engaging the Oregon Health Authority, the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission, and managed care organizations.

Funding Information: NIH/NIDA, R01, DA049891

Study time period: 2020 - 2025

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Project Website

System of Care Evaluation

Principal Investigator(s): Gregory Aarons, Ph.D. UC San Diego, Todd Gilmer, Ph.D. UC San Diego

Co-Investigator(s): Emily Trask, Ph.D. UC San Diego and Kate McDonald, DrPH, UC San Diego

Adapting an ASD Executive Functioning Intervention for Implementation in Children’s Mental Health Services

Principal Investigator(s): Kelsey Dickson, Ph.D. San Diego State University 

Co-Investigator(s): Lauren Brookman-Frazee, Ph.D. UC San Diego, Gregory Aarons, Ph.D. UC San Diego, Lauren Kenworthy, Children's National, Laura Anthony, Ph.D. University of Colorado, Scott Roesch, Ph.D. San Diego State University

The aims of the current project are to use an implementation science framework to: 1) conduct a needs and context assessment to inform the systematic adaptation of an ASD EF intervention (Unstuck and on Target [UOT]) for implementation in child mental health services; 2) systematically adapt UOT and develop a corresponding plan; and 3) conduct a feasibility pilot test of the adapted intervention and corresponding implementation plan in community mental health settings.

Funding Information: NIMH, K23, K23MH115100

Study time period: 2018-2023

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Study Protocol

Personalizing Parent Training Interventions for Culturally Diverse Families

Principal Investigator(s): Kristen McCabe, Ph.D. University of San Diego, May Yeh, Ph.D. San Diego State University

Co-Investigator(s): Argero Zerr, Ph.D. California State University Channel Islands

Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) interventions have been shown to be effective treatments for young children with behavior problems. However, not all families benefit, and ethnic minority families in particular are less likely to enroll, engage, and improve in BPT, in part because some aspects of these treatments may not fit with culturally influenced beliefs and attitudes about child mental health and its treatment. One way of improving engagement and outcomes in BPT for culturally diverse families may be to personalize the delivery of treatments by enhancing or modifying aspects of their delivery to increase the cultural fit of the treatment to the family when research suggests this might be helpful. In this project, we developed a personalization approach (PersIn) that utilizes cultural assessment results to tailor a BPT called Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to individual families in order maximize cultural responsiveness to a specific family while still being deliverable to a culturally diverse population. We then pilot tested this intervention, called MY PCIT, with 32 families from a range of racial/ethnic groups (African American, Asian American, Latinx, and Non-Hispanic White) that were seeking treatment for their child’s clinically significant behavior problems.

Funding Information: NIMH, R34, R34MH109561

Study time period: 2016 - 2021

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Policy Implementation Research on Earmarked Taxes for Mental Health Services

Principal Investigator(s): Jonathan Purtle, DrPH New York University, Nicole Stadnick, Ph.D., MPH UC San Diego

The goal of this study is to generate knowledge about how to enhance the ability of earmarked taxes for mental health to increase the reach of evidence-based practices that improve population mental health.

Funding Information: NIMH, R21, MH125261

Study time period: 2020 - 2023

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Study Protocol

Adapting and Implementing an Integrated Care Model for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Psychiatric Comorbidity

Principal Investigator(s): Nicole Stadnick, Ph.D., MPH UC San Diego 

The study used implementation science theory and methods and a research-community partnership approach to: 1) identify targets to improve mental health screening and linkage to mental health services in primary care for children with autism, 2) adapt integrated care procedures into “Access To Tailored Autism INtegrated Care,” ATTAIN, to facilitate identification of mental health problems and linkage to evidence-based care for youth with autism, and 3) conduct an open trial feasibility pilot test of ATTAIN in pediatric primary care.

Funding Information: NIMH, K23

Study time period: 2017 - 2022

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Study Protocol

Refining and Implementing Technology-Enhanced Family Navigation to Promote Early Access and Engagement with Mental Health Services for Youth with Autism

Principal Investigator(s): Nicole Stadnick, Ph.D., MPH UC San Diego

Other Collaborator(s): Kaiser Permanente

This proposal aims to test the effectiveness and implementation of technology-enhanced family navigation to promote early access to, and engagement in evidence-based mental health care for children with autism plus mental health comorbidity.

Funding Information: NIMH, R34, MH120190

Study time period: 2020 - 2024

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