Research-Practice Collaboration to Improve Children’s Behavioral Health
Using our grant from the Schiller Institute for Research in Targeted and Emerging Areas (SI-RITEA), the CABHRI Lab is working on a study focused on Research-Practice Collaboration to Improve Children’s Behavioral Health. The main study objective is to identify strategies for building and sustaining effective Research Practice Partnerships (RPP) and increasing evidence-based practice (EBP) among child behavioral health agencies in Massachusetts. Based on our findings in this study, our long-term goal is to establish a centralized RPP hub at Boston College to connect faculty and agencies with the goal of improving community health outcomes. The flowchart below illustrates the general outline of the project's goals.
There is a national crisis in behavioral health among youth. Yet, many families receive care that is not aligned with the latest research evidence. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a clinical decision-making process that identifies optimal care based on a patient’s needs and context, clinical expertise, and the best available research evidence. Unfortunately, behavioral health agencies often face barriers to accessing and translating the best available research into practice. Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) can help break down those barriers. RPPs are collaborations that involve mutual learning and co-creation between researchers and agency stakeholders, and foster “nurturing conditions” essential to increasing EBP. However, cultivating and sustaining RPPs can be challenging.
This study will use a mixed methods approach to: 1) improve understanding of behavioral health agencies’ experiences and needs regarding EBP; 2) gain insight into how best to cultivate strong and sustainable RPPs between BC and MA behavioral health agencies; and 3) co-create and pilot test intervention plans designed to improve EBP and strengthen RPPs.
- Develop and pilot qualitative instrument
- Recruit agencies and identify participants
- Conduct focus groups with participants
- Conduct quantitative surveys
- Use results to develop intervention platform to enable RPPs
Investigators:
- Dr. Catherine Taylor, PI
- Dr. Elizabeth Inman, Sr. Research Associate
Community Partners:
- Beth Chin, Vice President at Wayside, Adjunct Professor at BCSSW
- Mike Semel, Vice President of Clinical Quality and Outcomes at The Home for Little Wanderers
Team Members:
- Sophia Eisenberg, Project Manager
- Annika Smith, Research Assistant
- Eva Walls, Research Assistant
The Schiller Institute Grants for Research in Targeted and Emerging Areas (SI-RITEA) supports research in specific, timely areas of interest, which are updated annually. This grant program focuses on two distinct programmatic areas. Type A Grants support scholarship focusing on the natural environment, health and well-being, or the energy transition as experienced in the Global South. Type B Grants support scholarship focusing on environmental or climate justice, climate resilience, sustainability, health & well-being, or the energy transition. Type B grants must include collaboration with a US-based, non-academic partner i.e. a non-governmental organization, business (including smaller start-up companies), or government entity. Collaborations with Massachusetts partners are encouraged. The CABHRI Lab is conducting the described research using a SI-RITEA Type B grant.
Coming soon!
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