Center for
Global Health

Scholar

Languages: English (native), German (basic)

Bio statement

As founder of the Penn Collaborative for CBT & Implementation Science, I lead a team of experts in the development and evaluation of strategies to implement and sustain evidence-based mental health practices (particularly cognitive behavior therapy) in under-resourced communities. Domestically, we focus on Medicaid-funded community mental health systems. Globally, I serve as Health Policy Advisor to Partners in Health, leading the implementation of Cognitive Processing Therapy in Haiti and broadening access to CBT in Rwanda. I've also led briefer projects with providers in Canada (focused on Indigenous people) and Inner Mongolia / China (funded by the World Health Organization).

Recent global health projects

I am currently collaborating with Partners in Health (PiH), working to increase access to quality healthcare in impoverished communities across the world. Our goal is to strengthen the infrastructure in 11 Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) to increase broad access to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). In this capacity, I lead a program of implementation and adaptation of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) at Partners in Health in Haiti (Zanmi Lasante), which serves all 12 districts of Haiti. This work includes bi-weekly supervision calls with the Haiti team, ongoing adaptations to CPT to incrase its fit in the Haitian context, and strategies to integrate CPT into the workflows of the health system.

In addition, I have an established collaboration with the PiH - Rwanda site (Inshutu mu Buzima), in parnership with their Ministry of Health, to implement CBT in the mental health services across the 40 districts of Rwanda. Ultimately, the end-goal will be to strengthen infrastructure and implement CBT in a total of 11 LMIC, with 18,000 PiH staff across those countries.

Selected publications

1. Creed, T.A., Valentin, C., Affricot, E., Eustache, E., Fast, R., Bedard-Gilligan, M.A., Coleman, S., Forbush, L., Dubuisson, W., Therosme, T., Pierre, E., Arelus, D., Fils-Aime, R., Houde, A., Kelly, K., & Raviola, G: Adaptation and sustainability of an evidence-based practice for PTSD in Haiti. In Tyler, Jeremy (Chair). Serving the Underserved: Victories and Challenges in Global Dissemination of EBPs for Underserved Communities. Symposium presentation at the 53th Annual Convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Atlanta, GA November 2019.
2. Creed TA, Frankel SA, German R, Green KL, Jager-Hyman S, Pontoski K, Adler A, Wolk CB, Stirman SW, Waltman SH, Williston MA, Sherrill R, Evans AC, & Beck  AT (2016). Implementation of transdiagnostic cognitive therapy in diverse community settings: The Beck Community Initiative. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 84(12), 1116-1126. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000105

Last Updated: 28 January 2022