Research & Evaluation

CMH conducts rigorous community-partnered research to determine policies and practices that increase quality of care and associated outcomes, as well as reduce health disparities and improve health equity, for people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities across the lifespan. Our faculty bring expertise in implementation science, health economics, community-partnered research, field trials, effectiveness trials, research using large data sets, and qualitative and quantitative methods. CMH faculty lead a large portfolio of federally-funded research that includes:

  1. Studies using large administrative data sets to examine the effects of state policies on mental health service use and outcomes,
  2. observational studies of community care, and
  3. randomized effectiveness and implementation field trials, conducted in partnership with community agencies.

A few examples of specific studies are highlighted below. More complete lists of funded studies can be found on each faculty member’s web page.

In addition to the more traditional research we conduct, we also leverage our research infrastructure to support community mental health administrators, policy makers and payers to make informed decisions regarding mental health policy and practice. These services include:

  • Program evaluation. We evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs to determine their impact.
  • Service management. We help you provide your clients/patients with more efficient and effective services through the use of best practices, integrated data systems, and monitoring and evaluation methods to plan and manage complex services.
  • Informed decision-making. We develop powerful analytic applications to embed in program information to inform effective decision-making.
  • Policy and practice consultation. We help states and counties address policy and practice issues that affect children and adults with psychiatric and developmental disabilities.

View projects by investigator by clicking here.

Examples of Our Work

This multi-site trial (UCLA, University of Rochester, UC Davis, University of Pennsylvania) will test two interventions to improve care among under-resourced families of children with autism. The first will help newly diagnosed children and their families quickly access services. The second will assist children and youth successfully transition from preschool to kindergarten and from middle school to high school by developing tools to connect families, staff from the sending school, and staff from the receiving school.

Principle Investigator: Dr. David Mandell, ScD
Funder: Health Resources & Services Administration (HSERA)
Learn More: The Autism Intervention Research Network on Behavioral Health

This study is being conducted in partnership with the Philadelphia Infant and Toddler Early Intervention System and Elwyn Early Learning Services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of tiered levels of implementation support within the Parent Empowerment and Coaching in Early Intervention (PEACE) toolkit in increasing early intervention (EI) providers' use of caregiver coaching for families of young children on the autism spectrum. This project will use a SMART (sequential, multiple-assignment, randomized trial) design to assess the effectiveness of the PEACE toolkit at increasing fidelity for caregiver coaching as well as a mixed-methods design to identify provider and family characteristics associated with the need for increasing levels of implementation support. The study will enroll 200 EI providers and 400 families who receive publicly funded early intervention in Philadelphia over 5 years. This study will provide insight into the level of implementation support needed to accelerate the use and fidelity of caregiver coaching with families of young children with autism and related social communication delays.

 

Principle Investigator: Melanie Pellecchia, PhD

Funder: Institute of Education Sciences

Learn more: Adaptive Trial of Parent Empowerment and Coaching in Early Intervention: AT PEACE Study

The Mental Health Integration Lab (MHIL), directed by Dr. Courtney Benjamin Wolk, focuses on the development and deployment of scalable, generalizable solutions to advance the integration of mental health care into non-specialty mental health service sectors, such as primary care clinics and schools. Leveraging methods and expertise from the fields of implementation science, team science, and quality improvement, the Mental Health Integration Lab partners with researchers, organizations, and clinicians to support the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based mental health screening, prevention, and intervention practices across the range of settings where people with unmet mental health needs may present. We develop and evaluate novel strategies to support implementation and integration of the most effective mental health treatments to advance the quality, integration, and sustainability of accessible mental health care in communities.

Principle Investigator: Courtney Benjamin Wolk, PhD

Funders: The National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, and Community Behavioral Health

Learn more: Mental Health Integration