Pilot Projects

Overview

Mental health and substance use disorders are major public health challenges in the US.

Persistent workforce challenges, misaligned incentives, structural barriers including fragmented patterns of care, stigma, and financial barriers contribute to inadequate detection and treatment, and thus perpetuate disparities for many disadvantaged people. 

Primary care providers are often the first point of contact for patients with behavioral health needs and are thus critically-positioned to identify and respond to mental health and substance use disorders. However, current education programs do not adequately prepare clinicians in evidence-based best practices in integrated behavioral health (IBH). The result is a critical need to enhance the capacity of primary care trainees in IBH to accelerate engagement and adoption of evidence-based practices.

The National Center for Integrated Behavioral Health (NCIBH) is an innovation hub for testing, developing, and disseminating best practices to improve the quality, accessibility, and effectiveness of treatment for mental health and substance use disorders in primary care through effective training models.

In response to the current epidemic of behavioral health disorders globally, the Center will, through this pilot mechanism, fund proposals for innovative training models in IBH that target medical students, residents, and/or advanced practices nurses. IBH encompasses mental health disorders and substance use disorders. Proposals demonstrate the potential to improve IBH education in primary care and/or inform policy that shapes primary care training endeavors.

Pilot programs are defined for these purposes as projects that focus on the development, implementation, and evaluation of curricula and experiential learning in IBH for primary care trainees. We are particularly interested in rapid pragmatic approaches, evaluation of best practices, and development and amplification of existing curricula as potential models to accelerate adoption of best practices in integrating IBH into existing curricula. 

 

Purpose 

  • Foster interdisciplinary curricular and experiential learning in IBH that will have meaningful results for primary care populations.
  • Assist in garnering external support for large-scale studies in the field of IBH.
  • Encourage additional clinician educators to become involved in the generation and evaluation of IBH training models.
  • Identify innovative training programs in the field of IBH that have the potential of informing local, state and national policy and programming.

Empowering Physicians to Manage Behavioral Health Concerns in Primary Care: Expansion and Dissemination of the Change that Matters Curriculum

Change that Matters: Promoting Healthy Behaviors

University of Minnesota Medical School                  Stephanie Hooker, PhD, LP, MPH                                Michelle D. Sherman PhD, ABPP

NCIBH Year 4 Pilot Awardee

Using E-Learning to Enhance Integrated Care Competencies among Primary Care Clinicians

University of Massachusetts Medical School                Christine Runyan, PhD

NCIBH Year 3 Pilot Awardee

Building Commitment to Biopsychosocial Care: NYU Primary Care Medicine (PCM) Residency Psychosocial Rounds (PSR)

NYU Langone Health                                                      Mack Lipkin, MD, FACP, FAACH, FRSM

NCIBH Year 4 Pilot Awardee

Augmenting Integrated Behavioral Health in an Academic Pediatric Primary Care through Education and Family Navigators

Cohen Children’s Medical Center of Northwell Health Sophia Jan, MD

NCIBH Year 3 Pilot Awardee