Community-based Mental Health

PhuongThao D. Le

Stronger Together: Peer to Peer Support for Women with Breast and Gynecologic Cancers in Vietnam

Principal Investigator: PhuongThao (PT) Le

Collaborators: Global Focus on Cancer, Vietnam National Institute for Cancer Control and Prevention

Peter Navario

A Randomized controlled trial of Self-help Plus (SH+): Improving the mental health of refugee men through guided self-help

Role: Project Director

Funder: ELRHA (www.elrha.org)

A consortium comprised of HealthRight International, WHO, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Ministry of Health, Uganda, and Johns Hopkins University translated and adapted Self-help Plus (SH+) for use with South Sudanese refugees. SH+, developed by WHO, targets psychological distress broadly, both in people who meet and who do not meet formal diagnostic criteria for mental disorders. It is a promising first-line intervention that can reduce psychological suffering in large groups of people. Adaptation of SH+ with South Sudanese refugee men started in September 2018, and we are particularly interested in learning whether reduced psychological distress is associated with reduced alcohol misuse, perpetration of gender-based violence, and improved household economic outcomes.

Wietse A. Tol

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Crises: Setting Consensus-Based Research Priorities for 2021-2030

Principal Investigator: Tol W.; Co-Investigator: PhuongThao (PT) Le

Researchers: Margaux Grivel, Drew Blasco

Collaborators: World Health Organization, mhpss.net

Funder: Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC), Elrha

Lawrence Yang

Characterizing cognition across the lifespan in untreated psychosis in China (9/1/15- 5/31/20)

Principal Investigator: Lawrence Yang, Gary Yu (Co-I)

Researchers: Margaux Grivel

Grant: 1 R01 MH108385,  National Institutes of Mental Health, 2016- 2021

China is implementing a national project that is a historic transformation of its mental health services and is the largest national program to offer treatment to persons with psychosis. This project provides an unprecedented opportunity to study the ‘natural state’ of cognition in a large untreated sample of individuals with psychosis (n=400), in the absence of the effect of medications, compared with a treated sample (n=400) and healthy controls (n=400).  The research training program increases capacity to intervene with untreated psychosis to serve as a model for scale-up for first intervention in China.

Whether this project is seeking new students: NO

Problem Management Plus (PM+) for sexual and gender minority refugees in Nairobi, Kenya.

Submitted: GMHSP, HealthRight and the Refugee Coalition of East Africa 

In development: In partnership with local LGBT+ NGOs, HealthRight and GMHSP have developed a concept to assess mental health needs and gaps among sexual and gender minorities in Kenya and Uganda, and are currently seeking funding opportunities. 

RCT to reduce stigma and improve treatment adherence in HIV+ pregnant women in Botswana (7/1/18- 6/30/20)

Principal Investigator: Lawrence Yang; Co-I: Melody Goodman

Funder: R21 TW011084-01, 2017-2020

This proposal utilizes the ‘what matters most’ approach to develop a culture-specific intervention to decrease the stigma of HIV and enhance adherence to antiretroviral treatment among pregnant, HIV+ women in Botswana.

Whether this project is seeking new students: YES

Validation of a Pragmatic Implementation Measure for Task Sharing in Mental Health Services (4/1/20- 3/31/24)

Principal Investigator: Lawrence Yang; Co-I: PhuongThao (PT) Le

Researchers: Drew Blasco, Margaux Grivel

Grant: 1 R01 MH122851-01, National Institutes of Mental Health DATES: 2020-2024

Successful implementation of task sharing interventions for mental health frequently depends on negotiating salient barriers and facilitators to implementation. We propose to validate a comprehensive assessment of barriers and facilitators for task-sharing interventions for mental health in three global locations (e.g. Chile, South Africa, Nepal). This measure will have applicability for task-sharing for mental health in remote and rural areas in High-Income Countries (e.g., the U.S.)

Whether this project is seeking new students: YES

Implementing a National Program for First-Episode Psychosis Intervention in Chile (6/1/18- 5/31/23)

Principal Investigator: Ruben Alvarado, Lisa Dixon, Ezra Susser, Leo Cabassa; Co-Investigator: Lawrence Yang

Researchers: Supriya Misa, PhuongThao (PT Le), Liz Calderon

Grant: U01 MH115502-01, National Institutes of Mental Health, 2018-2023

This proposal examines the implementation of a 1st episode psychosis intervention in 4 cities in Chile using a cluster-randomized clinical trial design and leverages national health reform in Chile that mandates new forms of community-based mental health care. Dr. Yang will lead the evaluation team that will examine barriers and facilitators to the scale-up of intervention. 

Whether this project is seeking new students: YES (Spanish speaking)

Rapid Response Testing of empirically-based Messaging to Reduce COVID-Related Stigma towards Chinese Americans

Principal Investigator: Lawrence Yang; Co-I: Supriya Misa, PhuongThao (PT) Le

Funder: none, 2020 to present

Researchers: Emily Goldmann, Sophia Meifang Wang, Ashley Feng

This proposal seeks to rapidly respond to racial stigma elicited by the COVID-19 pandemic by  1) Assessing COVID-related stigma among 1,200 general community members in New York towards Chinese- and Asian- Americans; 2) Testing efficacy of stigma reduction messages among these 1,200 general community members to reduce COVID-related stigma towards Chinese Americans; and 3) Assessing the acceptability of and disseminating anti-stigma messages found to be effective via public health initiatives in NY and nationally.

Whether this project is seeking new students: NO

Stigmatization of HIV/AIDS, SARS, and COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

Principal Investigator: Lawrence Yang, Don De Jarlais

Funder: None

Researchers: Margaux Grivel, Sarah Lieff

This proposal seeks to rapidly respond to stigma elicited by the COVID-19 pandemic by Assessing stigma related to COVID, HIV/AIDS and SARS among 1,200 general community members in New York 

Whether this project is seeking new students: YES

Lawrence Yang & PhuongThao D. Le 

Barriers and facilitators in implementing task sharing mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries: A multi-stakeholder qualitative analysis of three Collaborative Hubs for International Mental Health Research (RedeAmericas, SHARE, PaM-D).

Funder: NIMH;  Dates 2016-present

Researchers: Bass J, Yang LH, Le PT, Eschliman E, Foote L, Blasco D, Tang J, Flint J, Aragula S, Filguera C, Alem A, Dasgupta J, Singla D, Pringle B, Price LS, Guereje O, Lund C, Hanlon C, & Susser ES. 

 

Whether this project is seeking new students: NO

 

 

Barriers and facilitators to implementation of task sharing mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review using implementation science frameworks.

Researchers: Le PT, Yang LH, Bass J, Grivel M, Eschliman E, Tang J, Cho Y, Yang XY, Tay C, & Li T.

Not seeking new students

PhuongThao D. Le, Supriya Misra, & Lawrence Yang

Implementing a National Program for First-Episode Psychosis Intervention in Chile (6/1/18- 5/31/23)

Principal Investigator: Ruben Alvarado, Lisa Dixon, Ezra Susser, Leo Cabassa; Co-Investigator: Lawrence Yang

Researchers: Supriya Misa, PhuongThao (PT Le), Liz Calderon

Grant: U01 MH115502-01, National Institutes of Mental Health, 2018-2023

This proposal examines the implementation of a 1st episode psychosis intervention in 4 cities in Chile using a cluster-randomized clinical trial design and leverages national health reform in Chile that mandates new forms of community-based mental health care. Dr. Yang will lead the evaluation team that will examine barriers and facilitators to the scale-up of intervention. 

Whether this project is seeking new students: YES (Spanish speaking)