A Brown School educational initiative that assists in training and supporting mental health researchers and academics is set to celebrate 35 years of uninterrupted funding upon the conclusion of its recent grant extension.

The Brown School program in mental health services research has secured a five-year grant extension valued at $2.4 million from the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), furthering three decades of consistent federal funding.

“Our objective is to equip trainees with the expertise and abilities to address the most urgent demands in social work and mental health services,” remarked Leopoldo Cabassa, a professor and co-principal investigator for the grant. “This endeavor is particularly crucial as numerous services contend with ongoing financial difficulties.”

Cabassa mentioned that the program has never been more robust, partly due to the array of innovative, NIH-funded research projects spearheaded by its faculty.

The initiative is one of merely 95 existing NIMH-supported Institutional Research Training Grants (known as T32 programs) nationwide. These competitive grants provide advanced research training for predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars.

Since its inception in 1995, the Brown School program has educated 73 predoctoral and 23 postdoctoral fellows for careers in academia and research.

“We’ve established a strong history of cultivating leaders in mental health services research,” Cabassa stated. “Our graduates are making strides in critical fields such as implementation science, mental health challenges, youth mental health, and access to treatment.”

One such graduate is Danielle Adams, currently an assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

“This program was pivotal in preparing me for a tenure-track role and significantly influenced my research,” Adams remarked. “During my postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Cabassa encouraged me to explore a new research area in psychedelic-assisted therapy — an endeavor that has become central to my research pursuits.”

She also noted that the program’s focus on mentorship and collaboration had a substantial impact. “The regular workshops on grant writing with fellow students were especially beneficial,” she commented. “They helped me bolster both my confidence and practical abilities in obtaining research funding.”

The program was initially directed by Enola Proctor, now a research professor at the Brown School. Cabassa assumed leadership in 2018 and co-directs the initiative with Byron Powell, an associate professor and also a graduate of the program.

“The urgency to enhance access to evidence-based mental health care has never been greater,” Powell expressed. “As a former student of this program, it’s especially meaningful to now help guide it. I am privileged to collaborate with Leo and other exceptional colleagues to train the next generation of researchers who will advance the field of mental health services and implementation — ultimately helping to strengthen care systems and enhance public mental health.”

“We take pride in being the singular NIMH-funded T32 program situated at a school of social work that concentrates solely on mental health services research and implementation science,” Cabassa affirmed. “Our trainees develop the skills necessary to enhance care for individuals with mental health challenges — particularly those navigating various service systems, such as healthcare, social services, or educational institutions.”

Each year, the program trains two predoctoral and two postdoctoral fellows, offering mentored, interdisciplinary experiences across five essential domains: mental health services research; research with populations impacted by poverty and illness; intervention research; implementation science; and advanced research methodologies.

“While we have built upon a solid foundation, we have also driven the program forward in innovative ways,” Cabassa acknowledged.

Recent enhancements comprise new courses and mentors in implementation science, systems science, health disparity research, and advanced data analytics. The program has also broadened networking opportunities, including visits to NIH-funded research initiatives across the nation.

“We have also established new mentoring roles for early-career faculty and maintained emphasis on scientific communication skills, so our trainees can effectively disseminate their work and enhance its impact,” Cabassa added.

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