By Center for Dissemination & Implementation • June 14, 2024
Written by Kim Furlow, communications manager, Institute for Public Health
The Center for Dissemination and Implementation is pleased to announce pilot funding for two projects that use dissemination and implementation science to advance health outcomes. Annually, D&I Pilot Grants fund up to $30,000 in direct costs per project for one year. The funding is designed to support a broad range of dissemination and implementation studies, and the development of projects to the point at which they’re ready to compete for external funding. To apply, applicants must be Public Health Faculty Scholars.
The awarded projects are each uniquely modeled to improve the way in which general health care and mental health care are delivered. Awarded projects include:
Project: Strategies to Optimize Practices (STOP)
Primary Investigator: Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPH, associate professor of Anesthesiology & Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine
Summary: Low value practices (LVP) still exist. LVPs are clinical practices that have not changed in decades despite alternatives. They offer little benefit to patients and have the potential to harm. This project offers a pragmatic and generalizable approach developed from behavior theory which is adaptable to different organizational environments. This approach enables the substitution of LVPs and can provide the needed catalyst for LVP reduction in various health care settings.
Project: Learning from Early Adopters of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies
Primary Investigator: Leopoldo Cabassa, MSW, PhD, professor and co-director, Center for Mental Health Services Research, WashU Brown School
Summary: Psychedelics are psychoactive agents that alter consciousness and when paired with psychotherapy have been shown to improve common mental disorders (e.g., depression, PTSD). This study uses qualitative interviews and a participatory group approach to examine how to best bring these novel treatments into routine practice settings so that those most in need can access them in a timely, affordable, and safe manner.
The 2024 Pilot Funding cycle is now closed. Check the center website in January 2025 for information about future funding opportunities.
The Center for Dissemination and Implementation advances the growing body of Dissemination & Implementation (D&I) research methods by building training opportunities, catalyzing newly applied D&I research across health specialties and ensuring that the most effective services are delivered in clinical and public health settings.