ABOUT US
August 2021 Newsletter
Welcome to the August edition of the iSPARC monthly newsletter. This month's edition features a new format that covers the ongoing research, products and information from the various centers that we have.
In this Newsletter:

CeKTER: Tips for Digital Accessibility
DeafYes!: New Publication on Researchers and the Deaf Community
Lifeline for Moms: How Access Programs Can Improve Clinician Capacity to Manage Bipolar Disorder
Transitions ACR:
  • Young Adult Voice
  • Going to College with a Mental Health Condition
  • Improving Practice
Program for Clubhouse Research: How Brain Injury Clubhouses Can Improve Outcomes for ABI Survivors
Stakeholder Engagement:
  • Top Tips for Running a Virtual Advisory Board
  • Frontline Staff When Implementing a New Practice
Tips for Digital Accessiblity
The Center on Knowledge Translation for Employment Research (CeKTER) has recently created two tip sheets for NIDILRR employment research grantees to help them improve the accessibility of their digital content.

These resources offer great tips and tricks on how you can make your content more accessible for those with disabilities using adaptive technologies.

  1. A Researcher’s Guide to Making Content Accessible: 5 Simple Ways to Create More Accessible Social Media Content
  2. Accessibility 101 A Researcher’s Guide to Making Content Accessible
New Publication on Researchers and the Deaf Community
UMass Medical School Associate Professor of Psychiatry and DeafYes! Center Director, Melissa Anderson, Ph.D.has co-authored a new publication: "Application of the truth and reconciliation model to meaningfully engage deaf sign language users in the research process." in the Journal of Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology. The article discusses how researchers can better include Deaf people in their studies.

Learn more about our work to improve Deaf people’s trust and involvement in biomedical research, read our Phase 1 – Community Forums Deaf ACCESS: Adapting Consent Through Community Engagement and State-Of-The-Art Simulation brief.
How Access Programs Can Improve Clinician Capacity to Manage Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a significant cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Because bipolar disorder is hard to detect and treat, individuals with bipolar disorder often go without care.


The presentation discussed pertinent barriers to mental healthcare for perinatal individuals with bipolar disorder and explored the Perinatal Psychiatry Access Program model (using data from MCPAP for Moms) as a solution to bridge healthcare gaps.
Young Adult Voice

Introducing the audio version of our young adult blog — Blogging on Adulting In Our Voice.
 
Our first audio episode "5 Ways Working Helps me Manage My Mental Health Conditions" talks about the benefits of employment. For the author, "Having a job is not only possible for those of us living with mental health conditions, it also can be a key component to our recovery." Listen to hear 5 ways working helps manage her mental health.
Going to College with a Mental Health Condition

Do you have an emotional support animal (ESA)? Wondering if you can bring it to college? Check out our newest tip sheet: "Can I Bring My Emotional Support Animal to College with Me" to find out your rights.

To learn more about ESAs in general, view our "Emotional Support Animals: The Basics" tip sheet.
Improving Practice

Watch our June webinar, "Going Virtual: How 3 Young Adult Focused Services Pivoted to Virtual Platforms in 2020", where three services that support young adults living with mental health conditions shared their experiences of transitioning to virtual platforms.
How Brain Injury Clubhouses Can Improve Outcomes for ABI Survivors

Did you know that acquired brain trauma is the second most prevalent disability in the US affecting 13.5 million Americans? While lifesaving technology has advanced over the years, community based programs for brain injury survivors have not.
 
Our new Brain Injury Clubhouses research brief is designed to provide funders, administrators, policy makers, and other stakeholders with an overview of Brain Injury Clubhouses and how they can improve outcomes for ABI survivors and reduce strain on caregivers and healthcare services. 
Top Tips for Running a Virtual Advisory Board

Looking for ways to enhance or expand your virtual advisory board meetings?

We put together our top tips from ice breaker ideas to planning for tech challenges, to help set you up for success with your advisory board meetings in this tip sheet.
Engaging Frontline Staff When Implementing a New Practice

Ensuring effective use of new practices includes getting buy-in from relavant stakeholders – especially frontline providers. This tip sheet offers five critical reasons to integrate frontline providers throughout the process of implementing a new practice, program, or policy at your organization.
In the News

New resource available: The SMI Adviser App. Funded by SAMHSA and the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the SMI Adviser App offers vetted and verified guidance to the best resources on serious mental illness.

Mary Christie Quarterly Summer 2021 Edition: "This Is Us: Supporting Students with Serious Mental Health Conditions in College", which features our Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research work as an academic research center focused on examining and promoting practices that support young adults with serious mental illness in this critical stage of life.

Upcoming Events

• Date: Oct 6-8, 2021

Marcé of North America (MONA) 2021 Virtual Conference: Parental Mental Health During Changing Times
• Date: Oct 21-24, 2021

• Date: Nov 4-6, 2021
Who We Are
The Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center is a part of the University of Massachusetts Medical School's Department of Psychiatry. 

iSPARC is a Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) Center of Excellence for Public Mental Health Services and Implementation Research that aims to improve the mental and behavioral health of all citizens of Massachusetts and beyond. iSPARC is committed to transferring knowledge and insights gained through rigorous research to improve the lives of people with lived mental health experience.

We conduct Participatory Action Research, an all-inclusive approach that ensures that every aspect of our research incorporates the voices of those with lived mental health experience.
As a MA Department of Mental Health Research Center of Excellence, we are here to help the MA DMH workforce with any Technical Assistance (TA) needs they may have by providing information based on research. iSPARC can provide expertise and information on a wide range of mental health-related topics. We provide Basic TA (e.g., tip sheets, brief phone consultation, etc.) at no cost and can provide more intensive TA (e.g., policy development, training, etc.) which requires approval of your area director or deputy commissioner, or for a fee.
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