Welcome to the iSPARC June 2021 Newsletter!

The month of June is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month and is intended to raise public awareness about issues related to PTSD, reduce the stigma associated with PTSD, and encourage those suffering from traumatic events and PTSD to seek help and receive proper treatment. Our newsletter this month features several resources we have available on the topics of trauma and PTSD.

In this webinar, researchers presented the services and outcomes of the UMMS Child Trauma Training Center (CTTC) – a statewide project funded by SAMHSA. The mission of CTTC is to improve identification of child trauma among professionals and increase access to evidence-based, trauma-informed services for youth and families in MA impacted by trauma. Watch the Trauma Responsive Care Webinar.

As much as 20% of returning Veterans have mental health conditions such as PTSD. However, many of these Veterans do not present themselves for mental health treatment or rehabilitation, often because of the significant stigma attached to having mental health problems. Failures and delays in entering needed treatment result in clinical and personal losses that lead to negative impacts on community integration and the eventual need for more intensive rehabilitation. This project sought to address the academic needs of student Veterans who are at risk of loss of academic status or drop-out. Read more about the Supported Education Service Pilot Project for Returning Veterans.

Date/Time: Thursday, June 24, 2021 between 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM EDT

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2532478059117505293

Description: The COVID-19 pandemic changed our worlds in a blink of an eye. Programs and projects for young adults with serious mental health conditions had to quickly move from an in-person world to a virtual one. In this 90-minute webinar, you will hear how three different projects that work with young adults with serious mental health conditions embraced the new virtual world. As we emerge from the pandemic, they will also discuss what they plan to continue. Read more information about the "Going Virtual" Webinar.

"Closing the Gaps in Perinatal Mental Health Care by Building the Capacity of Frontline Providers." Webinar was presented on May 12, 2021.

Mood and anxiety disorders affect one in five individuals during pregnancy or in the first postpartum year. They increase the risk of adverse maternal, infant, and child outcomes and account for 9% of maternal mortality. Recognizing that frontline perinatal health care providers are in an ideal position to intervene; it is recommended that mental health care is integrated into perinatal care. However, barriers at the individual, provider, systems, and community levels impede treatment participation. Less than a quarter of women with perinatal mood or anxiety disorders receive mental health care. This webinar by Dr. Nancy Byatt of Lifeline4Moms reviewed models for implementing evidence-based health care in perinatal care settings.

"Algorithms or Systemic Problems? Risk Assessments and Race."

Webinar was presented on March 24, 2021.

In this webinar, Dr. Gina Vincent discussed what it means for an instrument to be ‘biased’ and why instruments should not all be painted with the same brush (some will be more susceptible to bias than others). Presented by Multi-Health Systems, an agency that does a lot of publishing of psychological instruments, including risk instruments. Watch this Risk Accessment Webinar.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that the number of people living with permanent disability from brain injury grows annually as medical technology has advanced in life saving techniques. However, community-based programs which enable brain injury survivors to live productive lives throughout the entire course of recovery have not grown proportionately to meet this the need. Brain Injury Clubhouses were developed to address the need for coordinated, long-term, community-based supports for brain survivors in a community-based setting. Brain Injury Clubhouses are designed to improve the lives of persons with ABI and reduce strain on caregivers and healthcare services The Brain Injury Clubhouses Issue Brief was written to provide funders, administrators, policy makers, and other stakeholders with an overview of Brain Injury Clubhouses. The brief also provides outcomes associated with participation in a Brain Injury Clubhouse from a recent research study. Read / Download the Brain Injury Clubhouses Issue Brief.

April 11th was National Pet Day. As a way to celebrate and highlight the comfort, companionship and therapeutic benefits animals bring to humans, our Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research has created a new webpage as a resource guide focusing on Emotional Support Animals (ESA). This new ESA resource webpage offers the 101 Basics of Emotional Support Animals and their differences from other types of animals (e.g. service, therapy and pets). We also answer important questions like "Can I take my ESA to college?" and "Where else can I bring my animal?"

Our new NIDILRR funded Center on Knowledge Translation for Employment Research (CeKTER) has just released our first Tip Sheet called Accessibility 101: A Researcher’s Guide to Making Content Accessible. When you create web content for your stakeholders to read or view, is it accessible to all people, including those using adaptive technologies for a disability? If you're not sure, our upcoming series of tip sheets and videos explaining WHY and HOW to make your content accessible will help. To kick off this series, you can read and download this tip sheet here: Accessibility 101: A Researcher’s Guide to Making Content Accessible.

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