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ABOUT US

WEBINARS

ENGAGEMENT

OUR CENTERS

September 2024 Newsletter

In this Issue...

Our team awarded the NIDILRR Learning & Working RRTC Grant
Webinar: Youth Protective Factors Study w/our Law & Psychiatry Center Co-Director
CeKTER Webinar on Equity in Data Visualization
CAPES Summit on Suicide Prevention Research

Exciting News To Share!

We Have Been Awarded the NIDILRR

Learning & Working During the Transition to Adulthood Rehabilitation Research and Training Center

5 Year Grant!

We’re thrilled to announce that Dr. Marsha Ellison, PhD, and Dr. Michelle Mullen, PhD, from iSPARC and Transitions ACR have been awarded the NIDILRR Learning & Working During the Transition to Adulthood Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) 5-year grant (2024-2029).

About this grant:

The Learning & Working RRTC is dedicated to supporting young adults with serious mental health conditions as they transition into the workforce. Over the next five years, we’ll be focusing on three key goals:

Exploring New Policy Pathways: We aim to discover innovative ways to promote career development.
Enhancing Human Capital: Our research will drive new strategies to help young adults build valuable skills.
Translating Knowledge into Action: We’ll be turning our findings into real-world solutions that improve programs, policies, and practices.

With these goals in mind, our team will lead five research projects, two technical assistance initiatives, three training programs, and a major dissemination effort.

This grant marks the continuation of a journey that began in 2009, under the leadership of Dr. Maryann Davis, Emerita Professor of Psychiatry, Transitions ACR with the first Learning & Working RRTC grant. We’re now entering our 16th year of groundbreaking research and are excited to build on this strong foundation with Drs. Ellison & Mullen at the helm.

Learn More About the New L&W RRTC

Webinar with Our Law & Psychiatry Co-Director

Registration Open!

Webinar: The Youth Protective Factors Study: Risk, Strengths, and Reoffending

Presented by

The UC Berkeley School of Public Policy and

CSG (The Councils of State Governments Justice Center)

Principal researchers Gina Vincent, PhD and Jennifer Skeem, PhD, will share key findings for this initial analysis, including research-based strategies for juvenile justice supervision, case planning, and service delivery to enhance public safety and improve youth outcomes.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 2pm ET

Youth Protective Factors Webinar Registration

This webinar is funded by the National Institute of Justice, Grant#: 2020-JX-FX-0005.

CeKTER KT Academy Webinar

Registration Open!

KT Academy Webinar: "Equity in Data Visualization"

Presented by

The Center on Knowledge Translation for Employment Research (CeKTER)

a NIDILRR-funded Knowledge Translation Center

If you use data to communicate the work you do, we'd like to invite you to join our Center on Knowledge Translation for Employment Research (CeKTER) for a crucial conversation on "Equity in Data Visualization". Discover how to create visual data with your research that upholds the values of diversity, equity, and inclusive design and communication.

September 19th, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 pm ET

KT Academy Details & Registration

Suicide Prevention Month & the CAPES Summit

CAPES Summit

Wed Sept. 25th, 2024

8:30 AM EST- 5 PM EST

Albert Sherman Multi-Purpose Room AS1-2130 West and by zoom

The Center for Accelerating Practices to End Suicide (CAPES) is hosting a Summit (in person and by zoom) on Wed., Sept. 25th, 2024, from 8:30 AM EST- 5:00 PM EST. Join them to learn more about the latest innovations in suicide prevention, implementation science, person-centered care, and digital health. It's free to join but register by 9/18.

The Center for Accelerating Practices to End Suicide (CAPES) is headquartered at UMass Chan Medical School and comprises a cross-system collaboration between the UMass System and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. It is co-directed by Dr. Edwin Boudreaux and Dr. Catarina Kiefe. CAPES is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health as one of its Practice-Based Suicide Prevention Research Centers (P50MH129701).

CAPES Summit Registration

Learn more about the latest research and resources in suicide prevention:

Current publications from CAPES and UMass Chan researchers

SAMHSA's Suicide Prevention Month Resources & Information

Who We Are

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.

The Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center is a part of the Department of Psychiatry at UMass Chan Medical School (formerly the University of Massachusetts Medical School).

iSPARC is a Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) Center of Excellence (COE) 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.