Edelman, L. (PI) & Andersen, T. C.(Co-I). Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement program. Utah Geriatric Education Consortium.  Award number: U1QHP28741. Total funds $3,750,000. July 2019 – June 2024.

• The Utah Geriatric Education Consortium (UGEC) is a Health Resources and Services Agency (HRSA) funded Geriatric Workforce Enhancement program. First funded in 2015, the UGEC aimed to enhance primary and geriatric care in 20 nursing homes in Utah through educational programs for students and nursing home providers and staff. In 2019, the UGEC applied for and received funding to expand programs across the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) settings, with an increased emphasis on the four Ms of age-friendly health systems: mobility, medications, mentation, and what matters.

Supiano, K. (PI) & Andersen, T. C.(Co-I). Pre-Loss group therapy for dementia family CPs at risk for CG. Alzheimer’s Association. Award number: AARG-21-846414. Total Funds: $150,000. November 2021 – October 2024.

• Dementia family caregiving may span more than a decade and places many care partners (CPs) at risk for poor bereavement outcomes. Complicated grief (CG) remains under-recognized, under-diagnosed, and undertreated in this population. Access to efficacious group interventions for dementia family CPs has been limited by geography, social isolation, lack of trained clinicians, and most recently by pandemic restrictions. In their prior work, the researchers developed and evaluated pre-loss group support (PLGS), a 10-session multi-modal, psychotherapy group intervention administered by nursing home social workers (SWs). This project will determine if telehealth-delivered PLGS reduces CG risk in family CPs of persons living with dementia (PLWD) when delivered by nursing home SWs trained in PLGS via telehealth, as demonstrated by lowered pre-loss grief risk and improved preparedness for death. This study is a pragmatic clinical trial that will concurrently evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of telehealth-delivered PLGS training of nursing home SWs, and satisfaction, adoption, and maintenance of all stakeholders. Telehealth delivery of both social worker training and PLGS addresses a clinical need, increases access to care partner support as the PLWD approaches end of life within nursing home usual care, and uses existing social work staff. PLGS could mitigate the unnecessary suffering of poor bereavement outcome in family CPs at risk as they approach and realize the death of their PLWD.

Bennett, T. R.(PI). Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA) program development, implementation, and evaluation. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH). Total Funds: $217,500. September 2018 – May 2024.

• The College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) provides development, implementation, and evaluation support for Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness to provide peer-to-peer substance use services. Researchers are assisting USARA to create a sustainable model for providing peer recovery services statewide.

Bennett, T. R. (Sub-PI).Utah Trafficking in Persons task force. Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and Asian Association of Utah. Award number: 2018-VT-BX-K065. Total Funds: $21,000. October 2018 – September 2022.

• The purpose of the Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force To Combat Human Trafficking program is to assist communities in developing effective and sustainable multidisciplinary task forces that will implement victim-centered and coordinated approaches to identifying victims of sex and labor trafficking, addressing the individualized needs of victims through services, and investigating and prosecuting sex and labor trafficking cases (as well as the purchasers of commercial sex) at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels. With this award, the Asian Association of Utah Refugee and Immigrant Center will work in partnership with the Utah Attorney General's Office to enhance the efforts of the Utah Trafficking in Persons task force. This project is working to combat human trafficking in the State of Utah during the project period.

Bennett, T. R. (Sub-PI).Utah Trafficking in Persons task force. Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and Utah Attorney General's Office. Award number: 2018-VT-BX-K085. Total Funds: $35,000. October 2018 – September 2022.

• The Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking program is designed to support the development and enhancement of multidisciplinary human trafficking task forces that implement collaborative approaches to combat all forms of human trafficking, including sex and labor trafficking of both foreign nationals and U.S. citizens (of all sexes and ages), within the United States. The task forces will implement victim-centered and coordinated approaches to: identify victims of all types of human trafficking; investigate and prosecute sex trafficking and labor trafficking cases at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels; and, address the individualized needs of victims through quality services. Awards will be made to a lead law enforcement agency and a lead victim service provider within each task force. This award was made to the Utah Attorney General’s Office who is working in collaboration with the Asian Association of Utah Refugee and Immigrant Center to implement this project within the State of Utah.

Bennett, T. R. (PI). The availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health services in targeted areas of Utah: An LBHS community needs assessment. Latino Behavioral Health Services (LBHS). Total funds: $25,000. October 2020 – June 2021.

• The College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) partnered with Latino Behavioral Health Services (LBHS) to conduct a needs assessment of the presence and availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health services in targeted communities throughout Utah. The assessment examined the presence or absence of standards related to governance, leadership, and workforce through interviews with stakeholders in the fields of criminal justice, education, and public and private mental health substance abuse providers. The assessment also identified the presence and availability of mental health and substance abuse services that met standards for communication and language assistance.

Broadbent, M. (PI) & West, K. (Co-I).  Evidence-based practice (EBP) evaluation project. Utah Division of Child and Family Services, Utah Department of Human Services. Award number: A03056. Total funds: $1,387,290. December 2019 – December 2024.

• In accordance with requirements of the Family First Prevention Services Act, the Children’s Bureau, within the Federal Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, requires evaluation of all programs and services included in a state’s five-year Title IV-E prevention program plan, if the program or service does not have a well-supported rating by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. The Social Research Institute (SRI) developed evaluation plans based on review and assessment, and will conduct evaluations for programs and services included in the State of Utah IV-E prevention program plan.

Keeshin, B. (PI) & Byrne, K. (Co-I). Pediatric integrated post-trauma services: An evidence-based care process model for pediatric traumatic stress. SAMHSA National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Award number: U79SM080000. Total funds: $3,000,000. September 2016 – September 2021.

• The purpose of this project was to develop and disseminate clinical algorithms and tools for medical providers to detect, assess, and manage traumatic stress, facilitating timely treatment and referral and minimizing the misuse of medication. The area of trauma focus was injuries and medical problems/health care settings/integrated care. The project goals included: 1) developing an evidence-based care process model (EB-CPM) and decision support tools for pediatric traumatic stress; 2) implementing and assessing pediatric traumatic stress EB-CPM for frontline healthcare providers in primary care and children’s advocacy centers; and 3) providing national leadership on the use of care process models in trauma-exposed children.

Keeshin, B. (PI) & Byrne, K. (Evaluator). University of Utah psychotropic medication oversight. Utah Department of Health. Total funds: $1,935,230. July 2019 – June 2024.

• The purpose of the Utah Psychotropic Oversight Program (UPOP) is to improve the well-being of children and adolescents in foster care receiving psychiatric treatment, by promoting safe, evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment, consistent with their mental health needs. UPOP’s mission and goal is to establish and operate a psychotropic medication oversight program by collaborating and consulting with DCFS caseworkers, Fostering Healthy Children health coordinators, community mental health professionals, and providers throughout the state.

Hess, R. (PI), Dere, W. (PI), & Cambron, C. (Co-I). Developing infrastructure and harmonized metrics to study the impact of Opioid ECHO programs. NIH Clinical and Translational Science Network. Award number: UL1TR002538-03S1. Total funds: $513,925. August 2019 – February 2021.

• This project seeks to use the existing research infrastructure of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) network to develop a sustainable and harmonized research strategy that will determine the impact of the ECHO model on improving patient-level outcomes associated with opioid use disorder treatment.

Facelli, J. C. (PI), Gouripeddi, R. (Co-I), Wang, Y. (Co-I), Li, B. (Co-I), Davis, K. (Co-I), & Cambron, C. (Co-I). Characterizing local COVID-19 emergent phenomenon and mitigation using computational modeling. Utah 3i Initiative Emerging COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Research. Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Award number: UL1TR002538. Total funds: $25,000. August 2019 – February 2021.

• This project employs an agent-based modeling technique known as the SpatioTemporal Human Activity Model (STHAM) to evaluate the combined individual and environmental predictors of COVID-19 community spread. Results from this seed grant project can inform state and community-level actions regarding COVID-19 transmission and containment.

Canham, S. L. (PI), Garcia, I. (Co-PI), Rose, J. (Co-PI), & Jones, S. (Co-PI).Understanding the mobility impacts of decentralizing homeless services in Salt Lake County, Utah. National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC). Award number: NITC2016-UU-32. Total funds: $100,206. August 2020 – February 2022.

• In 2016, Salt Lake County, Utah initiated the transition of the delivery of homelessness services from a centralized homeless shelter and provider (The Road Home) to a decentralized model of shelter provision and service delivery through four homeless resource centers (HRCs) that are operated by different providers (The Road Home and Volunteers of America, Utah). The HRCs were designed and built outside of the downtown core to shelter 1,000 individuals facing homelessness. The HRCs provide a range of services, some of which were entirely new within the homeless services system, including in-shelter foodservice, medical care, employment assistance, and case management. The transition to a decentralized model required careful consideration of where to locate these new HRCs—one key issue for consideration in the Salt Lake City Planning Commission's (2017) HRC Zoning Amendment was “proximity,” which considered how accessible the new locations were to public transportation and other needed services. Aligned with the NITC theme of increased access to opportunities, the following aims were proposed: 1) to understand how the decentralization of homeless services has influenced transportation demand and mobility patterns for persons experiencing homelessness; and 2) to understand how transportation and mobility changes affect access to services and supports. Using a mixed methods research design, this interdisciplinary study proposed conducting: 1) a content analysis of publicly available planning staff reports; 2) a GIS spatial and statistical analysis of proximity to opportunity and basic services for users of the four new HRCs compared to the former Road Home shelter; 3) up to 20 interviews with providers and decision makers; 4) survey of 100 clients’ travel behaviors, mobility patterns, and access to necessary services; and 5) up to 20 interviews/focus groups with individuals who stay in one of the four new HRCs. This research will provide recommendations to transportation agency staff and others about policy initiatives to effectively and equitably mitigate transportation issues when homeless services are restructured and/or decentralized.

Canham, S. L. (PI). Aging in the right place: Building capacity for promising practices that support older people experiencing homelessness in Montréal, Calgary, and Vancouver. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council/Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Total funds: $1,375,000. March 2020 - April 2025.

• Through a community-based participatory research approach, researchers will evaluate promising practices across the shelter/housing continuum to determine which promote aging in the right place, the characteristics of promising practices, and the groups of older persons with experiences of homelessness (OPEH), for which the promising practices work based on intersections of risk (e.g., age, gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, disability, Indigenous status, and immigrant status). The overall goal is to improve the shelter/housing options to meet the unique and complex health and social needs of OPEH across Canada. To achieve this goal, the researchers’ specific objectives are to: 1) evaluate promising practices of shelter and housing for OPEH that promote aging in the right place, ultimately making recommendations for expanding a promising practice locally (scaling up) or enabling a promising practice to be adapted in other communities (scaling out); 2) train a new generation of scholars to develop advanced research skills and lines of inquiry on homelessness, housing, and aging research; and 3) facilitate knowledge mobilization around promising practices for OPEH in Canada and internationally, while increasing public awareness of OPEH and perceptions of aging in the right place through public lectures, media, interviews, publications, and photo exhibits.

Hong, A. (PI), Canham, S. L. (Co-PI), Greer, V. (Co-PI), Sorweid, M. (Co-PI). Systematic reviews of age-friendly environment intervention studies. World Health Organization. Total funds: $23,083. September 2021 – December 2021.

• The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of peer-reviewed journal articles (or reports published by government or affiliated agencies) that examine interventions to support age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC)/environment initiatives around the world. Specifically, this study focused on exploring the most promising policies and interventions under the three age-friendly environmental dimensions (physical, social, and service environments). The ultimate goal of this study was to add to the evidence to promote AFCC/environment initiatives through multi-sectoral collaboration and to inform local and national policies to meet the growing need of an aging population in the Western Pacific Region.

Castillo, J.(PI) & Frost, C. J.(Co-I). A vision forward in substance abuse education: The training and development of advanced substance use disorder counselors within diverse communities and populations. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Award number: M01HP31280. Total funds: $1,108,635. September 2017 – August 2022.

• In 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded the University of Utah Substance Use Disorder Treatment Training Certificate (SUDTTC) Program a grant to educate and train people to work as professional substance use disorder counselors in medically underserved areas and/or with medically underserved populations in the state of Utah.

Castillo, J. (PI), Cambron, C.(Co-I), Campbell, K. (Co-I), Frost, C. J.(Co-I),Gerritsen-McKane, R. (Co-I), & Gren, L. H. (Co-I).Developing family support options through training and apprenticeships for substance use disorder counselors. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program. Award number: T26HP39461. Total funds: $2,189,007. September 2020 – August 2024.

• The purpose of this project is to educate and train students-trainees and apprentices as substance use disorder counselors, thereby increasing the quality and quantity of these professionals in the behavioral health and child welfare workforce in the state of Utah.

Jones, R. (PI) & Frost, C. J. (Co-I). Utah Center for Promotion of Work Equity (U-POWER). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Award number: U19OH012304. Total Funds: $6,992,301. September 2021 – August 2026.

• The Utah Center for Promotion of Work Equity Research (U-POWER) envisions work and workplaces that are safe, healthy, and equitable. Together, we can ensure that the conditions of work promote the health and well-being of workers and communities. The mission of U-POWER is to create a sustainable community of practice that changes the conditions of work and advances Total Worker Health® (TWH) through research and outreach. The aims of U-POWER overall are to: 1) facilitate a community of practice that shares the concern of changing the conditions of work and advancing TWH, and 2) advance TWH through innovative research and outreach, guided by the translational research process and community engagement. Processes and activities in U-POWER are guided by the values of justice and fair treatment, community, rigor and relevance, transformation, and participatory decision-making.

Rothwell, E. (PI) & Frost, C. J. (Co-I). The roles of targeted education and moral responsibility for responsible conduct of research training. U.S. Office of Research Integrity. Award number: ORIIR200063. Total Funds: $ 149,982. October 2020 –September 2022.

• There is growing empirical evidence that the research climate influences the way research teams conduct their research on a regular basis. This evidence describes the impact of the research climate on appropriate and questionable research practices (QRPs). It is important to note that broader, more common research misbehaviors are equally or even more harmful to the integrity of the research process than research misconduct (i.e., fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism). Education in responsible conduct of research (RCR) is supported as a mechanism to educate, train, and promote integrity throughout the research process. However, there is a lack of consensus on what RCR training should entail, how it should be delivered, and what constitutes effectiveness in the delivery of information. This study will assess how 1) targeted RCR education within research teams may differ from traditional classroom formats, and 2) RCR education about moral responsibility compares to RCR education about professional standards on perceptions of the research climate, QRPs, and ethical decision making. Outcomes of this research will provide empirical evidence for institutions to improve their research climate and promote the integrity of the research process for investigators.

Terry, M. B. (PI), Andrulis, I. (Co-PI), Colonna, S. (Co-PI, University of Utah PI), Daly, M. B. (Co-PI), Hopper, J.L. (Co-PI), John, E.M. (Co-PI), Frost, C. J. (Co-I), & O’Toole, K (Co-I). Breast Cancer Family Registry cohort. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Award number: U01CA164920. Total funds: $1,173,160 (University of Utah site). December 2017 – November 2022.

• The goal of this six-site cancer study is to maintain a cancer data repository and to conduct studies linked to personalized genomic medicine in the context of cancer research. The researchers will also recruit women and men less than age 40 to a research cohort study. Additionally, the team will collect biospecimens and mammographic information about these participants.

Garland, E. L. (PI). SMART Embedded Intervention for Military Postsurgical Engagement Readiness (SEMPER). Department of Defense, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity. Award number: W81XWH-21-1-0328. Total funds: $4,996,715. May 2021 – May 2025.

• Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common chronic overuse musculoskeletal disorders afflicting U.S. military service members and is among the primary conditions leading to medical separation from active-duty service. Given the magnitude and growth in knee OA prevalence, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgeries have surged to historic highs in recent years. Today, TKA is one of the most common inpatient surgeries performed in the U.S., but surgical outcomes can be highly variable and suboptimal. Even after a technically sound TKA, up to 25% of patients are dissatisfied with their surgical outcome, and many patients continue to experience prolonged pain and opioid use after surgery. In fact, TKA increases an opioid-naïve patient’s risk of developing chronic opioid use five-fold, and chronic opioid use leads to medical separation and undermines mission readiness across the Military Health System (MHS). Clearly, novel non-opioid pain management strategies are needed in the MHS. New scientific findings indicate that prolonged pain disrupts functioning in brain regions responsible for self-control, undermining patients’ ability to engage in effective self-management (i.e., self-regulation) of pain, and resulting in avoidance of physical activity, disengagement from physical therapy, and functional impairment. In the absence of effective self-regulation, patients become increasingly dependent on opioids for pain relief. Interventions are urgently needed to prevent TKA patients’ downward spiral into chronic pain, opioid dependence, and impaired musculoskeletal health. Unfortunately, standard of care during TKA does not address these factors, and current interventions often treat pain, addictive behaviors, and distress in isolation. To fill this gap, this study aims to conduct a pragmatic trial of a novel, adaptive therapeutic approach that integrates brief and intensive mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) into surgical care pathways within the MHS and will be conducted in the standard clinical context at multiple military medical centers around the U.S., where behavioral health specialists will be trained to use evidence-based, manualized MBIs.

Garland, E. L. (PI). Targeting chronic pain and co-occurring disorders in the community with Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement. Department of Defense, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. Award number: W81XWH-16-1-0522. Total funds: $ 4,854,657. August 2016 – August 2022.

• The co-occurrence of chronic pain, psychological distress, and misuse of prescription opioids undermines the mission of the U.S. Military and inflicts suffering upon veterans and their families. Unfortunately, there are no evidence-based treatments that simultaneously address pain, opioid misuse, and psychological distress. To fill this gap, this study is a trial of a novel integrative medicine approach combining Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) with conventional opioid pain management for service members and veterans. The study utilizes lab-based assessments and mobile technology to understand how MORE works to create therapeutic change, and to predict whether and when service members and veterans are at risk for relapsing back to opioid misuse. To accomplish this objective, lab-based assessments evaluate physiological reactivity to cues associated with past episodes of pain and opioid use, and a smartphone-based assessment evaluates opioid craving, pain, and negative mood in “the real world.” Because changes in heart rate and other physiological factors may indicate the extent to which a person’s brain has been triggered by opioid craving, this application of mind-body assessments to predict opioid misuse risk and treatment outcomes could facilitate early risk detection and penetrate denial.

Buecker, P. J. (PI) & Garland, E. L. (Co-I and PI, Utah Site). Digital therapeutic development of virtual cognitive-affective training for opioid use disorder. National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse. Award number: R44DA053848. Current Funds: $319,021. May 2021 – April 2022.

• Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) like buprenorphine are currently the most effective form of intervention for opioid use disorder (OUD); however, novel behavioral adjuncts are needed to remediate dysregulation in brain reward systems, enhance MOUD adherence, and prevent relapse. BehaVR, LLC will meet this need by translating an evidence-based biobehavioral treatment approach into an innovative digital therapeutic for OUD that will increase accessibility to services to improve the patient's chances of long-term treatment success.

Finan, P. (PI) & Garland, E. L.(Co-I). Separate and combined effects of mindfulness meditation and savoring on pain-related corticostriatal function. National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health. Award number: R61AT010134. Total Funds: $1,005,568. July 2019 – December 2021.

• The main goal of this project is to test the separate and combined effects of mindfulness and savoring techniques on corticostriatal function in chronic pain patients.

Froeliger, B. (MPI), Saladin, M. (MPI), & Garland, E. L. (PI). Neural mechanisms mediating appetitive regulation and smoking in nicotine addiction. National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse. Award number: R01DA048094. Total Funds: $2,277,413. June 2019 – March 2024.

• The main goal of this project is to test the effects of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement on nicotine addiction pathophysiology.

Goldstein, R. Z. (PI) & Garland, E. L. (Co-I). Neuroimaging response inhibition and salience attribution changes during mindfulness-based treatment of human heroin addiction. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Award number: R01AT010627. Total Funds: $3,775,359. April 2019 – March 2024.

• The goal of this project is to use neuroimaging of reward processing, drug cue reactivity, and inhibitory control before and immediately after eight weeks of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement as compared to standard of care in opioid addiction. Clinical outcomes will be assessed immediately and three months after treatment.

Bryan, C. (PI) & Garland, E. L. (Co-PI). Brief cognitive behavioral therapy replication trial. Department of Defense. Award number: W81XWH1820022. Total funds: $4,900,000. July 2018 – June 2023.

• The overall goal for this project is to test the effectiveness of brief cognitive behavioral therapy (BCBT) for the prevention of suicide attempts in a sample of treatment-seeking Marines. The standard null hypothesis involves tests conducted comparing improvement following BCBT (treatment duration of 12 weeks) to person-centered therapy (PCT). The primary outcome comparisons will include direct markers of suicidality (i.e. suicide, suicide attempts). Secondary outcomes will be suicide ideation and indicators of psychiatric distress (e.g., depression, hopelessness). The researchers also aim to assess several hypothesized psychological and neurocognitive mediators of treatment effects (e.g., wish to live, attentional bias, emotion regulation). Participants will be followed for two years post-treatment by independent evaluators blind to treatment condition.

Fritz, J. (PI) & Garland, E. L. (Co-PI). SMART stepped care management for low back pain in military health system. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and Department of Defense. Award number: UG3AT009763. Total funds: $6,438,846. September 2017 – August 2023.

• Chronic pain is a ubiquitous problem and growing concern for the Military Health System (MHS). Low back pain (LBP) is the most common condition that leads to chronic pain. Numerous recommendations have been made to improve care for LBP and chronic pain in the MHS, including implementation of a stepped care approach. Stepped care is a treatment process that begins with broadly accessible, less intensive interventions that can benefit many patients. Those who do not respond to initial treatments are stepped up to more intensive treatment. While stepped care is advocated for pain management, and has been beneficial for improving care in other chronic conditions, many questions remain about which treatments to use within each step, and the importance of sequences of care decisions. The SMART Stepped Care Management Project supports an innovative sequential multiple randomization trial specifically designed to address these key questions. Patients in the MHS with chronic LBP are randomly assigned to either receive physical therapy or the holistic move to health intervention. After six weeks, patients’ responsiveness to their first treatment step is determined. Non-responders are re-randomized to receive either Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) or treatment from an Integrative Pain Medicine Center. This SMART trial compares the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of step one and step two treatments in a stepped care approach for patients with LBP in the MHS with patient-centered and healthcare cost outcomes, with an emphasis on studying the sequencing effects of different treatment combinations.

Zgierska, A. (Overall PI) & Garland, E. L. (PI, Utah Site). A comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus cognitive behavioral therapy for opioid-treated chronic low back pain. Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Award number: OPD-1601-33860. Total funds: $8,430,230. January 2017 – December 2022.

• One in four U.S. adults have chronic low back pain, which is defined as any type of pain in the low back or radiating down to the legs (sciatica) that lasts for three or more months. Doctors often cannot cure chronic low back pain, but they may prescribe an opioid medicine to help patients manage their pain. These medicines can have serious side effects, such as addiction to the medicine, depression, or even death from accidental overdose. This study compares two ways non-opioid treatments help patients reduce chronic low back pain and improve their quality of life: mindfulness meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Mindfulness meditation helps people train their minds to focus attention in a certain way to cope with and reduce negative reactions to pain. CBT, a type of psychological therapy, helps people learn how to change their thoughts and feelings about pain and develop new ways to think and act when they are in pain. The aim of this comparative effectiveness trial is to assess if mindfulness-based intervention is more effective than standard of care CBT for improving pain and function.

Cooperman, N. (PI), Garland, E. L. (Co-I), & Hanley, A. W. (Co-I). Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement as an adjunct to methadone treatment for opioid use and chronic pain management. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (R21/R33). Award numbers: R21AT010109 and R33AT010109. Total funds: $1,819,967 (for R21 and R33 phases combined). September 2019 – September 2022.

• This project will study the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) as an adjunct to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain.

Fritz, J. (PI), Garland, E. L. (Co-PI), & Hanley, A. W. (Co-I).Optimizing treatment sequencing for patients with chronic, nonspecific low back pain. Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Optimized Multidisciplinary Treatment Programs for Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain. Award number: OTS-LBP-2017C1-6486. Total funds: $9,689,014. September 2018 – March 2025.

• This study will use a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) design to determine the optimal treatment sequencing of physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and mindfulness-based therapy for chronic pain.

Hanley, A. W. (PI) & Garland, E. L. (Co-I). Mindful interoceptive mapping: Elucidating a novel mechanism for treating opioid misuse and chronic pain. National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse. Award number: R21DA050792. Total funds: $434,365. April 2021 – March 2023.

• Chronic pain patients deserve pain management strategies that are efficacious and non-addictive. Mindfulness-based interventions show promise but could be more effective if intentionally designed to increase pleasant sensations while decreasing pain. This project will begin identifying the optimal style of mindfulness practice for increasing pleasant bodily sensations in the service of more effectively treating the millions of Americans misusing opioids to manage their chronic pain.

Hopkins, R.(PI). Medicaid 1115 waiver evaluation. Utah Department of Health. Award number: 182700856. Total funds: $1,237,560. March 2018 – February 2023.

• The College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI), in collaboration with the Department of Economics, is conducting an evaluation of Utah’s 1115 Medicaid waiver demonstration. Specific policy changes and health care services to beneficiary population groups include: aged dental, blind and disabled dental, severely mentally ill, substance abuse disorder, targeted adult, and intensive stabilization for youth.

McDonald, C.(PI).Title IV-E training. Utah Division of Child and Family Services, Utah Department of Human Services. Award number: A02433. Total funds: $13,500,000. July 2017 – June 2022.

• This Social Research Institute (SRI) project involves research and education components that include participants from the BSW Program, the MSW Program, and new and existing child welfare workers in the agency. The goal of the project is to assess whether a comprehensive, evidence-based training package can impact outcomes in daily practice. A child welfare worker's first child abuse or neglect case is often an overwhelming experience. The process of engaging, gathering information, and making a decision requires a complex skill set, which is difficult to perform under the best circumstances. When the situation is highly emotional, competent performance is even harder to achieve. To better equip child welfare workers with the skills they will need for their first case, the University of Utah, in partnership with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, has developed a simulation experience of a worker’s first case. The training of child welfare workers, like many other types of social work, is acquired mainly through on-the-job experience. This type of training leads to wide ranges in competency and outcomes. This is the first full spectrum training program in the nation and will incorporate cutting-edge evidence-based training modalities including virtual-reality and simulation.

Min, M. O. (PI). Gender and developmental trajectories to adolescent substance use and sexual risk behavior. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Award number: R01DA042747. Total funds: $266,985. September 2019 – July 2022.

• Children with prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) are more prone to adolescent substance use and sexual risk behaviors, even compared to other high-risk populations. However, little is known about how behavioral trajectories among those with PCE interact with gender and life adversity, such as exposure to violence or trauma, to produce different substance use and sexual risk behavior outcomes. Understanding of behavioral trajectories that may differ by gender and life adversities will improve prevention and treatment efforts by specifying modifiable targets by gender. This is a secondary data analysis grant to examine gender differences in behavioral trajectories leading to substance use and sexual risk behaviors in adolescents with and without prenatal cocaine/polydrug exposure, capitalizing on the combined datasets from two longitudinal birth cohorts.

Mueller, D. (PI) & Sarver, C. (Co-I). Non-judicial adjustment (NJA) Study. Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Utah Governor’s Office. Award number: 201395. Total funds: $85,000. December 2019 – November 2021.

• The University of Utah’s Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) conducted a systematic review of diversion programs and an internal evaluation of current non-judicial adjustment (NJA) policies and practices in the state of Utah.

Osteen, P. J. (PI). Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) kids program evaluation.  Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Utah Department of Human Services. Award number: A02543. Total funds: $462,200. May 2018 – September 2021.

• The College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) provided evaluation and consultation on the quality and effectiveness of adolescent and transitional-aged youth (TAY) substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. SRI developed tools to measure treatment quality and developed a continuous quality improvement system, which provides ongoing feedback to treatment providers along with technical assistance to implement agency improvements through the Utah Quality Youth Treatment Project.

Osteen, P. J. (PI). Independent systematic reviews project. Utah Division of Child and Family Services, Utah Department of Human Services. Award number: A03017. Total funds: $327,869. January 2020 – September 2021.

• The College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) conducted independent systematic reviews of programs and services intended to prevent foster care placements through enhanced support to children and families. Specific programs and services were identified by the Department of Human Services (DHS) and reviews were conducted according to Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse Handbook of Standards and Procedures.

Osteen, P. J. (PI). COVID-19 emergency response for suicide prevention. Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Utah Department of Human Services. Award number: 1 H79 FG000490-01. Total funds: $46,775. December 2020 – January 2022.

• The purpose of this contract is for the contractor to carry out COVID-19 emergency response suicide prevention (ERSP) grant evaluation and reporting activities, including development of data collection strategies, implementation of data collection with grant partners, analysis of data, and summarization of data required for grant reporting.

Osteen, P. J. (PI) & Broadbent, M. (Co-I).  Evaluation of Grandfamilies program. Utah Division of Child and Family Services, Utah Department of Human Services. Award number: A02742. Total funds: $172,538. November 2018 – February 2021.

• The College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) assisted the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) in meeting the requirements of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) by evaluating the degree to which the Grandfamilies program qualifies as an evidence-based kinship navigator program.

Osteen, P. J. (PI) & Sarver, C. M. (Co-PI). Division of Juvenile Justice Services program evaluation and improvement project. Utah Division of Juvenile Justice Services (DJJS). Award number: A02619. Total funds: $253,476. July 2018 – June 2021.

• Through this contract, the College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) and Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) assisted the Utah Division of Juvenile Justice Services (DJJS) with efforts to demonstrate the effectiveness of services and measure the impact of quality improvement initiatives.

Frey, J. J. (PI) & Osteen, P. J. (Co-I). Preventing Suicide in Michigan Men (PRiSMM). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), and University of Maryland. Total funds: $933,829. November 2020 – August 2025.

• Preventing Suicide in Michigan Men (PRiSMM) is a comprehensive multi-component collaboration, led by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. PRiSMM is designed to reduce Michigan’s suicide morbidity and mortality rates by 10% over five years. With a focus on adult men, who represent 67% of the suicide deaths annually in Michigan, PRiSMM is designed to reduce the occurrence of suicidal behaviors among adult men. Dr. Jodi Jacobson Frey is the University of Maryland subcontract principal investigator and she and her team, including Dr. Philip J. Osteen from University of Utah and Grit Digital, will contribute to this project by building on Dr. Frey’s prior work in Michigan to further expand the reach and impact of Man Therapy in reducing suicide risk with working aged men.

Farmer, E. (PI) & Osteen, P. J. (Co-I). The Center for Adjustment, Resilience & REcovery (CARRE). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Total funds: $599,249. September 2021 – September 2026.

• The Center for Adjustment, Resilience & REcovery (CARRE) will close the gap in knowledge and research, and increase workforce capacity so that refugee, asylum-seeking, and other forcibly displaced children, youth, and families in the U.S. receive trauma focused, culturally responsive, evidence-based treatments and interventions that prevent the long-term impacts of childhood traumatic stress and promote resilience. Despite refugee and asylum-seeking children and youth experiencing significant traumatic events and ongoing adversities that result in a high prevalence of mental health conditions (studies show an overall prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder at 22.71%, depression at 13.81%, and anxiety disorders at 15.77%), they are often unable to access trauma-focused services and evidenced-based treatments due to linguistic, cultural, and environmental barriers, and a lack of provider capacity. CARRE will: 1) increase the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and resource of NCTSN partners, NCTSI Centers, refugee resettlement agencies (RA), Ethnic Community Based Organizations (ECBO), and other service providers so that they can successfully serve refugee/asylum-seeking children and families coping with toxic stress and trauma; 2) increase the number of Cat. III Centers, RAs, ECBOs, and other service providers who effectively implement culturally adapted and contextually appropriate evidence-based treatments (EBTs) with refugee/asylum-seeking children and families; and 3) increase the exchange between intervention, population, and systems experts in the fields of trauma and toxic stress and forced migration, refugee resettlement, asylum, and other forms of humanitarian protection. CARRE will provide training, education, and technical assistance, and regularly develop and disseminate resources to NCTSN members on issues related to the unique traumatic factors of forced migration, related service systems, and cultural adaptation frameworks. Conversely, CARRE will partner with NCSTI Cat. II Centers to ensure the RAs and ECBOs, early and common service entry points, have increased knowledge and skills regarding child traumatic stress. CARRE is partnering with Cat. II NCTSI Centers to culturally adapt three EBT models and will expand their implementation to NCTSI Centers, RAs, ECBOs, and other service providers. It will support the successful uptake and sustainability of these interventions by serving as a continuing resource for training, consultation, and technical assistance. CARRE will also engage key stakeholders including refugee/asylum seeking youth and families to collectively leverage knowledge and to improve access to services and effective care.

Prince, K. C.(PI). A randomized controlled trial of the Salt Lake County criminal justice Pay for Success (PFS) Program: Recovery, Engagement, Assessment, Career Development, and Housing (REACH). Private investment banks and philanthropic organizations. Award number: 0000001404. Total funds: $725,000. January 2017 – December 2023.

• Pay for Success (PFS) is an innovative approach that leverages taxpayer risk by funding social service programs with private capital and ties payment for services to demonstrated outcomes through rigorous evaluation. Salt Lake County has partnered with the University of Utah’s Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC), First Step House (FSH), Sorenson Impact Center, and a variety of community stakeholders to develop a PFS project to address high recidivism rates among offender populations. The Recovery, Engagement, Assessment, Career Development, and Housing (REACH) program was designed by FSH to serve high-risk, high-need adult male probationers with moderate to severe substance abuse disorders. Specific program components include: evidence-based interventions specifically designed to address criminogenic factors that are tied to recidivism; substance use disorder treatment; employment support through job placement, education, and training; support and case management to meet individual needs through benefits enrollment, health resources, and community engagement; and housing support. UCJC was selected as the independent evaluator on this $6.3 million, six-year project, and is currently conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) study to examine the program’s success improving criminal justice and employment outcomes.

Prince, K. C. (PI) & Mueller, D. (Co-I). Evaluation of the 24/7 sobriety pilot program. Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS). Total funds: $93,000. July 2018 – September 2021.

• Beginning July 1, 2018, repeat DUI offenders in certain Weber County courts could be enrolled in a new program that would allow them to maintain their driving privileges but require them to abstain from alcohol and drugs for a full year. The new 24/7 Sobriety Program, piloted by the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, aims to reduce repeat DUI recidivism. Despite some evidence that suggests the program may be effective, methodological limitations of past studies make it difficult to determine whether the 24/7 program is actually more effective than current practices. As such, DPS contracted with the Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) to provide consultation and a three-year evaluation of the 24/7 sobriety pilot program.

Prince, K. C. (PI) & Mueller, D. (Co-I). Second Chance Act (SCA) project: Phase I. Utah Department of Corrections. Award number: 203561. Total funds: $120,000. April 2020 – October 2021.

• The University of Utah’s Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) will conduct an evaluation of the effects of Second Chance Act initiatives among a cohort of inmates in Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) facilities who are being released to the community. The Second Chance Act is designed to improve risk and needs assessment fidelity and development of case action plans, increase the frequency of reassessments, and ultimately, lead to reductions in state-wide recidivism outcomes.

Prince, K. C. (PI) & Sarver, C. M. (Co-I). A randomized controlled trial of the Salt Lake County homelessness Pay for Success (PFS) Program: Housing Not Jails (HNJ). Private investment banks and philanthropic organizations. Award number: 0000001404. Total funds: $611,712. January 2017 – December 2023.

• Pay for Success (PFS) is an innovative approach that leverages taxpayer risk by funding social service programs with private capital and ties payment for services to demonstrated outcomes through rigorous evaluation. Salt Lake County has partnered with the University of Utah’s Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC), The Road Home (TRH), Sorenson Impact Center, and a variety of community stakeholders to develop a PFS project to address homelessness within the community. Despite spending $52 million in Salt Lake County annually on the homelessness service system, there are still large numbers of persistently homeless individuals in the County. The persistently homeless are defined as those individuals who have spent between 90 and 364 days over the previous year in emergency shelters, on the streets, or otherwise tracked as being homeless. These individuals spend long periods of time in emergency shelter and are commonly booked into jail for low-level crimes related to homelessness (e.g., public intoxication, trespassing). Analysis of this population demonstrates that the persistently homeless are at clear risk of remaining homeless without support and are a strain on public resources. Despite their poor outcomes, these individuals are highly unlikely to receive the currently available services for the homeless. To directly address this population and its unique issues, the County decided to utilize a Rapid Rehousing (RRH) approach to serve persistently homeless individuals through the Housing Not Jail (HNJ) program. The HNJ program, developed by The Road Home (TRH), is based on the framework of the Housing First (HF) model, and was designed to move persistently homeless individuals out of the emergency shelter and into a stable housing placement. HNJ augments the RRH and HF models by incorporating a number of evidence-based practices and comprehensive wraparound services, such as intensive case management, behavioral health group services, and referral to employment services. UCJC was selected as the Independent Evaluator on this $5.7 million, six-year project, and is currently conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) study to examine the program’s success improving housing stability, criminal justice, and behavioral health outcomes.

Prince, K. C. (PI) & Sarver, C. M. (Co-I). Department of Public Safety Violent Crime in Utah project: Phase I. Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS). Total funds: $83,000. May 2021 – April 2022.

• The purpose of this project is to identify trends in, and potential predictors of, violent crime (specifically rape, assault, and homicide) in several jurisdictions in the state of Utah for the period from 2014 – 2019. The study will also examine person-level predictors of the crime rates among the offending population (but not within the general community). Phase I of this project is exploratory and will inform subsequent phases of the project. This phase will focus partly on identifying significant patterns of change in trends in violent crime. Within the offending population, Phase I will also examine whether person-level variables (e.g., sex, race, age, criminal history) are useful predictors of observed trends. Phase I will also include a literature review that will examine important determinants of violent crime in other jurisdictions and states; the focus of this review will be on identifying community-level predictors of crime.

Salisbury, E. J. (PI). Women’s Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA) training contracts. Total combined funds of current contracts: $133,700.

• The University of Utah’s Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) has contracted with various entities across the country to train personnel in the administration and scoring of the Women’s Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA), as well as the use of the assessment for case planning purposes.

Salisbury, E. J. (PI). Women’s Reentry Assessment, Programming, and Services (WRAPS) project. Multnomah County, Oregon. Total funds: $93,000. November 2020 – December 2021.

• The purpose of this project is to provide implementation, monitoring, research, and evaluation as part of the Women’s Reentry Assessment, Programming, and Services (WRAPS) program.

Salisbury, E. J. (PI). Creating a Marketing and Training Strategy for the Women's Risk and Needs Assessment (WRNA). National Institute of Corrections (NIC). Award number: 21CS16GLI5. Total funds: $108,641. August 19, 2021 – August 18, 2022.

• The Women’s Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA), an instrument that appropriately accounts for women’s risk and need, has been applied nationally and internationally for assessment and case planning with women who are at various points of involvement with the correctional system, from pretrial to community supervision. This project addresses the need for creating a national marketing, training, and technical assistance strategy for the WRNA.

Sarver, C. M. (PI). Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) Consultation Project. Utah Division of Juvenile Justice Services. Total Funds: $771,754. July 2021 – June 2026.

• The purpose of this project is to: 1) assist the Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Juvenile Justice Services in meeting the requirements of H.B. 239 (as amended in 2017), which requires that programs implemented by DHS or their contracted providers be evidence-based or rated as effective for reducing recidivism; and 2) examine the inter-rater reliability (IRR) and conditional validity coefficients of the protective and risk assessment (PRA), as administered within DHS.

Sarver, C. M. (PI) & Jemison, E. (Co-I). State Victim Advocate Liaison needs assessment project. Utah Office of Victims of Crime. Total Funding: $77,557. July 2021 – December 2021.

• The purpose of this project was to identify existing gaps as well as the correlates, causes, or pathways through which those problems occur within the victim services field throughout the state of Utah.

Sarver, C. M. (PI) & Mueller, D. (Co-I). Gender-responsive and behavior management reentry. Management & Training Corporation. Total funds: $60,000. October 2019 – June 2022.

• The University of Utah’s Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) is conducting a process evaluation that characterizes the implementation of a gender-responsive and behavior management approach to re-entry in one female correctional facility in the state of Florida. The contract includes appropriate date and data collection measures to ensure the feasibility of an outcome evaluation at a future date.

Sarver, C. M. (PI) & Prince, K. C.(Co-I). Evaluation of the SAMHSA FAST program. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Total funds: $300,000. September 2018 – September 2023.

• This project was part of a five-year Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant that was awarded to The Road Home (TRH) to develop and evaluate the Family Assistance and Support Team (FAST) program (also known as the Housing Support and Stability Program (HSSP) Families Project). The FAST team will assist 150 homeless families with a substance use disorder or co-occurring disorder to stabilize in permanent housing with rapid re-housing (RRH) packages of financial assistance and multidisciplinary wrap-around supports. These will include: case management, behavioral health treatment for parents and children with an emphasis on access to developmentally appropriate services, and a focus on increasing mainstream benefits and employment. The FAST program incorporates rapid re-housing, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, harm reduction, and critical time intervention in a setting-flexible service delivery model. Objectives include: 1) helping families obtain and stabilize in permanent housing; 2) providing a coordinated approach to accessing mainstream benefits for all family members; 3) facilitating access to employment supports; 4) connecting children to developmentally appropriate supports; and 5) connecting all family members to behavioral health supports, as needed. The University of Utah’s Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) will serve as the evaluator on this multi-agency team, and will conduct a thorough evaluation of the program to determine the impact of the program on the following outcomes: housing placements and retention; benefits/health insurance enrollment and retention; behavioral health treatment admission and completion; employment type, length, and salary; children’s receipt of services, including type and length; and measures of parent and child well-being. During the final year of the project, UCJC will compare outcomes between FAST participants and a propensity score matched sample of homeless families who are not enrolled in the program.

Sarver, C. M. (PI) & Seawright, J. (Co-I). Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) program evaluation. Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH). Award number: A02741. Total Funds: $508,002. January 2019 – December 2022.

• The Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) requires the Utah Department of Human Services/Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DHS/DSAMH) to create and oversee a certification process for all community-based treatment programs, both public and private, that provide services to persons who are court-mandated to behavioral health treatment. This process will ensure that treatment providers are knowledgeable and skilled with respect to the scientific research for reducing recidivism among substance using persons who have been court-mandated to treatment. The objectives of this project are to: 1) provide consultation to DSAMH staff on justice certification; 2) develop and pilot a certification tool that will be administered to provisionally certified treatment providers to determine readiness for final certification; 3) provide technical assistance to programs through the general evidence-based correctional practice (EBCP) module developed and maintained by the University of Utah’s Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC); and 4) conduct follow-up program evaluations with Utah’s 13 local substance abuse authorities.

Sarver, C. M. (PI) & Seawright, J. (Co-I). Utah – Promoting Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care (U-PIPBHC) program. Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. Award number: A02741. Total Funds: $179,010. April 2019 – December 2023.

• The Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) has received funding to implement the Utah – Promoting Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care (U-PIPBHC) program through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). DSAMH and provider organizations located in Box Elder, Iron, Utah, and Washington Counties will integrate primary and behavioral health care services using the Intermountain Healthcare Mental Health Integration care process model and Primary Care Behavioral Health Model to address the physical and behavioral health needs of low-income, uninsured residents residing in Box Elder, Iron, Utah, and Washington Counties. The goals of this University of Utah Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) project are to: 1) determine if services are provided as intended; 2) characterize the type and dosage of services received by clients; and 3) analyze change in outcomes of interest as the result of program participation.

[Bettmann] Schaefer, J. E. (PI). New study: An investigation into the effects of a wilderness program on veterans’ psychosocial functioning. Sierra Club. Total funds: $43,780. January 2019 – August 2021.

• The purpose of this study is to assess the outcomes of veterans who participate in expeditions as part of the Sierra Club Military Outdoors (SCMO) expeditions program. The dilemma between the need for effective mental health treatment for veterans and their reluctance to engage in traditional treatment modalities for fear of stigma warrants further investigation into alternative modes of reaching veterans. Though therapeutic adventure shows promise as a way to engage veterans and enact positive changes in functioning, little is known about how therapeutic adventure may impact mental health symptoms and psychological processes among veterans. Thus, this study aims to examine changes in mental health symptoms and related psychological processes over the course of an expedition-length SCMO program and at a one-month and one-year follow-ups.

Tanana, M. J. (PI) & Broadbent, M.(Co-PI). Title IV-E Research. Utah Division of Child and Family Services, Utah Department of Human Services. Total funds: $1,472,704. April 2013 – June 2022.

• Through this project, the College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) will provide research support to the State of Utah’s child welfare system. Researchers will engage in quantitative analyses of system databases to help understand causes and influences over the child welfare system. 

Srikumar, V. (PI) & Tanana, M. J. (Co-PI). Technology facilitated training for mental health counseling. National Science Foundation. Award number: 1822877. Total funds: $749,781. August 2018 – July 2022.

• In this project, the researchers developed and evaluated technological tools that facilitate new models for training tomorrow’s mental health workforce. The team created and studied a novel text-based platform with the pedagogical goal of training mental health counselors. Within this platform, they explore two broad research questions, studying the pedagogical impact of: 1) natural language processing-driven helpers that provide feedback in real time; and 2) crowd-sourced counseling using individuals with minimal training. To this end, the researchers designed and trained several statistical models that operate within the proposed text-based platform to interact with novice therapists. They evaluated the efficacy of the two kinds of feedback (automatic and crowd-based) in terms of how well they could train different kinds of trainees (lay support providers in online forums, novice therapists in training) compared to models where the learner practices on their own and/or without specific feedback.

Atkins, D. (PI), Narayanan, S. (PI), & Tanana, M. J. (Co-I). Implementation of technology-based evaluation of motivational interviewing. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Award number: R01AA018673. Total funds: $3,043,806. September 2016 – August 2022.

• Performance-based feedback is an effective method for training and supervising counseling approaches for alcohol-related problems. However, current feedback methods rely on human evaluation of recorded counseling sessions and are not feasible in the real-world, due to time and cost. This study will implement a clinical support software tool that uses speech signal processing and computational models—instead of human judgment—to evaluate motivational interviewing for alcohol and substance use problems.

Creed, T. A. (PI), Atkins, D. C. (PI), Narayanan, S. (PI), & Tanana, M. J. (Co-I). Technology-supported training and quality assurance for psychosocial interventions. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Award number: R56MH118550. Total funds: $831,604. February 2019 – January 2021.

• This NIMH grant explored the feasibility of automating the scoring of the cognitive therapy rating scale (CTRS), a common cognitive behavioral tool (CBT) fidelity tool, using machine learning algorithms.

Vogel-Ferguson, M. B. (PI). Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) project. Utah Department of Workforce Services. Award number: 20DWS0144. Total funds: $959,414. January 2020 – December 2022.

• The College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) will conduct research and evaluation to provide data regarding the impact of various Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) programs on outcomes for needy families accessing the programs, as the Department strives to adhere to the four cornerstone principles of operational excellence, exceptional customer service, employee success, and community connection. The programs to be evaluated promote self-sufficiency, healthy relationships, enhanced education, and trauma-informed parenting.

Vogel-Ferguson, M. B. (PI). Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Utah Department of Workforce Services. Award number: 20DWS0144. Total funds: $30,000. January 2020 – December 2022.

• The College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) will use findings from the WIOA study to assist in the design and development of an intergenerational welfare use project and evaluate the program as requested. The program could possibly focus on working with adults with dependents who have no high school diploma or GED. Additionally, the team will explore costs and concerns around providing child care for participation in the WIOA program and provide evaluations of the WIOA program as requested by DWS.

Vogel-Ferguson, M. B. (PI). Center for trauma-informed Utah and ACEs prevention support project. Utah Department of Health. Award number: 212700442. Total funds: $131,000. September 2020 – August 2025.

• The purpose of this College of Social Work Social Research Institute (SRI) project is to guide stakeholders through the process of establishing a steering committee, necessary subcommittees, and conducting supportive activities to develop a proposal for a center for trauma-informed Utah. The center will serve as a resource for the state of Utah to work toward becoming a trauma-informed, resilience-building, ACEs-preventing state. An additional purpose is to provide support and technical assistance to the Utah Department of Health to integrate trauma-informed policies and practices into department structure and programs.

West, K. (PI) & Broadbent, M. (Co-I). Hearing quality project: Evaluation of judicial bench cards. Utah Administrative Office of the Courts. Total Funds: $25,000. August 2021 – September 2022.

• The Utah Administrative Office of the Courts is engaging in a hearing quality project, per the requirements of receiving Court Improvement Program (CIP) grants administered by the Administration for Children Youth and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The hearing quality project is focused on improving family engagement at court hearings and achieving timely and appropriate permanency for all children and families through the use of a judicial bench card. The College of Social Work’s Social Research Institute (SRI) will conduct an initial evaluation of judicial practice at child welfare court hearings pre- and post-implementation of the judicial bench card. This evaluation is considered Phase I of a longer-term initiative and will examine factors related to fidelity and hearing quality such as engagement of parties present in hearings; breadth and depth of discussion of topics referenced on the judicial bench card in child welfare hearings; judicial inquiry of reasonable efforts; and judicial reasonable efforts findings for both primary and concurrent goals.

Kafadar, K. (PI), Yaffe, J. (Co-PI), Garrett, B.(Co-I), & Dodson, C. (Co-I). Understanding and improving effectiveness of eyewitness identification procedures. Arnold Ventures (FKA Laura and John Arnold Foundation). Award number: GF13635.153569. Total funds: $1,369.931. Utah share: $296,802. December 2016 – February 2021.

• Eyewitnesses provide important information to police in criminal cases. However, eyewitnesses can be mistaken, resulting in erroneous convictions and failure to identify real perpetrators. Scientific evidence about the causes of eyewitness misidentification is characterized by gaps, incomplete synthesis, and insufficiently sophisticated analytic techniques to examine interactions between variables. This team’s interdisciplinary research stretches across three universities and four disciplines: law at Duke University, statistics and cognitive psychology at the University of Virginia, and social work at the University of Utah. Together, the researchers mapped and evaluated existing research in eyewitness identification, conducted new research on eyewitness memory and jury decision-making, and conducted cutting-edge statistical analyses. They work with an advisory board of judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and police professionals to ensure that the research remains relevant.

 

Other Funded Projects

Wheatley, M. & Castillo, J. Utah State Legislature. University of Utah recovery-ready community (Recover at the U). 2018 General session: General Fund, Education Fund, and Select Other Services. Higher Education. Funding Amount: $100,000 (annually, ongoing).

• In 2018, working closely with Representative Mark Wheatley and personnel with Community Solutions Consulting, undergraduate and graduate students affiliated with Recover at the U (student organization) were able to testify in front of the Utah State Legislature (i.e., Higher Education Appropriations Committee), informing them of challenges and problems associated with alcohol and drug issues on college campuses nationwide (including the University of Utah) and strategies to combat these issues. Established in 2015, Recover at the U is a student-led, peer-recovery group intended to provide assistance and support to students who are in recovery and/or managing their sobriety. In previous years, Recover at the U has hosted/conducted numerous psycho-social education support groups, community outreach and awareness workshops, and sober social events. With the ongoing funds received from the Utah State Legislature, Recover at the U has secured both a physical space and a full-time staff member, which will help the program to expand its services and further assist and support the population.

Greer, V. (PI), Canham, S. L. (Co-I), Hong, A. (Co-I), Agutter, J. (Co-I), Garcia, I. (Co-I). From sheltered in place to thriving in place: Dimensions of aging in the “right” place during the pandemic. University of Utah’s College of Architecture + Planning. Total funds: $20,000 USD. February 2021 – January 2022.

• While aging in place involves supporting older adults to live as long as possible in their homes and communities, aging in the “right” place recognizes that where an older person lives impacts their ability to thrive. COVID-19 has created a unique set of challenges related to aging and place, including increased home confinement, limited social interaction, and a growing reliance on digital technologies. With the global population aging, it is critical to understand how the pandemic has transformed attitudes and priorities of what constitutes “rightness” of place. Moreover, there is a need to understand potential ways the built environment (e.g., places where people live, work, worship, recreate, etc.) can be adapted to support new dimensions around what constitutes aging in the “right” place. This proposal will utilize photovoice methods to collect data on what aging in the “right” place means to older adults during COVID-19. The goal of this project is to build a preliminary data set that identifies supportive factors to conceptualizing “rightness” of place within the context of the pandemic.

Hong, A. (PI), Canham, S. L. (Co-PI), Sorweid, M. (Co-PI). Healthy Aging and Resilient Places (HARP) lab: Promoting health and resilience in aging through interdisciplinary collaboration. University of Utah Center on Aging. Total funds: $50,000 USD. August 2021 – July 2023.

• Healthy Aging and Resilient Places (HARP) is an action-oriented research platform developing a place-based approach to improving the health and resilience of older adults. The HARP lab is led by professors Andy Hong (city and metropolitan planning), Sarah Canham (social work), Michelle Sorweid (geriatrics), and Valerie Greer (architecture), who represent three of the University of Utah’s colleges/schools. By fostering collaboration across multiple disciplines, the HARP lab seeks to serve as an interdisciplinary research hub, knitting together academic and community expertise and creating new opportunities for research funding, training, and knowledge dissemination.

Garland, E. L.(PI). Heart rate variability-informed mobile health (mHealth) research to promote mindfulness skills. University of Utah Research Foundation. Total funds: $9,000. March 2020 – February 2021.

• The purpose of this project is to develop and pilot test a just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) system to increase mindfulness practice engagement as a means of optimizing effects of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) on opioid dose reduction. The primary aim is to conduct a pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) of MORE + JITAI (MORE+) to obtain effect sizes to power a future full-scale RCT.

Garland, E. L.(PI), Love, T. (Co-I), Nakamura, Y. (Co-I), & Hanley, A. W. (Co-I). Neural mechanisms and predictors of treatment response in opioid misuse. University of Utah Office of the Vice President for Research 1U4U Initiative. Total Funds: $30,000. March 2020 – August 2022.

• There is a significant, immediate need to develop effective treatments to adequately treat chronic pain while reducing the risk of opioid misuse and addiction. A novel behavioral intervention, Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), developed by researchers within the University of Utah, was specially designed to treat the co-occurring problem of opioid misuse and chronic pain. While multiple lines of evidence indicate MORE can significantly lower opioid craving, reduce chronic pain, and prevent opioid misuse, we do not yet understand the neurobiological mechanisms that support and predict treatment success. With this project, the investigators will bring together an interdisciplinary team of researchers to examine the neural predictors of MORE treatment response. By utilizing a comprehensive neuroimaging battery to examine the structural and functional mechanisms of change associated with MORE treatment, this study will broaden understanding of the neurobiological markers that predict treatment success, help identify treatment non-responders early, and enable the researchers to refine treatment and create more effective, personalized interventions to target co-occurring chronic pain and opioid misuse. This funded proposal enables the team to pursue a brand-new area of research.

Hanley, A. W. (PI). Optimizing psychosocial pain management: Examining treatment moderators, intervention utilization, and postoperative outcomes. University of Utah Research Foundation. Total funds: $25,209. April 2019 – June 2021.

• This project’s primary aim was to identify which surgical patients respond best to one of three preoperative psychosocial interventions in order to personalize pain management strategies more skillfully.

Hoy-Ellis, C. P. (PI) & Frost, C. J. (Co-I). Social neuroscience of depression: Developmental stage & sexual and gender minority (SGM) identities. University of Utah Research Foundation. Total Funds: $34,541. June 2019 – September 2021.

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognize sexual and gender minorities (SGM) as a health disparate population for the purposes of research. The National Survey of Midlife Development data found stark contrasts in the past-year prevalence of major depression among 18 to 74-year-old Americans. Evidence suggests that internalized SGM identity stigma and identity concealment are significantly associated with depression among SGM people; yet our understanding of how these underlying pathways of risk contribute to disparately high rates of depression among SGM remains extremely limited. This pilot study aims to compare heterosexuals and SGMs to examine potential mechanisms through which the social nervous system mediates and/or moderates sexual/gender identity stigma and identity concealment and social threat to increase risk for depression among SGM. In the first step, the researchers will record and analyze specific patterns of autonomic reactivity to visual stimuli via psychophysiological indices of heart rate variability, skin conductance response, and respiration that capture cortical-subcortical cognitive and affective physiological processing of SGM social threat and affirmation. Second, experimentally-induced suppression as a cognitive/affective coping mechanism, potentially influencing physiological arousal response patterns in identity stigma and identity concealment, will be tested. This will be done with the objective of comparing effects of brief suppression of SGM identity to a no suppression control condition on psychophysiological reactions to SGM-related negative, neutral, and positive stimuli.

Hoy-Ellis, C. P. (PI), Frost, C. J. (Co-I), & Gren, L.H. (Co-I). Violence against sexual and gender minority women: A mixed methods consideration of one college campus context. University of Utah Office of the Vice President for Research 1U4U Initiative. Total Funds: $50,000. March 2020 – June 2021.

• Violence against women, recently described as gender-based violence (GBV), is a national phenomenon resulting in negative mental, physical, and social health outcomes. GBV disproportionally impacts women on college campuses; Division I colleges report significantly higher rates of GBV compared to Division II and III schools. About 20% of college women experience GBV; roughly 11% experience rape. Those age 18-24 have a 300% greater risk of GBV compared to women in the general population. Evidence suggests that sexual and gender minority (SGM) women (e.g., lesbian, bisexual, transgender) are at significantly greater risk for GBV than their heterosexual counterparts, with one study reporting bisexual women are 2.6 times more likely to experience GBV. Despite increased rates of GBV, there is a gap in knowledge looking at whether students identifying as SGMs experience higher risk for GBV. This study will elucidate information about knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and risk factors to effectively address GBV on college campuses. A unique interdisciplinary approach representing five disciplines with collaborations among the University of Utah’s College of Social Work, School of Medicine, and community partnership with the Utah Pride Center will be utilized in this study. A comparative analysis of PAC-12 university resources and policies addressing GBV will be conducted alongside an analysis of campus and community SGM women’s experiences gathered through anonymous questionnaire, focus groups, townhall meetings, and secondary analysis of BRFSS data.

Keyes, T. S. (PI). Examining culturally relevant restorative practices for improving school-based relationships. University Research Committee Faculty Scholarly Grant Program. Total funds: $9,576. March 2019 – September 2022.

• The educational outcomes for American Indian students, when compared to other racial groups, are among the lowest. One approach for addressing the educational disparities is to improve school discipline practices by embracing culturally relevant restorative justice (RJ) practices. Often the success of RJ practices use outcome measures such as attendance, grades, suspension, and expulsion. However, missing from these outcomes are whether positive school-based relationships improve and if a sense of trust and belonging impact student engagement. Interviews will be conducted with five high school students from three high schools within San Juan School District. Students will be recruited to participate in the study if they have been involved with culturally relevant RJ practices within the last three years. This study will use phenomenological analysis to examine how culturally relevant Native restorative justice practices, implemented in the San Juan School District (SJSD), influence school-based relationships. Also missing from the literature is if and how the current trauma-informed literature aligns with restorative justice practices. This study will compare the qualitative themes (created during the analysis) to assess whether the RJ practices align with current trauma-informed practices. The findings will be a starting point to advance understanding about how culturally relevant RJ practices improve educational outcomes for American Indian students. Subsequent studies will follow to create school-based interventions that improve school culture and climate and to develop culturally relevant RJ curriculum for public schools.

Thackery, A., Landward, R., Lundahl, B. Promoting patient engagement and commitment to physical therapy. University of Utah, 1U4U program. $30,000. March 2020 – September 2021.

• Aging adults face a number of challenges engaging in and sustaining physical activity, including strength loss, joint restriction, and pain. Coach2Move is an evidenced based intervention combining physical therapy expertise with motivational interviewing (MI) to improve physical activity in aging adults. The purpose of this project was to develop and examine the effects of a Coach2Move MI training program on physical therapists’ beliefs and behaviors. In a collaboration between physical therapy and social work, the researchers developed training modules to provide physical therapists skills in using MI to support patients in changing physical activity behaviors. Modules included synchronous and asynchronous learning, discussion boards, and clinical skills challenges. Physical therapists were recruited from two health systems and randomly assigned to training or no training. The study examined the impact of training using pre-post surveys and observations with a standardized patient. Twenty-nine participants completed the study. The training significantly increased physical therapists’ confidence in using MI and supporting a patient in changing their physical activity. Results on application of these skills are still being assessed through video coding of a standardized patient.

Loomis, A.(PI). Pathways between trauma-informed teacher training and indicators of child and teacher well-being in a Utah and national sample. University of Utah Research Foundation. Total funds: $15,000. March 2020 – July 2021.

• Nationally, about half of preschool-aged children—almost 4 million children—attend preschool each year, many of whom will have already experienced some type of trauma or childhood adversity, such as maltreatment or witnessing domestic violence. Trauma disproportionately impacts young children and has a demonstrated negative influence on early socioemotional development, academics, and long-term health. Trauma-informed (TI) school-based interventions, which often include training for teachers, are increasingly being explored as a way to promote the well-being of children who have experienced trauma. However, because of the paucity of research examining whether and how specific components of TI school-based models uniquely contribute to child and teacher well-being, it is difficult to identify the most critical components of TI interventions. Further, few of these interventions have been developed and evaluated specifically for preschool-aged children. The overall goal of this study is to identify the relationship between TI teacher training and child/teacher outcomes. In particular, this study will examine TI attitudes as a mechanism through which TI training influences child expulsion risk and teacher stress. This study will help lay the foundation for future research geared toward developing effective TI preschool interventions that improve outcomes for trauma exposed young children as well as teachers.

Loomis, A.(PI). Building a system of trauma-informed early childhood professionals. College of Social Work. Total funds: $25,000. February 2021 – June 2022.

•  A significant gap in addressing the known effects of early trauma on children’s physical, emotional, and cognitive health development continues to be the lack of training, coordination, and collaboration across systems that interact with young children and their families. While one in six Utah children have experienced two or more adverse childhood experiences, there remains a limited understanding of early childhood mental health and trauma-informed care among providers (such as physicians and school leaders), parents, and the general population. Trauma-informed trainings are a common element of trauma-informed systems, as they help establish a common language and understanding of the impact of trauma on children’s health and development. Currently, there have been no systematic efforts to implement or evaluate trauma-informed training across the Utah early childhood system. In the absence of such efforts, developing a comprehensive system of early childhood mental health professionals in Utah will remain difficult. The long-term goal is to enhance screening, referral, and treatment of traumatized young children from birth through five years by developing a comprehensive state-wide system of trauma-informed early childhood providers. Short-term, the goal is to determine the effects of an evidence-based trauma-informed training, the Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE) training, on trauma-informed attitudes and cross-system collaboration in a diverse group of early childhood professionals from Salt Lake County. This project will also evaluate the additive effects of technical assistance following the CARE training with a cohort of providers to determine the feasibility and utility of implementing this component statewide. This project will provide preliminary evidence to support the use of CARE with a wide range of early childhood professionals and identify concrete, community-driven solutions to support a state-wide, trauma-informed early childhood system.

Min, M. O. (PI). University Teaching Grant, Building a Social Science Longitudinal Data Bank. University of Utah. $4,000. November 2021 – October 2022

• This project aims to build a longitudinal social science data bank for social work PhD students with the goal of improving overall statistical literacy by increasing the “fun” factor of analyzing real-life data consistent with their own research interests. The data bank will include 1) 7-10 longitudinal public data set varied by research design, topics, and populations that are ready to be downloaded; 2) a description of each data set with relevant URLs; and 3) a list of selected published papers pertinent to each data set.  A CANVAS site will be created to house all this information. The established data bank will lessen barriers to use longitudinal data, potentially increasing the opportunities for doctoral students to publish while they are in the program, and be a critical resource for statistical and research classes.

Prince, K. C. (PI). Formal and informal influences on desistance in parolees. University of Utah Research Foundation. Total funds: $13,500. March 2020 – February 2022.

• The aims of this study are threefold: 1) to address gaps in the literature with respect to the relationship between formal criminal justice interventions and informal influences, the subjective identity of persons exiting prison, and recidivism; 2) to identify differences in the pathways to recidivism for males and females exiting prison; and 3) to gather preliminary data to support a proposal to the National Institute of Justice for the solicitation Research into Desistance from Crime.

Yi, J. (PI). Image narrative intervention with college students. University of Utah Research Foundation. Total funds: $25,000. March 2021 – March 2022.

• In the middle of a dark traumatic event, people often lose sight of what matters in life. We are experiencing utter uncertainty about how and when the pandemic will evolve and end and what the post-pandemic world will look like. In the context of such urgency and desperation, this study is proposed. It is urgent and significant to understand how emerging adult college students have been living through and responding to the pandemic, and help them re-author their stories and thrive beyond the trauma.