This multiphase project aims to 1) understand more about cues that young adults experience that influence their decisions while drinking that may lead to unwanted outcomes or experiences; and 2) use human center design and young adult feedback to develop and assess the feasibility of an electronic program or resources to focused on reducing these outcome from drinking.
Geographic Area: Seattle/Puget Sound
Feasibility of mHealth technology-enabled service for remote observed therapy of methadone and COVID-19 screening for patients in an opioid treatment program
This small business technology transfer grant will test the feasibility and usability of a smartphone mHealth tool that allows for video directly observed therapy of methadone and remote screening for COVID-19 symptoms.
Lay-delivered behavioral activation in senior centers
| This collaborative study with Cornell Medical College and the University of Florida tests the effectiveness of “Do More, Feel Better” (DMFB), a lay health delivered behavioral intervention, in comparison to professionally-delivered Behavioral Activation. The specific aims are to test the effectiveness of “Do More, Feel Better” for depressed older adults on increasing overall activity level and reducing depression symptoms. |
Validating a DSM-5 Substance Use Disorder (SUD) symptom checklist
This research will test the psychometric performance of a patient-report questionnaire that assesses DSM-5 substance use disorder symptoms as part of routine primary care.
Pilot trial of a computerized treatment for mental health symptoms in primary care
This pilot study will leverage Veteran expertise to inform user-centered design improvements and will pilot the effectiveness of a computerized intervention targeting anxiety sensitivity among this patient population.
User-centered design and evaluation of a virtual human patient to improve safety planning skills
The major goals of this project are to develop an interactive, virtual standardized patient to allow VA providers to practice implementing suicide safety planning with training feedback. The project includes a formative evaluation, usability testing, and a randomized pilot trial focused on evaluation of skill acquisition and transfer.
Staying in Touch and Engaged Project (STEP)
The “Staying in Touch and Engaged Project” (STEP) aimed to support Housing First residents in staying in touch with researchers and in engaging in meaningful activities during the COVID-19 outbreak and social distancing directives. A 16-week, two-group randomized controlled pilot trial compared remote assessment of substance-use and health-related quality of life assessment paired with immediate versus delayed provision of remotely delivered meaningful activities. The aim of this project was to test whether the meaningful activities package (MAP) engages residents and improves their mood, substance-use outcomes, and physical and mental health-related quality of life.
The project team mailed study invitations to residents in five housing programs (estimated mailed N=538). To date, 32 Housing First residents reached out to consent to participate, responding via mailed consent forms, phone, video conferencing or online survey completion. Of those who consented, 26 have completed baseline assessments, and 11 have completed one-month follow-ups. The study highlighted the difficulties in reaching residents, partly due to the lack of communication technologies.
The team found that the technological divide has grown deeper and more consequential during the pandemic and must be bridged to facilitate social connection, physical and mental health, and basic communication for people marginalized by the lived experience of homelessness and psychiatric, medical and substance use disorder. The team is working to locate additional funds through the UW and WSU to continue participant recruitment and evaluation efforts, achieve the originally proposed sample size and further improve follow-up rates.
MOVE!+UP: Testing a tailored weight management program for Veterans with PTSD
This Hybrid Type 1 Trial will test the effectiveness of MOVE!+UP, a behavioral weight management intervention tailored to address PTSD-based weight loss barriers. The trial will compare MOVE!+UP to VA’s standard weight loss program on weight and PTSD symptom changes. The study also will identify implementation barriers and facilitators to help understand effectiveness findings and inform future implementation.
Preventing addiction related suicide
To evaluate the use of an existing selective suicide prevention intervention, Preventing Addiction Related Suicide (PARS), for use with Veterans by: 1) adapting and tailoring content to Veteran populations and 2) conducting an open trial within a VA substance use disorder intensive outpatient program.
Validating a non-invasive imaging method to measure astroglial water transport in brain health and disease
We aim to determine the accuracy and specificity of Arterial spin labeling (ASL) — a non‐invasive perfusion technique used in MRI to track cerebral blood flow — in measuring vascular and glial‐dependent water transfer to establish whether it is a valuable clinical tool in Alzheimer’s disease. This simple and safe technique, already approved for use in a clinical setting, has potential to circumvent current invasive approaches in human subjects at risk for AD‐related dementias.
