Patricia Arean, PhD: Effective Strategies for Community Engagement and Digital Innovations in Mental Health Research.
Release Date: 10/02/2024
Dr. Jackie Persons on Integrating Research into Private Practice and Advancing CBT
Research Matters Podcast
Dr. Jacqueline (Jackie) Persons is a distinguished clinician, researcher, and Clinical Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She served as president of the Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (ABCT) in 1999 and currently works in private practice at the Oakland Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center. With over 35 years of experience, Dr. Persons is recognized globally for her pioneering work in integrating research into private practice, particularly in the areas of case formulation and measurement-based care. In this insightful conversation, we dive into Dr....
info_outline
Patricia Arean, PhD: Effective Strategies for Community Engagement and Digital Innovations in Mental Health Research.
Research Matters Podcast
Dr. Patricia Arean is is the Director of the Division of Services and Intervention Research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), as well as a clinical researcher and former professor at the University of Washington’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Arean has focused her career on increasing access to mental health services for underserved communities. She has led multiple research initiatives, including the UW Alacrity Center, which aims to redesign psychosocial interventions for underserved populations, and the Creative...
info_outline
Tony Biglan, Ph.D., on balancing funding with following your true passions
Research Matters Podcast
Tony Biglan, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist at Oregon Research Institute and Co-Director of the Promise Neighborhood Research Consortium. For the past thirty years, he has conducted research in the development and prevention of child and adolescent problem behavior. He is a former president of the Society for Prevention Research and was a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Prevention.
info_outline
Dean McKay, Ph.D., A.B.B.P. on mental health in academia, getting into grad school, authorship, and personal planning
Research Matters Podcast
Dean McKay, Ph.D., A.B.B.P. is Professor of Psychology at Fordham University where he is a member of the clinical psychology doctoral program. His lab, Compulsive, Obsessive, and Anxiety Program (COAP) provides instruction to undergraduate, masters, and doctorate levels. Dr. McKay’s expertise is in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behavior, with his current focus being on Covid-19 related stress and anxiety.
info_outline
Steven C. Hayes, PhD, on controversy, his lab culture, and how political organizing can help you in science
Research Matters Podcast
Dr. Hayes is a Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology in the Behavior Analysis Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. An author of 46 books and nearly 650 scientific articles, he is especially known for his work on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which is one of the most widely used and researched new methods of psychological intervention in the last 20 years.
info_outline
Jessica Borelli, Ph.D., on Work/Family Conflict, Gender Roles, and Intervention Research with Diverse Communities
Research Matters Podcast
Jessica Borelli, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. She is a clinical psychologist specializing in the field of developmental psychopathology, and her research focuses on the links between close relationships, emotions, health, and development.
info_outline
James Kirby, PhD, and Jeffrey Kim, on incorporating physiological data in psychological research
Research Matters Podcast
James Kirby, Ph.D., is a researcher and senior lecturer at the University of Queensland in Australia, who studies the effects of kindness and compassion. Jeff Kim, a graduate student under Dr. Kirby, joins my discussion with Dr. Kirby on measuring and incorporating physiological data into their research. Today’s conversation is focused on measuring heart rate variability.
info_outline
Bethany Teachman, PhD, and Jeremy Eberle, on embracing an open-science mindset
Research Matters Podcast
My two guests today, Bethany Teachman, Ph.D. and director of the PACT lab at the University of Virginia, and Jeremy Eberle, a 4th-year graduate student in her lab share the steps they’ve taken to embrace the open-science mindset and open-science practices in their lab.
info_outline
Jessica Schleider, PhD, on Open Science and Replicability Practices and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Academia
Research Matters Podcast
Jessica Schleider, PhD, is an assistant professor of clinical psychology at Stony Book University and a graduate of the Clinical Psychology Program at Harvard University. When in graduate school, she learned about open science – not from her courses but from the Twitter-spere and later from The Black Goat Podcast. What she learned was compelling and unsettling and kept her up at night as she thought about the state of scientific research in general and her research in particular.
info_outline
Maria Karekla, PhD, on wearables in research and getting a psychophysiology lab up and running
Research Matters Podcast
Dr. Maria Karekla is an assistant professor at the University of Cyprus where she studies anxiety and cravings and specializes in utilizing psychophysiological measurements in her research. I decided to interview her because she has one of the few labs in the world that has done research comparing consumer grade wearable physiological measurement devices to research grade stationary devices.
info_outlineDr. Patricia Arean is is the Director of the Division of Services and Intervention Research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), as well as a clinical researcher and former professor at the University of Washington’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Arean has focused her career on increasing access to mental health services for underserved communities. She has led multiple research initiatives, including the UW Alacrity Center, which aims to redesign psychosocial interventions for underserved populations, and the Creative Lab, which explores digital mental health solutions using mobile technology.
In this insightful conversation, Dr. Arean shares how her early experiences in public hospitals and community mental health centers shaped her passion for working with underserved communities. She discusses her journey of developing partnerships with community organizations and navigating the challenges of research in marginalized populations. Dr. Arean also delves into her groundbreaking work in integrating technology with mental health services and how she has managed to conduct large-scale studies in underserved communities using innovative digital tools. This episode provides valuable lessons for researchers interested in social justice, technology, and community-based research.
In this episode, you’ll learn…
-
How Dr. Arean’s early work experiences influenced her commitment to underserved communities
-
The steps she took to build trust and partnerships with community organizations
-
Why understanding the unique needs of marginalized populations is crucial for effective research
-
Strategies for navigating the challenges of recruitment and participation in underserved communities
-
The role of technology in expanding access to mental health services for populations with limited resources
-
How Dr. Arean approaches collaborations with technology companies to create evidence-based mental health solutions
Tips from the episode:
On Building Partnerships with Underserved Communities:
-
Approach community organizations with a genuine desire to understand their needs and challenges.
-
Be prepared to adapt your research goals based on the community's priorities.
-
Establish relationships with key gatekeepers or champions within the community to facilitate trust and access.
On Developing Effective Research Practices:
-
Accept that working with underserved populations may involve messy samples and unexpected challenges.
-
Engage with clinicians, staff, and community members to ensure your research is relevant and respectful.
-
Incorporate community input when designing research protocols and collecting data.
On Leveraging Technology in Mental Health Research:
-
Digital tools can significantly improve recruitment and engagement in underserved communities.
-
Flexibility is key when working with technology partners, as their products and services may evolve.
-
Maintain a focus on developing solutions that work for marginalized populations, even if it means overcoming technological barriers like limited broadband access.
Links from this Episode: