Goals/Mission
The Mental Health Equity Scientific Interest Group (SIG) provides a forum where investigators within the Mental Health Research Network (MHRN), the Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN), and other collaborating investigators outside of these networks can exchange research ideas regarding the study and promotion of mental health equity in health systems. The goals of the SIG are to promote collaboration and advance a research agenda in mental health equity among health systems. These goals are achieved by monthly meetings where investigators discuss grant and manuscript ideas, exchange knowledge about national mental health initiatives, and discuss collaboration with community members in which health systems are based.
Research Areas
The following topics are representative but not comprehensive of all the work being done by the members of the SIG.
- Measurement invariance of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) across race and ethnicity
- Adaptation of collaborative care models for depression and anxiety in diverse patient populations
- Understanding the interaction of social and nonmedical needs with race and ethnicity in determining mental health outcomes
- Incorporating diverse stakeholder groups into decision-making about which research topics should be pursued by the MHRN
- Promoting the incorporation of concepts such as structural racism in predictive analytics for suicide prevention
Contact
Melissa Harry, PhD
Essentia Institute of Rural Health