Improving Mental Health Care in Safety Net Medical Settings
This NIMH-funded (T-32) two-year postdoctoral research training program aims to increase the number of early career investigators trained in mental health and addictions services research with a safety net medical setting focus. Our interdisciplinary program is embedded in an academic-public sector partnership that has flourished for several decades. The specific aims of this training program are to:
- Train fellows in the theories and methods of mental health services research, focusing on interventions for disadvantaged populations seen in safety net medical settings, through courses, seminars, and mentored exposure to research in progress.
- Provide fellows with mentored research experiences that incorporate the perspective of safety net patients, providers and administrators so that interventions can be adapted and translated to fit the unique safety net ecology.
- Offer fellows administrative, policy, and clinical training opportunities in safety net facilities that underscore the organizational, financial, and policy barriers to delivering care as well as the challenges to disseminating, implementing, and sustaining new health care strategies.
- Foster communication between fellows and faculty trained in different theoretical and methodological approaches, and stimulate interdisciplinary, iterative collaborations in mental health services research that improve care in safety net settings.
The program will partner with Harborview Medical Center (HMC), a University of Washington affiliated hospital, and capitalize on the infrastructure of the HMC-funded Center for Healthcare Improvement for Addictions, Mental Illness, and Medically Vulnerable Populations (CHAMMP). CHAMMP’s goal is to facilitate research at the interface of psychiatry and medicine to improve mental health and addictions care in safety net medical settings by estimating the burden of these conditions and developing novel, tailored interventions that can be widely disseminated.
The interdisciplinary training will involve faculty from the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Internal Medicine in the School of Medicine, and from the Schools of Social Work, Nursing, and Public Health.
- Program Faculty
- At Harborview Medical Center, fellows will spend two years:
- working with expert faculty mentors in mental health services research, participating in ongoing research and developing their own research projects/ grant proposals;
- getting exposure to clinical, administrative, and policy activities as they unfold in safety net settings;
- participating in individually tailored didactic and mentorship plans designed to impart crucially important knowledge and skills; and
- translating evidence-based findings to the community of safety net service providers.
Frequently Asked Questions
For detailed information about eligibility, stipends, tuition, fees, health insurance, and other trainee costs associated with the T32 Training Program funded by the National Institutes of Health, please see NRSA (T32).
How to Apply
Applications will be accepted at any time for the fellowship which begins July 1st of each year. Application materials:
- Completed application form.
- Statement of interest in the program describing specific interest in safety net settings, experience in safety net settings if applicable), proposed research and its fit with the research area of potential mentor (core or supporting training grant faculty at the University of Washington), goals for the fellowship, and professional goals.
- Maximum 2 pages single-spaced or 4 pages double-spaced.
- Curriculum vita.
- Sample of scholarly writing (e.g., published manuscript, thesis).
- Three letters of recommendation, sent directly to comtois@uw.edu.
To apply please send all application materials in an email to:
Kate Comtois, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor
PsychT32@uw.edu
