Mental health disorders and substance use — and their consequences — disproportionately affect underserved populations, such as racial and ethnic minority groups, persons living in poverty and those who are homeless. Social determinants abound: lack of access to health services and education, social stigma, neighborhood violence, and food and housing insecurities. The greatest burdens fall upon those who have long suffered from discrimination and society’s underinvestment in their communities. Our landmark studies investigate the multilevel causes and solutions to health inequities and guide the development of innovative health policy.
For the past 40 years, the Health Disparities and Public Policy Program, co-led by Karen Abram, PhD, has conducted comprehensive studies investigating the interface between the mental health and criminal justice systems, and associated health disparities. The program includes project staff from a wide variety of disciplines, doctoral students from the Clinical Psychology program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and post-doctoral fellows. The program is currently conducting the Northwestern Juvenile Project, the first large scale, longitudinal study of mental health needs and outcomes of juvenile detainees, and on the Northwestern Juvenile Project: Next Generation study, a longitudinal intergenerational study which aims to identify what predicts positive outcomes in at-risk youth. Results from their research studies have provided the needed empirical data to guide U.S. policy: Findings have been cited in Supreme Court amicus briefs, congressional hearings and surgeon general’s reports.
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710 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 900 Chicago, IL 60611
Dr. Brook's research program is rooted within the bio-psycho-social framework of human behavior. The core philosophy underlying Dr. Brook's research is that problems at the intersection of human behavior and the law are inherently complex and, as such, are best informed by research approaches that are integrative and multidisciplinary. Current projects in the research program examine the integrations between personal and environmental factors that drive the gun violence epidemic, the use of digital technology to improve access to mental health for justice-involved individuals, and the use of behavioral neuroscience tools to advance existing methodologies for violence risk assessment.
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710 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 1314 Chicago, IL 60611
Inger Burnett-Zeigler, PhD, focuses on disparities in mental illness and treatment, developing, testing, and implementing culturally tailored mental health interventions in community-based settings. In 2014, she received the Northwestern University Patient-Centered Intervention and Engagement Training (NU-Patient) K12 Faculty Scholar Award where she led a series of pilot studies that examined the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention (M-Body) for Black women in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). In 2018 she received a Third Coast Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Pilot Award to adapt the mindfulness intervention for low-income, racial/ethnic minority pregnant women living with HIV and prepare for implementation in an enhanced case management program. She has also been funded by the Veterans Health Affairs (VHA) and by the Greer Family Foundation. She is currently the PI on a R01 funded by NIH/NIMHD (R01MD012236-02) to conduct a randomized controlled clinical trial to examine the effectiveness and implementation of a mindfulness intervention on reducing depressive symptoms among racial/ethnic minority adults in a federally qualified health center. The M-Body lab is generally interested in addressing the impact that the disproportionate burden of chronic stress and trauma exposure has on the mental and physical health of racial/ethnic minority and other marginalized groups by developing accessible interventions to address these factors in order to achieve health equity. Other research interests include examining the impact of trauma, racism, and other social, cultural, and environmental factors on mental health and wellness.
Contact
676 North Saint Clair Street Suite 1000 Chicago, IL 60611
Tracy Fehrenbach, PhD, works with I Am Enough (IAE), developed out of a community-based participatory research project directed in collaboration with Lisa D. Daniels, founder of the Darren B. Easterling Center for Restorative Justice, and close community partnerships with clergy and women who lost a loved one to gun violence or incarceration. IAE may be the first and only culturally responsive, trauma-focused intervention developed specifically for women of color impacted by the loss of a loved one to gun violence or mass incarceration.
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710 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 1200 Chicago, IL 60611
Karen Gouze, PhD, is a co-investigator in the Parents and Children Together (PACT) lab which studies the risk factors contributing to the development and maintenance of psychopathology in children between the ages of 3 and 7 years old. Primary areas of interest include risk factors at the contextual (SES, family stress and conflict), parent (depression), parenting, and child (temperament, attachment) levels and how they contribute to symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD and oppositional behaviors. Transdiagnostic models are also explored. This study is no longer in active data collection; further data analysis continues.
Trauma and Early Childhood Education
As a member of the Center for Childhood Resilience, Dr. Gouze works with the early childhood team to explore implementation of social emotional learning, and specifically, trauma informed care, on classroom climate and teacher practice change. This research is based on the Ready-To-Learn Through Relationships program which was co-developed with head teachers from the Chicago Public School Child-Parent Centers. These Centers provide early childhood education for children ages 3-5 year. Since that time, the program has been tested for acceptability and feasibility and for shifting classroom environment and teacher practices. Early results are promising and this program continues to be evaluated by this team for its effectiveness. Expansion of the program includes a downward extension to the 0-3 population and the development of a parent supplement. Future research will also examine child outcomes related to social emotional learning.
Contact
680 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 13-155 Chicago, IL 60611
The BRIDGES team led by C. Hendricks Brown, PhD, participates in a diverse set of research projects and initiatives, including:
Collaborative Behavioral Health Project (CBHP): This study is a stepped-wedge hybrid type 2 randomized roll-out effectiveness-implementation trial of the Collaborative Care Model in 11 primary care practices affiliated with Northwestern Medicine. Using a sequential mixed methods approach, we will assess key stakeholders' perspectives on barriers and facilitators of implementation and sustainability of CBHP. The speed and quantity of implementation activities completed over a 30-month period for each practice will be assessed. Economic analyses will be conducted to determine the budget impact and cost offset of CBHP in the healthcare system. The CBHP research team consists of both researchers and clinicians. This project is funded by the Woman's Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH) Statewide Initiative is supported by Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER II) from the U.S Department of Education. REACH goals are: 1) To prepare educators and schools to support student mental health and resilience via trauma-informed policies and practices; 2) to foster educators’ personal and professional resilience and self-care; and 3) to assist districts in creating school mental health structures and data-riven approaches to addressing trauma and building resilience. CCR is partnering with the American Institutes of Research and Loyola University Chicago to conduct a mixed-methods analysis of the REACH implementation and outcomes.
National Center for Safe Supportive Schools (NCS3) is a SAMHSA-funded center within the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). The mission is to provide states, districts, and schools with the knowledge and tools to implement culturally responsive, trauma-informed policies and practices that promote equity and well-being.
Stress and Coping Toolkit — In partnership with Chicago Public Schools, the Center for Childhood Resilience at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital developed and piloted the Stress and Coping Toolkit. The Toolkit is designed for ease of delivery by classroom teachers and expands upon existing Social Emotional Learning curricula by integrating Mental Health Literacy content and by including a greater emphasis on understanding and coping with stress, trauma, and grief. CCR launched a hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial in 2024 to examine whether the Toolkit reduces barriers to mental health treatment and improves mental health literacy, emotional, and academic functioning. A mixed-methods approach is being utilized to examine feasibility, acceptability, and adoption of the Toolkit.
Strengthening Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups (STRONG) — In partnership with Loyola University Chicago and Chicago Public Schools, STRONG uses a group randomized mixed-methods design to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of the STRONG school-based intervention (Hoover, 2018) in promoting mental health and resilience among newcomer students.
Contact
680 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 13-084 Chicago, IL 60611
The interdisciplinary group co-led by Linda Teplin, PhD, includes faculty-level research investigators, research assistants, interviewers, statistical programmers, data processors, administrative and support staff, as well as graduate students enrolled in the Clinical Psychology PhD and master’s programs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Results from their research studies have provided the needed empirical data to guide U.S. policy: Findings have been cited in Supreme Court amicus briefs, congressional hearings and surgeon general’s reports. We are currently conducting two studies: the Northwestern Juvenile Project and the Northwestern Juvenile Project: Next Generation. Begun in 1995, the Northwestern Juvenile Project is the first large-scale longitudinal study of psychiatric disorders, antisocial and criminal behaviors and adult outcomes of juvenile detainees. Next Generation is the first intergenerational study of this special population. The group is investigating the characteristics that promote resilience among the children of the original participants in the Northwestern Juvenile Project. By identifying the strengths of children, their parents, social networks and communities, they will determine what experiences promote mental health, healthy relationships and educational attainment.
Contact
710 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 900 Chicago, IL 60611
