Interdisciplinary postdoctoral training in school mental health and school-based prevention science at Johns Hopkins

About This Grant

In the wake of a youth mental health crisis, soaring rates of mental disorders have been accompanied by increased demand for child mental health services. Half of children with a mental disorder receive no mental health services. This gap has fueled calls for investments in effective mental health prevention programs in schools. Many mental disorders first onset in childhood, and the benefits of prevention and early intervention are largest when focused near the time of onset. Untreated, mental disorders in childhood can undermine adult mental and physical health, quality of life, educational attainment, and employment. Research shows that coordination, collaboration, and alignment between health and educational sectors are essential to the implementation and sustainability of effective mental health interventions in schools. However, focused training for scholars who want to build research careers at the intersection of health and education is lacking. Advancing the science and practice of school-based prevention of mental disorders requires a fundamentally new, interdisciplinary approach to training. The goal of this first-of-its-kind training program is to equip postdoctoral scholars to become leaders in school mental health and school-based prevention science, leveraging resources across the Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, and Education. To accomplish this goal, participants will receive rigorous training and high-quality mentorship in 1) frameworks and effective practices in school health; 2) fundamentals of prevention and implementation science; and 3) rigorous research designs and analytic methods for school mental health. Trainees will receive focused training in all three competency areas and tailor the program to their specific area of interest. Trainees without previous graduate training in health research can undertake coursework leading to a Master of Science degree in public health. Trainees will participate in a biweekly Science of School Health T32 seminar that includes career development and professional skills and integrative activities to complement didactics. Administratively housed in the School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, the program’s three trainees per year will come from any of the participating schools. Trainees will be intensively mentored by an experienced and dedicated group of 20 Core Faculty. The program’s four MPIs are national leaders in school health, public mental health, prevention science, quantitative methods, community nursing, and education. The MPIs will be supported by a three- member External Advisory Committee to ensure the program best meets the needs of trainees and the field. The training program will ensure there is a robust pipeline of scholars prepared to lead the next generation of rigorous school-based mental health research; trainees will complete the program with the tools they need to transition to career development awards, and ultimately to independent research careers that address this critical need.