CTSI Grants

Two of our faculty members received Integrated Pilot Grants from the Boston University Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The purpose of the Integrated Pilot Grant Award mechanism is to stimulate scientific discovery in all areas of basic or translational research related to the prevention, diagnosis, and management of human disease.

Christina Borba, PhD collaborated on a pilot project with Dr. Michael Paasche-Orlow from BUSM’s Department of Medicine (General Internal Medicine), and the Institute of Urban Health Research at Northeastern University. It builds upon the previous work of the NIMH funded grant (PI: Lincoln) which examined the prevalence and meaning of limited literacy in the lives of people with SMI for which BMC served as a study site. This new pilot grant will support the development of an adult basic education intervention that addresses limited literacy among BMC patients using outpatient mental health services. They will also assess the feasibility of an innovative, peer-informed reading group with the goal of improving engagement in treatment and community inclusion for individuals with SMI.

Andrea Spencer, MD received a CTSI grant for a project entitled A Novel Lay Health Worker Intervention to Engage Families in ADHD Care. The purpose of the study is to develop and pilot test a family-centered, lay health worker-delivered intervention designed to increase parent self-efficacy in order to improve engagement in care for children with ADHD. The intervention will be adapted using a mixed methods approach and then tested with both English and Spanish-speaking families.