Funded Projects

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Electroconvulsive Therapy versus Usual Care for the Acute Management of Severe Agitation in Alzheimer's Dementia (ECT-AD)

Principal Investigator: Martina Mueller
Sponsor / Type: Sub. McClean Hospital/NIH/NIA
Project Period: 09/30/2018 – 05/31/2024

Alzheimer's dementia (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease of aging, affects cognition, emotion, and behavior. Agitation is a common behavioral syndrome that frequently emerges during middle to late stage AD and is characterized by psychomotor hyperactivity, aggression, irritability, yelling, resistance to care, and insomnia.

Nurse Faculty Loan Program

Principal Investigator: Susan D. Newman
Sponsor / Type: HRSA
Project Period: 07/01/2013 – 06/30/2024

Funding priority request for financial loan support for students enrolled in a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Ph.D.) degree program and the post-Master’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice Program (DNP) at the College of Nursing (CON), Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) with a career goal to serve as nurse faculty upon graduation.

Self-Management for Youth Living with Sickle Cell Disease (SMYLS)

Principal Investigator: Shannon Phillips
Sponsor / Type: NIH/NINR
Project Period: 04/21/2023 – 01/31/2028

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic condition that affects every organ system and requires lifelong complicated treatment regimens. Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with SCD experience remarkable increases in negative outcomes (e.g., morbidity, mortality, complications, acute care utilization) following transition from pediatric to adult care. To mitigate negative outcomes, it is critical that AYA with SCD develop effective self-management behaviors prior to transition to adult care.

Supporting Educational Excellence and Diversity (SEED) for SC Nursing

Principal Investigator: Kristen Poston
Sponsor / Type: The Duke Endowment
Project Period: 01/01/2021 – 12/31/2024

The MUSC College of Nursing (CON) supports culturally congruent care and has developed a plan to facilitate student success improving SC’s nursing diversity and patient health outcomes that will be sustainable.

A Scalable mHealth Resource to Facilitate Behavioral and Emotional Recovery after Pediatric Traumatic Injury

Principal Investigator: Leigh Ridings
Sponsor / Type: NIH/ Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Project Period: 07/15/2020 – 06/03/2025

Pediatric traumatic injury (PTI) is a public health priority, with nearly 300,000 children incurring injuries so severe that they require hospitalization each year. Follow-up care for affected children and caregivers is critical to support behavioral and emotional recovery, but few trauma centers provide these services and established, scalable models of care are lacking. Cost-effective, sustainable interventions are needed to reduce barriers to care and reach families that need it most.

Optimizing Efforts to Restore Psychiatric and Social Function After a Major Hurricane

Principal Investigator: Kenneth J. Ruggiero
Sponsor / Type: NIH/NIMH
Project Period: 04/01/2020 – 02/29/2024

The 2017 fall Atlantic hurricane season, including Hurricane Harvey, was the most extreme in recorded history, and, in light of global climate change, a possible harbinger of future seasons to come. It is increasingly critical to understand how potentially modifiable pre-, peri-, and post-hurricane factors shape the long-term mental health of affected populations, so that we may optimize interventions to limit the ultimate impact of such storms.

Testing a Scalable Model of Care to Improve Patients’ Access to Mental Health Services after Traumatic Injury

Principal Investigator: Kenneth J. Ruggiero
Sponsor / Type: AHRQ
Project Period: 05/01/2022 – 02/28/2026

Annually, traumatic injuries affect roughly 3 million people in the US and account for over $650B in costs. Many patients are resilient and recover well emotionally, but over 20% (~600,000 people per year) develop mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, both major risk factors for social and occupational impairment; poor physical health and quality of life; and lost productivity, work, and financial resources.

Improving Quality of Care in Child Mental Health Service Settings

Principal Investigator: Kenneth J. Ruggiero
Sponsor / Type: NIH/NIMH
Project Period: 08/01/20172 – 05/31/2024

Assuring children access to the highest quality mental health care is a top national priority. Yet, quality of care continues to be highly variable in traditional service settings. Novel, scalable solutions are needed to address modifiable quality-of-care indicators in sustainable ways.

CBT by Phone to Promote Use of Alcohol Related Care and Reduce Drinking

Principal Investigator: Tracy Stecker
Sponsor / Type: Sub. University of Rochester/NIH/NIAAA
Project Period: 09/01/2018 – 08/31/2023

Numerous evidence-based treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) have been developed, and research shows that individuals who obtain alcohol specialty care have improved drinking outcomes and are more likely to recover, yet a small percentage of individuals with AUD obtain treatment. 

Augmenting Suicide Prevention Interventions for Service Members (ASPIS)

Principal Investigator: Tracy Stecker
Sponsor / Type: Ohio State University/DOD
Project Period: 09/30/2022 – 09/29/2026

The suicide rate among US military personnel remains elevated as compared to the age- and gender-adjusted general population. Researchers have identified several strategies that are effective for preventing suicidality among military personnel, but little is known about when or for whom these strategies are most likely to reduce suicidality among military personnel

The Regional Centers of Excellence in Substance Use Disorder Education Program

Principal Investigator: Tracy Stecker
Sponsor / Type: University of Rochester/HRSA
Project Period: 09/01/2022 – 08/31/2026

The Center of Excellence at the University of Rochester was established in 2019 as one of three Rural Centers of Excellence on substance use disorder (SUD) in the United States. It is funded by the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), an initiative of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that supports programs to address barriers to treatment for SUD in rural areas.

Healthy Steps

Principal Investigator: Amy Williams
Sponsor / Type: First Steps South Carolina
Project Period: 04/01/2022 – 09/30/2024

HealthySteps, is an evidence-based, team-based pediatric primary care program that promotes the health, well-being and school readiness of babies and toddlers, with an emphasis on families living in low-income communities. The program is led by a HealthySteps Specialist, who joins the pediatric primary care team to ensure universal screening(s), provide successful intervention, referrals, and follow-up care to the whole family.

Next Steps: Enhancing Behavioral Health in Children and Adolescents

Principal Investigator: Amy Williams
Sponsor / Type: The Duke Endowment
Project Period: 07/01/2022 - 06/30/2025

Radical healthcare inequity gaps exist in behavioral healthcare services for underprivileged, rural and ethnic minority children. It is estimated that one in eight children experience mental healthcare disorders at any time. Post-pandemic data indicate that one in four children demonstrate the symptom constellations that support diagnoses of depression and/or anxiety. Additionally, suicide attempts and success are 2.4 times higher since 2020. Despite state and federal attention to infancy and early childhood care systems and school-based services to bridge inequity gaps, children and families continue to lack provisions for behavioral health (BH) throughout childhood. This contributes to missed opportunities for early intervention for conditions such as: substance use disorder; physical, mental and sexual abuse; depression, mood/psychotic disorders; learning disabilities.