GREETINGS
Acting Director, Bruce Cuthbert, PhD
Greetings. While my role as Acting Director of NIMH is new, NIMH and the Outreach Partnership Program are not new to me. I have worked at the Institute for 14 years in many capacities, most recently leading the NIMH Research Domain Criteria project, which I described at the 2013 Outreach Partnership Program annual meeting. I have had the opportunity over the years to hear about the important work of the Outreach Partners and to learn about it firsthand at the annual meetings. As Outreach Partners, you play a critical role in getting information about mental health research out throughout your states, helping to ensure that the research the Institute supports can have the greatest public health impact. This issue of Outreach Connection is full of examples of the many ways in which Outreach Partners are making mental health research accessible to the public. Thank you for your efforts!
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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Outreach Partners have been disseminating NIMH materials and research findings throughout their States.
MHA Oklahoma provided NIMH materials to local media for a Tulsa People article on mental health care.
Special Service for Groups (SSG), the Southern California Outreach Partner, posts NIMH updates every Monday on Facebook and Twitter as part of its "Mental Health Mondays" social media campaign.
In observance of PANDAS/PANS Awareness Day, the MHA of South Mississippi described the disorder and shared NIMH's PANDAS fact sheet via Facebook.
In observance of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month, NAMI Ohio linked to NIMH's PTSD research fact sheet in its e-newsletter.
Outreach Partners often repurpose NIMH information to include in materials they create for educational efforts in their communities.
Through SSG's Painted Brain project, a young adult with a mental illness created a comic strip to educate other young adults about generalized anxiety disorder by adapting NIMH's brochure on the topic.
MHA Montana interviewed NIMH intramural scientist Carlos Zarate, MD, for a podcast on the latest research on the use of ketamine for treating depression.
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After the Program's Annual Meeting, Partners have continued to share information with their communities.
The Idaho State University Institute of Rural Health posted a summary of the 2015 annual meeting in its e-newsletter.
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NAMI Ohio posted a photo from the 2015 meeting's Partner Sharing Session on Facebook.
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The Massachusetts Association for Mental Health shared meeting highlights by posting the Outreach Connection Special Meeting Issue on Facebook.
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Outreach Partners are using NIMH materials and research in their efforts to address mental health disparities.
MHA Georgia conducted multiple training sessions for health care providers that work with Latina and African-American women in low income areas. As part of the training, MHA Georgia shared NIMH's brochure on postpartum depression and video on postpartum depression.
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MHA Louisiana distributed NIMH publications at the Southern University Career Day health fair.
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Outreach Partners are informing their communities about NIMH-funded studies that are actively recruiting participants.
NAMI Connecticut tweeted about an NIMH-funded study of cognitive behavioral therapy in children being conducted at Yale University.
The NIMH intramural schizophrenia group shared information about NIMH studies with participants at NAMI New York State's educational conference.
 
MHA of South Mississippi, MHA of New York City, and many other Partners used social media to share information about NIMH intramural research on pediatric bipolar studies.
Nevada PEP was one of many Partners that promoted NIMH intramural studies on depression via Twitter.
NAMI Vermont is sharing information regularly about NIMH-funded clinical trials through a monthly update e-newsletter.
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Partners are educating their communities about the importance of research and the research process.
In collaboration with the University of Iowa, NAMI Iowa convened a Research Dinner where NIMH grantee James Potash, MD, MPH, presented a talk entitled, “Research Means Hope” to a diverse group of individuals including families of those with mental illness and professionals.
MHA of South Central Kansas shared the NIH article, Be a Partner in Clinical Research, via Facebook.
NAMI Utah created a blog post entitled, "Why Should I Participate in a Clinical Trial” to highlight the importance of participating in research studies, with links to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Research Trials and You website.
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Partners provide opportunities for NIMH scientists and grantees to present their findings at local meetings and conferences.
NIMH investigators presented their research and educated the audience about specific mental disorders, including activities related to first episode psychosis, at the NAMI Maryland annual state conference. Staff from the NIMH intramural schizophrenia group exhibited and distributed study information.
NAMI New York State featured NIMH involvement at its annual educational conference in a full-page ad in its conference journal. In addition to Sarah Morris, PhD, Program Chief of the NIMH Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Research Program, presenting about the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative, NIMH intramural staff scientist Joseph Callicott, MD, shared schizophrenia research findings.
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Susan Azrin, PhD, Program Chief of the NIMH Primary Care Research Program, presented about the "science of integration" at the MHA Oklahoma Zarrow Symposium. MHA live tweeted and blogged about her talk.
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