Research Fellow in Global Mental Health Implementation Science

Harvard University, United States

Updated: 2 months ago
Location: Cambridge, MASSACHUSETTS
Deadline: ;

Details


Title Research Fellow in Global Mental Health Implementation Science
School Harvard Medical School
Department/Area GHSM Mental Health for All Lab
Position Description
The Mental Health for All Lab Research Program promotes the generation of knowledge and its effective utilization with the goal of contributing to the reduction of the global burden of suffering from mental health problems through novel approaches such as digital technology or task-sharing for scale-up of proven interventions. The research program is based in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is under the direction of Professor Vikram Patel and is co-led by Dr. John Naslund.
The Research Projects: The Department of Global Health and Social Medicine seeks a postdoctoral fellow to support the scientific and research activities for multiple studies focused on leveraging innovative digital technologies for scaling up proven psychosocial interventions across different settings globally, including a specific emphasis on underserved settings in the United States and India. A key focus of these different research studies involves evaluating the implementation of mental health services in primary care settings and other community settings. One project consists of a cluster-RCT evaluating the use of a remote implementation support strategy for building capacity and facilitating the delivery of depression care in primary care settings in rural India. Another project aims to leverage a novel digital platform for supporting the uptake and integration of a psychosocial rehabilitation intervention delivered by non-specialists for patients with schizophrenia in primary care settings in India. And a third project involves training non-specialists across underserved settings in the United States to build workforce capacity towards bridging the care gap for mental disorders.
These studies involve collaboration across Harvard Medical School and engaging project collaborators across multiple institutions in the United States, including the Division of Digital Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Baylor Scott & White Health System, as well as in India, including Sangath, AIIMS Bhopal, and NIMHANS. These projects are led by John Naslund at Harvard Medical School, in collaboration with leading researchers in the United States and India. This postdoctoral fellowship involves considerable fieldwork, collaborating and liaising with project partners and funders. While based at Harvard Medical School in Boston, this position requires frequent travel and stays over extended periods (2-4 weeks at a time) at the research sites in India or frequent visits to project sites based in the United States.
The contributions to scientific knowledge include expanding the global mental health implementation science literature, advancing task sharing efforts in low-resource settings with emphasis on improving functional outcomes for individuals living with severe mental illness, and assessing the costs of using digital tools to support integration of evidence-based psychosocial interventions in primary care settings. This position focuses heavily on developing skills in global mental health research, digital health, and implementation science so that the Fellow will be positioned to lead independent studies at the conclusion of this position.
Responsibilities: Under the supervision of Dr. John Naslund, Instructor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and in collaboration with the project sites in India, the fellow will assume mentored responsibility for:
(1) acting as the lead scientific liaison for day-to-day oversight of research activities between Harvard Medical School and the project sites, including conducting and leading data analyses across the study components, financial reporting, etc.;
(2) supporting the design of data collection instruments, obtaining IRB approvals, analyzing associated data, writing manuscripts, and submitting these for peer reviewed publication;
(3) working with the research teams at the project sites to support the implementation of study protocols and to monitor data collection and quality in the field;
(4) supervising, orienting, and training project students and staff who contribute to these efforts. Ability to manage virtual meetings and to travel as required to project sites is required; And,
(5) supporting capacity building at the project sites through presenting work to local stakeholders and research collaborators, providing guidance and mentorship to research staff involved in different aspects of the research project, and engaging stakeholders at the study sites, surrounding communities, and globally in dissemination of the project findings.
As noted earlier, the Postdoctoral Fellow should expect to spend about 2-4 months in the year at the project sites. Specific funds are requested for travel expenses.
Basic Qualifications
Applicants must have a doctoral degree in a relevant field which may include but is not limited to statistics/bioinformatics, implementation science, health economics, clinical psychology, or epidemiology.
Additional Qualifications
• Record of scholarly publication, including first-authored scientific journal articles.
• Expertise in research design and data analysis, including any of the following: clinical trials, implementation science, economic evaluation, digital health, statistical analysis for clinical trials, big data analysis, etc.
• Demonstrated track record engaging in fieldwork, involving meeting with stakeholders including study participants, clinicians, community members, and researchers.
• Experience working in or collaborating with researchers in India or other low and/or middle-income countries.
• Prior supervision of research team or coordination of research activities.
• Current knowledge of mental illnesses, mental health problems and service interventions to address these disorders in low-resource settings.
Special Instructions
Include a cover letter in which you state your long-term career aims, interest in the project, and suitability for the position, specifically referring to the criteria listed above.
Contact Information
Katy O’Neill, Program Manager
Mental Health for All Lab
HMS Global Health and Social Medicine
641 Huntington Avenue
Boston MA 02115
Contact Email [email protected]
Equal Opportunity Employer
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.
Minimum Number of References Required 3
Maximum Number of References Allowed 5
Keywords
Digital health, mental health research

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