Through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), GREMAP is seeking student researchers to support the upcoming Diabetes and Mental Health (DMH) Initiative.

The DMH Initiative aims to better understand the mental health needs and care experiences of people living with diabetes. This project is led by Dr. Mezuk and is supported by the UM Caswell Diabetes Institute. Overall, the initiative aims to contribute interdisciplinary, integrative research on the complex ways that mental health intersects with diabetes risk, self-management, and prognosis across the lifespan. GREMAP’s main role in this project is to conduct a needs-assessment of psychosocial characteristics and barriers/facilitators to accessing mental health care among patients with diabetes (including pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes) treated at Michigan Medicine. This will include an initial quantitative survey, followed by targeted patient focus groups and key informant interviews with Michigan Medicine providers.

We are looking for students interested in gaining hands-on experience with health research to support all aspects of the DMH Initiative, especially in conducting the needs-assessment. Student tasks and responsibilities will include:
– Collecting study data, including conducting key informant interviews (via phone) and leading focus groups
– Record study data in REDCap, Qualtrics, and/or Excel
– Support study coordinator in project management & communications
– Attend weekly lab and workgroup meetings

Students that are eligible to participate in the UROP program can apply to work on the DMH Initiative through the UROP project portal starting in the fall!

We are so happy to announce that Viktoryia Kalesnikava successfully defended her dissertation! Her dissertation is titled Chronic Psychological Stress & Cardiometabolic Health: Measurement and Structural Determinants. Congratulations to Dr. Kalesnikava!

As we continue to work on getting the Aging, Transitions over the Lifespan, and Suicide (ATLAS) Study up and running, we had a news article published about our work in the Michigan Public Health News Center through the UM School of Public Health (SPH). This brief article is focused on Dr. Mezuk, the principal investigator for ATLAS, and describes her research interests, gives an overview of the ATLAS Study, and emphasizes the importance of mental health promotion in suicide prevention research.

We are happy to get the word out about the ATLAS Study to SPH and a wider audience! Please read the full article here.

We are excited to congratulate Dr. Mezuk for being awarded the 2022 Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) Distinguished Clinical and Translational Research Mentor Award! This award honors individuals who “meet the highest standards” for mentorship in clinical and translational research. We at GREMAP are thankful for Dr. Mezuk and her continuous commitment to outstanding mentorship.

Please read more about the award and the other recipients here.