Last month, Dr. Briana Mezuk presented at the Association for Psychological Science (APS) annual meeting in Washtington, D.C. Dr. Mezuk gave a talk on the MIWI program as a part of a broader session on advancements in social sciences research. The session was titled “30 Years of Advancing Behavioral and Social Sciences Research to Improve Health for All” and was organized by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at NIH. You can find more information here.

Dr. Mezuk (far right) with her co-presenters at APS.

We are excited to share the Annual Report from the Caswell Diabetes Institute, which highlights the institute’s achievements in research, education, and patient care here at UM. The report also features our work on the DMH Study, which is supported by a project grant from the Caswell Institute. On page 30, they showcase our progress in research, training, and mentorship and highlight our key findings from the 3D Study, which was fielded in 2024. You can read the full report here.

In GREMAP, we have been fortunate to welcome medical student Chris Okine to our team for the last two semesters. Chris is in his third-year at the University of Michigan Medical School and has been working with us on the Diabetes and Mental Health Initiative, or DMH project. 

Chris was recently awarded funding from the NIH-supported Short Term Biomedical Research Training Program (SBRP), which is a two-month program designed to support medical students in integrating research into their training. As a part of the SBRP program, Chris was able to spend the two months working on the DMH project, focusing mainly on analyzing the qualitative interview data from the Diabetes, Distress and Disparities (3D) Study. 

Following the SBRP program, Chris wrote up his reflections from participating in the program and engaging with health research more broadly. We wanted to share these reflections and highlight his experiences with research from the perspective of a medical student and future clinician. 

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My name is Chris Okine, I’m currently a third year student at the University of Michigan Medical School! During my first few years in the school, we focused on science and physiology, with the second year devoted more towards learning how to apply this knowledge and care for patients. However, during this second year, most students, like myself, quickly realized that there was a difference between “provider’s perspective” and a “patient’s perspective” in disease management. Sometimes this difference would affect patients negatively, and I realized that it was an important skill to be able to center the real experiences of patients managing their diseases, while facing the realities of working as a provider in this current healthcare system. Due to my own struggles navigating this, I knew by the end of my second year that I wanted to find a way to better understand what patients were experiencing on a daily basis. 

I was afforded this opportunity by applying to the NIH Supported Short Term Biomedical Research Training Program (SBRP), which allows medical students to receive funding and take two months to spend fully on research. I was able to undergo this program by joining the joining the Diabetes and Mental Health (DMH) project, which consists of a team that is part of Dr. Briana Mezuk’s Group for Research on the Epidemiology of Mobility, Aging and Psychiatry (GREMAP). Since much of my training had described mental or emotional health as separate from other medical problems, it was interesting to see how Dr. Mezuk and lab members focused on the interaction between the two, often framing mental health as a symptom of the actual disease. Additionally, everyone in the lab was very welcoming and kind, and there was a spirit of self-growth, collaboration, and excellence that I was really drawn to. 

To apply to the SBRP program, I submitted a proposal for a research project, which focuses on launching a qualitative analysis on data gathered through the Diabetes, Distress, and Disparities (3-D) Study, which was recently conducted to better understand the psychosocial needs of patients with diabetes. In line with my interests, I decided to focus on a patient’s “definitions” of success, when it comes to diabetes management, and how this may differ from traditional markers of success. Through this study I was hoping to find ways physicians and future providers (like myself) can tailor discussions and treatment plans to align with patient priorities  and goals. 

During these two months, I worked on a project timeline, learned about appropriate qualitative analysis methods for this study, and conducted a literature review focused on patient perspectives in diabetes management. I also met often with people from different disciplines within and/or associated with the lab who constantly gave me advice and direction. It was also very helpful to be able to bring my work to our weekly lab meetings, where everyone was eager to give feedback and advice on next steps. I did not have much research experience prior to joining the lab, and this project gave me the perfect opportunity to learn more about what goes into research. I was also able work with other colleagues in the lab to have this work accepted as an abstract titled: “Feeling secure is important to me… but I just don’t…most of the time”: Patient Definitions of Success in Diabetes Management”  for the 85th American Diabetes Association Annual Conference this summer. Furthermore, a key aspect of my program was gaining insight into how research drives improvements in the healthcare system. I’ve come to understand that any change within a large healthcare system involves multiple stakeholders, making it essential to consider these broader, “big picture” factors throughout the research process.

Throughout my time in the lab so far, I’ve learned valuable lessons about how to think about research, pathways to impact, centering community, and leading a project. Furthermore, it has inspired me to see my role as a physician differently. I aspire to become a provider who prioritizes not just the health outcome, but the process and journey taken alongside each patient to achieve it. As I progress through my studies and rotations, I am committed to a holistic approach to care- one that integrates the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of my patients while remaining mindful of the psychosocial factors that shape their experiences.

The Michigan Daily recently published an article about the termination of a grant that sought to reinterview the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) to assess cognitive functioning and dementia risk. The grant, which is led by co-PI’s Briana Mezuk and Toni Antonucci, was terminated in March on the grounds of ‘no longer effectuat[ing] agency priorities,’ despite dementia research and prevention being a cornerstone of NIH’s scientitfic agenda. The NSAL is the largest nationally-representative survey of Black Americans to date and has been an essential tool for researchers studying the health and wellbeing of Black and lower-income White Americans. This study was an urgently-needed opportunity to generate novel data on cognitive outcomes among Black Americans, who are twice as likely as White patients to develop dementia.

The article, written by Grace Schuur, provides an essential overview of the study and features interviews from Dr. Mezuk, Dr. Antonucci, and PhD students Eskira Kahsay and Cheyenne Garcia on the human and scientific cost of the termination. You can read the full article here.

Earlier this month, Chuwen (Cullen) Zhong and Eskira Kahsay attended the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Cullen presented her work on perinatal suicide prevention with her presentation: “Investigating Complex Relationship Between Circumstances of Suicide in Perinatal Women using the NVDRS: A Network Analysis”. Overall, the AAS meeting was a great opportunity to discuss our research with a broader audience focused on suicide prevention. Great work to Cullen and Eskira!

We are very excited to share that the protocol for the Diabetes, Distress, and Disparities (3D) Study has been published in BMJ Open! The 3D study was mixed methods survey that aimed to quantify and understand the psychosocial care needs and barriers facing people with diabetes (PWD) within a large healthcare setting (i.e., Michigan Medicine).

The 3D study was led by Dr. Mezuk and the Diabetes and Mental Health (DMH) Initiative team and was supported by funding from the Caswell Diabetes Institute here at UM. You can read the full paper here.

Earlier this month, GREMAP research staff Chuwen (Cullen) Zhong attended the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) Annual Conference in Phoenix, AZ! Cullen presented her work that uses network analysis to examine the association between depressive symptoms, social isolation, and physical functioning among older adults. The AAGP meeting was a great opportunity to discuss this work with a diverse set of stakeholders, including many clinicians, who have a valuable perspective on how these three constructs interact in the clinical setting. Great work, Cullen!

Left: Cullen at the AAGP poster session (with refreshments!). Right: A picture of a Saguaro cactus from Cullen’s time exploring Phoenix.

We are excited to share a new blog post on prescription drug advertising written by GREMAP research coordinator Lily Johns and published in the Interdisciplinary Assocation for Population Health Sciences (IAPHS) Blog. The article explores the possibility of a federal ban on prescription drug ads, also known as direct-to-consumer advertisements (DTCA), a policy that has been promoted by recently-appointed HHS Secretary RFK Jr. In the article, which is titled “Selling Health, Selling Illness, or Just Selling Drugs? A Look at a Potential Ban on Prescription Drug Ads”, Lily incorporates evidence from research and prior policies to provide further context to this potential ban and the—both positive and negative—impacts that it could have on public health. You can read the full article here.