GREMAP student Kara Mannor has recently published an article in the School of Public Health’s blog The Pursuit. The blog, which is titled “How we follow through on our field’s commitment to disability communities”, discusses the historic stigma surrounding disabled people or persons with disabilities in the public health field and how we can address this stigma by promoting and using the social model of disability. You can read the full article here.

We are happy to announce that Dr. Mezuk will be giving a talk at the University of Colorado Denver this fall as a part of the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences Colloquium Series. The talk is titled “Investigating novel risk factors for suicide: Data, inferences, and the spaces between” and will discuss the work GREMAP has been doing on the use of machine learning tools to explore how major life transitions relate to suicide using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). The presentation will take place on October 7th from 2:30-4:00PM (MST)/4:30-6:00PM (EST) via Zoom. To RSVP, please email jimi.adams@ucdenver.edu.

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.

Here at GREMAP we are looking to add another member to the team of the Aging, Transitions over the Lifespan, and Suicide (ATLAS) Study!

Specifically, we are seeking an experienced data analyst to support ATLAS in analysis, data management, collaboration, and co-authorship. Candidates for this position will value working independently and efficiently, collaborating with an interdisciplinary team, and contributing to innovative public mental health and suicide prevention research.

To view more detailed information and apply, please visit the job posting here. 

This past week we welcomed Cohort 3 of the Michigan Integrative Well-Being and Inequality (MIWI) Training Program to the UM campus for 3 days of training, discussion, and comradery. Topics included grant writing, mixed methods, implementation science, measurement, and mentorship.