Bringing Neuroscience into Communities to Improve Mental Health: Insights From Community-Based Participatory Neuroscience
- Can neuroscience have a more meaningful impact in CBT clinics by directly engaging communities around questions related to research design, procedures, and even the research questions themselves? How can we improve research practices to enhance the generalizability and representation of neuroscientific research findings related to disorder and intervention mechanisms?
- These questions will be addressed by expert speakers engaging in community based participatory methods to understand biopsychological mechanisms of psychopathology and treatments in populations that have experienced chronic racial trauma and other societal stressors.
- Ms. Roslyn Moore, Deputy Director for Programs for the Office of Minority Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, will provide a discussion of themes in community neuroscience work to maximize broader impacts.
This session offers 1 CE credit.
Evan J. White, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Director of Native American Research
Laureate Institute for Brain Research
Dr. Evan White is an enrolled member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. He belongs to the Shawnee Chapter of the Native American Church of Oklahoma and the Whiteoak ceremonial grounds. He is a Principal Investigator and Director of Native American Research and the Electroencephalography Core at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research. The focus of his work is employing clinical cultural neuroscience to improve mental health outcomes among American Indians. A focus of this research is implementing multi-modal neuroscience and psychophysiology with a particular emphasis in electroencephalography/event-related potentials. The goal of Dr. White's research is to integrate clinical and cultural neuroscience to identify modifiable factors as candidate treatment targets for mental health intervention and prevention.
Dr. White’s research has received extramural funding from National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (K99/R00MD015736), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (5P20GM121312-04, 8737; PI: Paulus) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (DP1DA058986 PIS: White; R25DA050645, PIs: Whitesell & Sarche).
Sierra Carter, Ph.D.
Georgia State University
Dr. Carter is an Associate Professor in Clinical and Community Psychology at Georgia State University. A common theme throughout much of her work has been examining how racial discrimination, as an acute and chronic stressor, effects development and exacerbation of chronic illnesses and stress-related disorders across the life course for Black Americans. Her interdisciplinary research program (R01HD107016, R01HD109005) integrates psychology, biology, public health, and developmental science providing evidence that: (1) racism is a multi-level influence that undermines health across the lifespan and over multiple generations; (2) the existence of entrenched racism requires development of culturally-informed, prevention-oriented interventions among underrepresented populations, capable of responding to the unique challenges confronting them, and (3) the deeply entrenched nature of racism requires dissemination of finding to affected populations, policymakers, as well as to fellow scholars. Her research aims to aid in improved identification of mechanisms that can be targeted in prevention and treatment efforts to reduce racial health inequities.
Wendy D’Andrea, Ph.D.
The New School for Social Research
Roslyn Moore, MS (Moderator)
Deputy Director for Programs
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health
In the Office of Minority Health (OMH), Roslyn Holliday Moore oversees all program development and implementation activities.
Prior to joining OMH, she served as the Senior Public Health Analyst in the Office of Behavioral Health Equity for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, guiding national policy and program and data initiatives advancing health equity. She has also held leadership positions in the New York State Office of Mental Health’s New York City region and with the NYS Research Foundation.
Ms. Holliday Moore earned degrees in Speech-Language Pathology at Queens College, CUNY and Teachers College, Columbia University and is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist.
Bringing Neuroscience into Communities to Improve Mental Health: Insights From Community Based Participatory Neuroscience
This symposium will feature three presentations from speakers with expertise in community based participatory neuroscience. Presentations will be followed by an expert discussant, Ms. Roslyn Moore, who is Deputy Director for Programs for the Office of Minority Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services. The first speaker, Dr. Evan White, is a Principal Investigator at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research and an Associate Professor at the University of Tulsa, who studies clinical cultural neuroscience to improve mental health outcomes among American Indians. Dr. White will present on implementing community engaged research methods to develop novel multimodal neural measurement paradigms in American Indian Communities. The second speaker, Dr. Sierra Carter is an Associate Professor at Georgia State University and Director of the Health Equity, Agency, Racism, and Trauma (HEART) Lab. Her work centers around racial health disparities and the promotion of healthy equity. Dr. Carter will present on the impact of racial trauma (and their biological embedding) on mental health outcomes in Black Americans. The final speaker, Dr. Wendy D’Andrea, is an Associate Professor of Psychology at The New School for Social Research. She studies the psychobiological effects of complex trauma and effects of marginalization on adaptation to adversity. Dr. D’Andrea will present on community-based interventions for trauma, particularly in under-resourced contexts, and the ways in which psychobiological tools may help clarify the impact of trauma and support the recovery process. The session will conclude with a discussion led by Ms. Moore on challenges and opportunities in community based participatory neuroscience research and suggestions for future directions to maximize broader impacts.
Category: Mental health disparities
Keywords: Community-Based, Neuroscience, Psychotherapy Process
All levels of familiarity with the material.
Participants earn 1 continuing education credit
Outline:
- Introduction to community engaged research practices as they relate to neuroscience
- Considerations for developing novel and valid neural measurement paradigms in American Indian communities
- Structure of communicating with community partners
- Integrating community input
- Integrating behavioral, EEG, fMRI indicators of cultural identification
- Examining the influence of racial trauma on the mind and body in Black Americans
- Integrating mixed methods and community forums to understand biological and psychological effects of racial trauma in Black Americans who also disproportionately experience chronic forms of other traumatic stressors
- Contextually relevant considerations for biological embedding of racial trauma
- Using psychobiological tools in clinical interventions and community psychosocial programs for trauma recovery
- Examining limitations to self-report as an outcome measure in trauma interventions
- Examining the scope and impact of community-based interventions in trauma recovery
- Benefits and cautions of using psychobiological tools across intervention settings
- Discussion of common themes of opportunities and challenges in community based participatory neuroscience research and suggestions for future directions
At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
- Describe principles of community engaged research and strategies for effective community communication.
- Identify ways that mixed-methods and community based participatory research principles allow for nuanced considerations for multi-level interventions that centers Black voices in solution-oriented actions.
- Discuss benefits and cautions of using psychobiological tools across intervention settings.
Long Term Goals for the Attendee (takeaways)
- Describe the intersection between neuroscience and clinical interventions for communities, particularly those that have been marginalized and disenfranchised.
- Explain the significance of community engaged methods in developing neuroscientific research paradigms with racial and ethnic minority communities.
Recommended Readings: (no book chapters)
- White, E. J., Demuth, M. J., Nacke, M., Kirlic, N., Kuplicki, R., Spechler, P. A.,...Aupperle, R. L. (2023). Neural processes of inhibitory control in American Indian peoples are associated with reduced mental health problems. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 18, nsac045.
- Fani, N., Carter, S., Harnett, H. G., Ressler, K. J., & Bradley, B. (2021). Association of racial discrimination with neural response to threat in black women in the U.S. exposed to trauma. JAMA Psychiatry, 78, 1005-1012.
- D’Andrea, W., Pole, N., DePierro, J., Freed, S., & Wallace, D. B. (2013). Heterogeneity of defensive responses after exposure to trauma: Blunted autonomic reactivity in response to startling sounds. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 90, 80-89.
This session offers 1 CE credit. All attendees will receive a certificate of completion when the course requirements are satisfied. Certificates of completion is included in the cost of the summit
ABCT is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. ABCT maintains responsibility for this program and its content
The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5797. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs
The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies is recognized by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences for Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) to offer continuing education as Provider #4600
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0124
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Workers as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0657
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