2021 ITRE Conference

Keynote Presentation

Monday, March 22, 2021

2:45PM to 4:00 PM EST

Health Equity in Program Implementation & Research

The science behind implementing evidence-based programs as intended can be affected by many factors, including social injustice. This can affect the health outcomes among populations of color and other minorities, resulting in a larger health disparity gap. Researchers and practitioners have a great opportunity to implement programs in a way that positively affect changes in these populations. In this presentation, experts in the field will discuss opportunities, structural policy barriers, and key elements to help advance health equity when implementing health/behavioral health programs.

Panelists:

Rachel Shelton, ScD, MPH Applying Implementation Science to Promote Health Equity Presentation Abstract: While implementation science has tremendous promise in addressing health disparities, there remains gaps in the extent to which there has been a focus on health equity within the field. This presentation will present opportunities for making health equity more explicit and foundational across key domains in the field of implementation science, including: 1) Stakeholder engagement; 2) Theories/Frameworks/Models; 3) Development, selection, adaptation of evidence-based interventions; 4) Methods and measures; and 5) Implementation Strategies. Presenter Bio: Rachel Shelton, ScD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and is a social and behavioral scientist with expertise is in the areas of implementation science, health equity, and community-engaged research. Dr. Shelton has been funded as Principal Investigator for 10 years in implementation science and health equity, with funding through American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, NCATS, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and National Institute on Aging. She has taught a course in implementation science since 2013, and is currently leading a campus-wide Initiative on Implementation Science at Columbia University through Columbia’s CTSA.	Kenneth J. Martinez, PsyD Structural Policy Barriers that Negatively Affect Behavioral Health Implementation among Hispanics/Populations of Color Presentation Abstract: While there have been improvements in the rates of alcohol and opioid use among young people including among Hispanics and Latinos, substance use/abuse continues to be a significant issue, especially with marijuana. Major depressive disorder and suicidal behavior continue to increase among Hispanics and Latinos, especially during the COVID 19 pandemic. Behavioral health issues are inextricably related to social determinants of health among which is the structurally racist society we live in. While treatment for behavioral health conditions must always be pursued, unless societal, structural, and political solutions to address social determinants of health and the structural racism inherent in federal and state policies are also addressed, we will not make significant progress in reducing health and behavioral health conditions for populations of color. Practice and policy changes, especially in tax policy, are suggested to confront the inherent societal inequities that contribute to disparities in health and behavioral health for Hispanics and Latinos and all populations of color.  Presenter Bio: Kenneth J. Martinez, PsyD is a retired child psychologist and Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at the Health Sciences Center, University of New Mexico where he has been on the faculty in various capacities for over 40 years. Dr. Martinez previously served as a Principal Research Analyst at the American Institute for Research (AIR) in Washington DC., where he provided technical assistance to over 70 federally funded children's mental health grantee sites. He has extensive clinical, policy, administrative, and academic expertise. In addition, Dr. Martinez previously served as the children's behavioral health director for the State of New Mexico and past national chair of the Children, Youth, and Families Division of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors. He earned his Bachelors degree in Psychology at Stanford University and his Doctorate of Psychology in Child Clinical Psychology at the University of Denver where he was a Ford Foundation Fellow.	John Lowe, PhD, RN, FAAN Implementation of a Culturally Based Substance Use Intervention among American Indian Youth: Key Elements Presentation Abstract: This presentation will discuss the implementation of the efficacious "Talking Circle" intervention for the prevention of substance use among American Indian Youth. An overview of the studies that have implemented and evaluated the intervention will be provided. The presenter will also provide a brief discussion regarding the plan to scale the intervention for an implementation study within an entire school system.  Presenter Bio: John Lowe, PhD, RN, FAAN is a Professor and Joseph Blades Centennial Memorial Professorship Chair at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. He is the former founding director of the Center for Indigenous Nursing Research for Health Equity (INRHE) and the Endowed McKenzie Professor for Health Disparities Research at the Florida State University College of Nursing. Dr. Lowe is one of 23 Native American doctoral prepared nurses in the U.S.A. He is of Cherokee, Creek and Lenape Native American heritage. Dr. Lowe currently serves as a member of the Advisory Council to the National Institutes of Nursing Research (NINR). He was the first Native American man to be inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. He has developed and studied interventions for the prevention and reduction of substance use and other risk behaviors among Native American and Indigenous youth and young adults. These studies and other health programs are guided by models that Dr. Lowe developed, including the Cherokee Self-Reliance and the Native Self-Reliance and Native- Reliance Models. Dr. Lowe also developed the first manualized Talking Circle intervention to reduce substance use and other risk behaviors among Native American youth and young adults, and Indigenous youth globally in countries such as Canada and Australia.