We are proud to announce that three MPHI researchers were recently featured in the American Journal of Community Psychology. Dr. Cheribeth Tan-Schriner, Dr. Karie L. Morgan, and Vanessa Burnett, researchers at MPHI, published an article that describes a $2.9 million program.

The program is aimed at creating new narratives for the primary prevention of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and substance use in three Midwestern communities. ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18 and are linked with increased risk for substance use and other health problems.

Dr. Tan-Schriner, Dr. Morgan, and Burnett published research on AJCP

Here’s an overview of the article:

  • Program partners focused on health equity and social determinants of health: The program partners included researchers, community organizations, and storytellers who worked together to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) that lead to disparities in ACEs and substance use. SDOH are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that affect their health and well-being.
  • Mixed-methods evaluation design assessed the implementation efforts: The article reports on the evaluation of the program implementation, which used a mixed-methods design that included document review, in-depth interviews, and site reports. The evaluation focused on the challenges and facilitators of implementing the program, as well as the outcomes and impacts.
  • Evaluation findings highlighted the importance of leadership, expectations, and relationships: The evaluation found that successful implementation efforts had early leadership buy-in and support, set clear and manageable expectations, and developed strong relationships with organizations that engage in health equity work. Additionally, it was found that training and technical assistance were critical to helping community partners build trust, recognize each other’s perspectives, broaden and reframe their worldview, and better understand narrative efforts for the prevention of ACEs and substance use.

You can read more about the article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajcp.12741