Scholars with the Institute for Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health attend national conference
Four of the Institute Scholars Alexandra Albizu-Rivera (front left), Humberto López Castillo (back left), Nichole Synder (back right), and Vickie Lynn (front right) with David K. Mineta, Deputy Director of Demand Reduction for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, The White House.
Scholars, community partners, along with academic and national mentors from the Institute for Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health participated in the 26th Annual Children’s Mental Health and Research Policy Conference. The event was held March 3-6 in Tampa, Florida.
USF’s Department of Child & Family Studies, in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, hosted the conference. It featured “Adolescent Substance Abuse and Co-occurring Disorders,” a track organized by and designed exclusively for Institute participants. The track included educational sessions, networking events, and a pre-conference workshop.
During the pre-conference workshop, Institute Scholars met with community agency partners including BayCare, Behavioral Health, DACCO, Eckerd Community Alternatives, Hillsborough County Schools, and the Mendez Foundation. Institute Scholars also networked with national experts in the field of child and adolescent behavioral health, implementation science, and translational research. A highlight of the pre-conference featured a one-on-one chat with David K. Mineta, deputy director of demand reduction for The White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy. He shared national policy and practice priorities in child and adolescent behavioral health with the group.
The Institute, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (1R25DA031103-01A1), is designed to provide an innovative education program in translational research, implementation science, and evidence-based practice in adolescent behavioral health. It is a collaborative effort between USF’s Department of Community & Family Health in College of Public Health, Department of Child & Family Studies in College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, and local adolescent-serving community agencies. The Institute is led by Julie Baldwin, PhD, principal investigator; Bruce Lubotsky Levin, DrPH, FABHM, co-investigator; Tom Massey, PhD, co-investigator; and, Ms. Donna Burton, project director.
Sixteen Scholars are currently enrolled in the Institute, including four community agency Scholars and 12 Scholars in graduate programs. The graduate students represent public health—behavioral and global health—rehabilitation and mental health counseling, social work, and criminology. This summer, the Scholars partner with mentoring teams to develop and conduct service learning translational research projects.
The Institute is affiliated with the Department of Community and Family Health in the USF College of Public Health. The department is also the academic home for Dr. Baldwin, professor; Dr. Levin, joint associate professor; Dr. Massey, joint associate professor; and, Ms. Burton, a doctoral candidate in community and family health. To see more photos from the conference, click here.
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