NIMH ALACRITY Center

We address research-to-practice problems in digital mental health through a multi-level research strategy.

Technology-enabled services (TESs), which use web-based and mobile applications for patients coupled with support from a care coordinator, have consistently been shown through randomized controlled trials to be effective at treating depression. However, attempts to implement TESs in healthcare settings have failed, primarily because neither real-world patients nor providers use the tools we develop and evaluate in research. This NIMH ALACRITY Center addresses the research-to-practice problem using our Accelerated Research-to-Sustainment (ACTS) framework. We will design and evaluate TESs for depression in three unique clinical settings that commonly manage depression. Each project integrates clinical psychology, human-computer interaction and implementation science across the design and evaluation phases. If you have questions, please contact us at 312-503-6585 or email us at cbits@northwestern.edu.

Our Projects

Primary Care

This project will design and evaluate a TES to support the treatment of depression in a primary care/family medicine setting at Rush University Medical Center.
TES for Depression

Perinatal Depression

This project will design and evaluate a TES within the collaborative care program for perinatal depression at Northwestern Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Perinatal TES

Homebound Older Adults

This project will design and evaluate a voice-controlled TES personal assistant for homebound older adults with depression. This project is conducted in collaboration with Outpatient Geriatrics and Home-Based Medicine Practices at Northwestern Medicine.
For Caregivers of Older Adults

Research Methods

At the center level, we will harness the three research projects to refine our ACTS research framework, which aims to overcome the research-to-practice gap in several ways. ACTS integrates human- computer interaction methods to incorporate the voice of end users into the design and evaluation of the technologies, service protocol and implementation plan for the RPs, thereby ensuring that the end product is usable, useful and implementable. This work will produce guidelines for addressing the research-to-practice gap in digital mental health.
Our Methodology & Methods

Work with Us

Request a Consultation

Learn more about our consultation services and find out how to request our help.

Connect with CBITs

Attend a Seminar

We host a monthly CBITs Digital Mental Health Webinar featuring talks on or related to digital mental health from leaders across a wide range of specialties.
See Upcoming Webinars

Funding Sources

Our ALACRITY Center Projects are funded by the following awarded grants:

  • P50MH119030
  • P50MH119032
  • P50MH119031
  • P50MH119029
  • P50MH119033 

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