Center Opportunities

What are the major focus areas of the field locally, nationally, and/or internationally?

• Investigate the prevalence and attributes of mental health, substance use disorders and suicide among healthcare professionals
• To investigate the most promising interventions for suicide prevention among healthcare workers

What areas of growth do you foresee in this discipline? What research looks most promising?

• Very few tested interventions in suicide prevention
• Identifying best practices in alternative to discipline programs
• Community participatory research among those with lived experience to inform interventions targeted toward interventions and test interventions

What other institutions have similar centers, if any?

• Center of Excellence: The Johns Hopkins Psychosocial, Organizational, and Environmental Total Worker Health® Center in Mental Health

How will UC San Diego be a leader in this space?

• UC San Diego is a leader in understanding healthcare worker suicide and testing prevention models (the HEAR model)
• We have conducted more studies on healthcare professional suicide and suicide prevention than any other organization
• Investigators are leading advocacy efforts at a national level based upon our research
• The HEAR Model is being replicated nationally and endorsed
• UC San Diego will advocate for healthcare professionals and the center will serve as a hub that can provide connections with state and national organizations

Center Priorities

What areas outside of the Health Sciences (e.g. other campus units and/or affiliates) offer the greatest potential for collaboration?

• Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion
• Data Science Institute
• Informatics
• UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy
• UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness

Recent Achievements

Research Funding: 

• Previous work has been largely unfunded 
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP): 10/15/2022: Awarded 1.5 million to test HEAR model of suicide prevention at a national level for nursing in combination with a resiliency/skills building program. Collaborating with American Nurses Association, and The Ohio State University (PI: Judy Davidson, Co-I: Sidney Zisook)
• Potential: Robert Wood Johnson, Lorna Breen Foundation, NIMH, AHRQ, PCORI, NIOSH, NCSBN

Research Productivity:

• Number of publications: 76 (since 2017)
• Number of oral and poster presentations: 144 (since 2017)
• Number of press releases: 76 (since 2017)

Awards/Honors:

• UCSD HEAR Suicide Prevention Model has been recognized by Boston (Schwartz Center Compassionate Team of the Year, 2021), Academy of Nursing EdgeRunner Model for Replication  (2022)
• UCSD HEAR model for suicide prevention declared model for replication by AHA/CDC, Surgeon General, National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
• Our suicide research has been cited in call for action statements to reduce healthcare professional suicide by NAM, Academy of Nurses
• Solicited by Tri-Regulatory Council (National Boards of Medicine/Pharmacy/Nursing) to present research findings with the goal of informing regulatory change regarding licensure and substance use monitoring programs
• Solicited by the Nursing Organization Alliance (Presidents of all nursing organizations) to present research findings with the goal of informing a call for action regarding nurse suicide
• Mentoring trainees from:  UCSD schools of pharmacy and medicine, medical residency, pre-medical undergraduate programs, nursing and chaplaincy programs; trainees granted first author opportunities

Investing in Current Resources

How effectively can the elements from the opportunities and priorities slides can be accomplished?

• We have intellectual capacity and interdisciplinary expertise (Pharm, MD, RN) and backgrounds
• Our cohesive team has been working together for over 5 years; there is lack of funding, visibility and infrastructure that a center could provide
• We are currently struggling with cataloging our vast achievements due to lack of administrative support and infrastructure 
• The Center would largely support attainment of resources necessary for grant writing, marketing of the program and increase productivity of our research efforts

How are you able to leverage your current strengths to achieve these goals?

• We have a large number of investigators and a steady stream of trainees from nursing, medicine, pharmacy and chaplaincy disciplines
• A visible center would enhance efforts at grant funding which in turn would support infrastructure development to maintain research, translational science and advocacy efforts
• We could amplify current advocacy efforts to enact change based upon new knowledge generated from our program of research with appropriate funding.

Research Mentorship through the UCSD Research Immersion Certificate Program 

• Judy Davidson is Program Director. Kelly Lee and Sid Zisook are Program Mentors 
• Quantitative and qualitative research methods
• Writing and publishing

Pending letters of recommendations/support

• UCSD Pace Program: David Bazzo
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• American Nurses Foundation
• Lorna Breen Foundation

Investing in New Resources

What elements need to be strengthened in order to accomplish your goals?

• Biostatistician
• Grant writer
• Data warehouse
• Project manager
• Communications support (social media/web design)
• Fundraising
• Advocacy

What additional investments/partnerships are required, within your unit, school, Health Sciences, or UC San Diego?

• Development office personnel to identify funding opportunities/donors
• UCSD Marketing to disseminate work

What are your strategic plan for contributing to the recruitment of diverse faculty?

• Continue to assure diversity (race, ethnicity, age, gender identity) in our research group (interdisciplinary) and offer opportunities for future faculty

What is your plan for contributing to the development of physician scientists? 

• Center grant to recruit physician, nurse and pharmacist scientists
• Continue to mentor early career researchers (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, public health)

What elements need to be strengthened in order to accomplish your goals?

• Data warehouse
• Analytical software (quantitative, qualitative)
• Website and social media presence
• Space for project manager and assistants

What additional investments/partnerships are required, within your unit, school, Health Sciences, or UC San Diego?

• Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
• UC San Diego Health
• Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity science
• Division of Nursing, UC San Diego Health
• Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego
• Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences
   

Metrics for Success

• Increase in number of publications and citations
• Increase in media coverage: Press releases and news features within local, state, national, international media
• Secure initial seed funding for center creation and sustain funding for future work from private and public sources
• Increase in network of collaborators, institutions and trainees
• Maintain advocacy presence and increase advocacy efforts at state and national levels
• Establish and measure changes within health system that promote well-being and reduce burnout and suicides among healthcare professionals
• Develop, implement and disseminate suicide prevention models