In The News

• May 2023 – Courtney Walker, Ph.D., was recognized for her role in UMMC’s Neonatal Research Network in the May 8, 2023 issue of UMMC’s electronic newsletter, eCV. The Network includes 14 other participating mental centers across the country and is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Walker will serve as Follow-Up Principal Investigator on the project.
• September 2022 – Andrew Voluse, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, and Matthew Morris, Ph.D., Co-Investigator, were funded for their project, "The Evidence-Based Treatment for Rural Intervention Courts (ERIC)." ERIC is a collaborative project between the University of Mississippi Medical Center and six rural drug courts that aims to reduce morbidity and mortality of substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders (with particular emphasis on post-traumatic stress disorder) in targeted high need, low resource rural Mississippi counties by improving access to empirically validated mental health screenings and evidence-based treatment services to adults participating in felony drug court programs. To address the rural nature of the state, screenings as well as individual and group interventions will be conducted exclusively via telehealth to minimize treatment barriers. Additionally, this project will provide training and education in evidence-based interventions to project staff and consortium members. This $2 million grant, which will run for 4 years, is funded by the Health Resources & Services Administration's Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Mental and Behavioral Health.
• September 2022 – Matthew Morris, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, received 5-year R01 funding from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities for a study titled 'Mechanisms of transition from acute to chronic pain in Non-Hispanic Black and White injury patients.' Non-Hispanic Black adults are disproportionately impacted by both acute and chronic post-injury pain relative to Non-Hispanic Whites, yet the biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying these racial differences remain poorly characterized. This prospective study will identify similarities and differences in the extent to which biobehavioral and social factors explain the transition to chronic pain in Non-Hispanic Black and White patients with traumatic orthopedic injuries. Enhanced scientific understanding of these mechanisms may provide a unique opportunity to begin mitigating these clinical pain disparities.
• September 2022 – Matthew Morris, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, received 3-year funding from the Office on Women's Health (along with other Principal Investigators Lei Zhang, Ph.D., and Michelle Owens, M.D.), for a project titled, 'SUD and IPV among Mississippi's Moms: Initiative to Prevent and Treat (SIMM Initiative).' The project seeks to improve screening and increase referrals for treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) and intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant and postnatal women. This is critical given the prevalence of these conditions in Mississippi. To achieve these goals, the University of Mississippi Medical Center will partner with the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence (MCADV), Converge: Partners in Access (Converge), Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MSCASA), Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), Community Health Center Association of Mississippi (CHCAMS), and the University of Mississippi's Center for Research Evaluation (CERE).
• September 2022 – Danny Burgess, Ph.D. was interviewed for the September, 2022 edition of UMMC's online newsletter, "Consult." Dr. Burgess talked about "Building Emotional Resilience." Read this story here: Build emotional resilience with these quick tips - University of Mississippi Medical Center (umc.edu)
• September 2022 – Jefferson Parker, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator) and James Rowlett, Co-PI), Co-Directors of the Center for Innovation and Discovery In Addictions (CIDA) were provided funding through the Congressional Earmark mechanism, as managed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for a project entitled, "CIDA Mississippi Horizons." This project has four elements. The first is implementation of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) via telehealth (referred to as "TeleMAT") and the second is to provide substance abuse consultation to community Emergency Departments during nighttime hours. Third, we will be implementing a web-based statewide substance abuse treatment referral resource and, finally, CIDA's Academy of Addiction Training will be sponsoring several workshops and training seminars over the course of the next year.