Saturday, August 9, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Technology and Engineering

Oregon researchers receive $16.4 million to advance mental health care for children

May 23, 2024
in Technology and Engineering
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Oregon researchers receive $16.4 million to advance mental health care for children
66
SHARES
596
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

A team of researchers at Oregon Health & Science University were awarded a landmark five-year, $16.4 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to develop and test data-driven approaches that can more precisely predict mental health diagnoses and outcomes in children.

A team of researchers at Oregon Health & Science University were awarded a landmark five-year, $16.4 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to develop and test data-driven approaches that can more precisely predict mental health diagnoses and outcomes in children.

ADVERTISEMENT

For over a decade, experts at the OHSU Center for Mental Health Innovation have used machine learning to develop advanced computational models that can improve clinical prediction of a variety of mental health conditions across childhood and adolescence, including ADHD, anxiety, depression and substance use disorder.

These models — which provide insight on the predicted age of condition onset, severity and prognosis, ideal treatments and more — can serve as a valuable tool in clinical decision-making processes, and may ultimately inform more effective mental health intervention and prevention efforts, said Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry in the OHSU School of Medicine and co-director of the Center for Mental Health Innovation.

After demonstrating the models’ success in the lab, the grant takes the work of OHSU scientists to the next level by allowing the team to transition its research algorithms to a clinical setting and determine the real-world effects they may have on clinical decisions and mental health outcomes.

Youth mental health crisis

Half of the world’s population will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives, a 2023 study found, making mental health the largest source of disability in the world. The crisis is most severe for youth, who are experiencing unprecedented rises in mental health problems. In Oregon alone, about 50,000 children are living with a mental health condition and many face extremely poor access to care.

The life challenges that accompany a mental health condition persist and often multiply with development, leading to a variety of poor long-term outcomes such as incarceration, unemployment, substance use, and early death due to suicide, accident or physical health complications, Nagel said.

The health care system has struggled to effectively identify those at risk of a mental health condition and prevent poor outcomes among children seen in pediatric or psychiatry clinics. To address the severity and urgency of this crisis, OHSU researchers say it’s critical to identify new approaches in clinical care, including bringing data science to patient assessment and care delivery.

“The reality is that our children are suffering, and their suffering has worsened over the past decade. We need to think outside of the box and challenge the systems and approaches we’ve previously relied on,” said Joel Nigg, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry in the OHSU School of Medicine and co-director of the Center for Mental Health Innovation. “Twenty years ago, we didn’t have the computer power or scientific knowledge about psychopathology that we do now. This work is a very exciting step forward that harnesses the past two decades of scientific progress.

“It will take time to see the effects of these data-driven approaches and novel clinical measures,” he continued, “but they have the potential to create significant impacts, including lowering health care costs, improving care efficiency and access, and most importantly, saving lives.”

Most mental health conditions emerge during childhood and adolescence, making early detection and treatment key to improving outcomes. Through this grant, the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, will fund additional sites to investigate data-driven approaches to mental health for various populations; OHSU is one of only a few sites that will focus specifically on children and adolescents.

Leveraging the power of data

During the initial stages of the five-year grant, researchers will optimize prediction models in the lab by leveraging large national research and medical databases and OHSU-developed research cohorts. These models comprise the observable traits of a patient, including temperament; cognitive measures like working memory and executive function; mental health characteristics like inattention; and environmental factors like proximity to health care or pollution exposure risk.

The model predictors will then be collected in clinics at collaborating sites, with a goal of enrolling 7,500 patients ages 7 through 17. To ensure data are unbiased and account for health care disparities, OHSU will work with hospitals across the country to collect patient data representing different socio-demographic, ethnic and racial backgrounds.

Collaborating sites include Seattle Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Indiana University. Additional partners, including State University of New York and Purdue University, will be involved in data analytic efforts.

Finally, using the data collected across clinics, the research team will analyze and evaluate how often high-confidence predictions can be made, how often additional assessment is needed, and the added value and overall accuracy of the models. If successful, the proposed work would prove the readiness of these models for clinical use and create an actionable, cost-effective approach for health systems to adopt.

“We consider this a formative grant in achieving the mission of the center, which is to advance scientific discoveries in mental health and rapidly translate those into real-world practices,” Nagel said. “It’s tremendously exciting to be taking that next step of bringing together science and clinical care. It represents a new frontier in how we approach mental health.”

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U01MH135970. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.



Share26Tweet17
Previous Post

New biomarkers of response in melanoma immunotherapy

Next Post

Artificial intelligence resolves conflicts impeding animal behavior research

Related Posts

blank
Technology and Engineering

UCLA Research Uncovers Intricate Mechanisms Governing Blinking and Eyelid Function

August 8, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

Boosting Magnesium Ion Conductivity in PVA Capacitors

August 8, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

A Breakthrough Solution for Heart Health

August 8, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

Enhancing MOFs with Lithium Salts for Superior Batteries

August 8, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

Exploring the Connection: How Wildfire Smoke Intensifies Ozone Pollution

August 8, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

SFU’s Indoor Berry Research Expands and Diversifies Thanks to Homegrown Innovation Challenge Support

August 8, 2025
Next Post
Neurobehavior lab

Artificial intelligence resolves conflicts impeding animal behavior research

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27531 shares
    Share 11009 Tweet 6881
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    943 shares
    Share 377 Tweet 236
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    641 shares
    Share 256 Tweet 160
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    507 shares
    Share 203 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    310 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Revolutionizing Fetal Congenital Heart Disease: MRI’s Impact
  • Distinct Coral Reef Regions Identified in Red Sea
  • Scientists Discover Novel Mechanism Behind Cellular Tolerance to Anticancer Drugs
  • Enhancing Pediatric Abdominal MRI Quality with Deep Learning

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,860 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading