3cisd

3C Institute

Web-based Tool for the Dissemination of Evidence-based Interventions for ATOD

NIDA
ID: 2R44DA035014-02
PI: JANEY MCMILLEN, MELANIE LIVET
TERM: 09/15 – 08/17

Over the past several decades, a large number of evidence-based treatment programs for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use in youth have been rigorously tested and shown to be efficacious. Nevertheless, evidence-based ATOD programs (EBPs) are rarely adopted in everyday practice, are seldom implemented with strong fidelity, and often fail to be sustained over time in their intended service settings. A growing body of literature demonstrates implementation quality is directly related to the likelihood an EBP will be embedded into everyday practice and achieve its intended treatment outcomes. NIDA’s Strategic Plan specifically identifies the need for effective methods to help close the gap between development of ATOD-EBPs and their adoption and long-term sustainability in service settings.

This Phase II SBIR project will complete research and development of Centervention-ATOD, a customizable suite of online tools specifically designed to support quality implementation and sustainability of any ATOD-EBP within “real-world” service settings. During Phase I, we developed the Centervention-ATOD prototype with iterative input from key stakeholders; applied this technology infrastructure to an evidence-based ATOD prevention program; and evaluated the feasibility, usability, and value of the prototype and proposed scalable product. Stakeholders voiced strong support for continued research and development and suggested broadening the product’s scope to include intervention-focused programs as well as examining cost-effectiveness outcomes.

This Phase II SBIR project will accomplish three specific aims: (1) develop and expand Centervention-ATOD prototype components to enhance usability and utility for service settings, and integrate a second evidence-based ATOD program into the technology infrastructure. The utility and usability of Centervention-ATOD for this new EBP will be assessed and recommended modifications incorporated prior to pilot testing; (2) evaluate through pilot testing whether Centervention-ATOD confers additive benefits in provider implementation proficiency and efficacy, quality of implementation delivery, and EBP outcomes compared to traditional implementation methods; and (3) in collaboration with our expert consultant, conduct a formal cost-effectiveness analysis in order to evaluate monetary and non-monetary costs and benefits of implementing EBPs using Centervention-ATOD. No other comparable product exists that is specifically designed to help ATOD treatment facilities implement and sustain EBPs. Centervention-ATOD will leverage 3C Institute’s technological expertise and experience to create a flexible, scalable technology infrastructure applicable to ATOD-EBPs on a broad scale, decreasing costs to service providers, enhancing implementation quality, and increasing program sustainability, thereby offering the potential for significant societal benefits and addressing a large, commercial market.

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DEB CHILDRESS, PHD

Chief of Research and Learning Content

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Childress obtained her PhD in psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to coming to 3C Institute, she served as a research associate and a postdoctoral fellow in the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill working on a longitudinal imaging study aimed at identifying the early markers of autism through behavioral and imaging methodologies. She has 19 years of autism research experience, during which she has examined the behavioral, personality, and cognitive characteristics of individuals with autism and their family members. Dr. Childress also has experience developing behavioral and parent report measurement tools, coordinating multi-site research studies, and collecting data from children and families. She has taught courses and seminars in general child development, autism, and cognitive development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Expertise

  • autism
  • early development
  • behavioral measurement
  • integrating behavioral and biological measurement

Education

  • Postdoctoral fellowship, Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (Institutional NRSA-NICHD), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • PhD, developmental psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • BS, psychology (minor in sociology), University of Iowa

Selected Publications

  • Elison, J. T., Wolff, J. J., Heimer, D. C., Paterson, S. J., Gu, H., Hazlett, H. C., Styner, M, Gerig, G., & Piven, J. (in press). Frontolimbic neural circuitry at 6 months predicts individual differences in joint attention at 9 months. Developmental Science.
  • Wassink, T. H., Vieland, V. J., Sheffield, V. C., Bartlett, C. W., Goedken, R., Childress, D. & Piven, J. (2008). Posterior probability of linkage analysis of autism dataset identifies linkage to chromosome 16. Psychiatric Genetics,18(2),85-91.
  • Losh, M., Childress, D., Lam K. & Piven, J. (2008). Defining key features of the broad autism phenotype: A comparison across parents of multiple- and single-incidence autism families. American Journal of Medical Genetics (Neuropsychiatric Genetics), 147B(4):424-33.
  • Wassink, T. H., Piven, J., Vieland, V. J., Jenkins, L., Frantz R., Bartlett, C. W., Goedken, R., … Sheffield, V.C. (2005). Evaluation of the chromosome 2q37.3 gene CENTG2 as an autism susceptibility gene. American Journal of Medical Genetics (Neuropsychiatric Genetics), 136, 36-44.
  • Barrett, S., Beck, J., Bernier, R., Bisson, E., Braun, T., Casavant, T., Childress, D., … Vieland, V. (1999). An autosomal genomic screen for autism. American Journal of Medical Genetics (Neuropsychiatric Genetics), 88, 609-615. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-8628(19991215)88:63.0.CO;2-L
  • Piven, J., Palmer, P., Landa, R., Santangelo, S., Jacobi, D. & Childress, D. (1997). Personality and language characteristics in parents from multiple-incidence autism families. American Journal of Medical Genetics (Neuropsychiatric Genetics), 74, 398-411.
  • Piven, J., Palmer, P., Jacobi, D., Childress, D. & Arndt, S. (1997). Broader autism phenotype: Evidence from a family history study of multiple-incidence autism families. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 185-190.