Comparative Effectiveness Research

CERED provides the opportunity to fill the knowledge gap in Comparative Effectiveness Research for mental health care for Latinos by comparing brief evidence-based depression treatments.

Through the Comparative Effectiveness Research for Eliminating Disparities (CERED) project, our investigators provide the opportunity to fill the knowledge gap of Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) for mental health care for Latinos by comparing two brief evidence-based depression treatments. One is offered by telephone and one face-to-face, with care coordination, aggressive outreach and systematic monitoring and supervision to enhance 6 to 8 sessions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy treatment. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of outreach and depression care outside community clinics that recognizes the often complex circumstances of Latinos being served, compared to care offered within traditional clinical settings. The CERED grant seeks to provide an evidence base to support clinicians and Latino patients in making informed decisions about which depression care option best aligns with their needs and preferences.

Specifically, through collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico, we aim to expand the Research Center of Excellence to:

• AIM 1: Conduct CER focusing on alternative approaches to outreach and provide evidence based depression care for Latinos, particularly those with limited English proficiency and low literacy
• AIM 2: Build human and scientific capital by mentoring junior investigators and by incorporating trainings on comparative effectiveness into the activities already being conducted as part of the P60 NIMHD Research Grant
• AIM 3: Expand the administrative capacity to establish the CER data infrastructure in two large public health systems serving primarily ethnic minorities and overseeing all comparative effectiveness research activities
• AIM 4: Develop user-friendly tools (i.e. manuals) and methods (training of interventions using innovative technologies) to disseminate CER findings to clinicians and Latino patients to effectively translate CER findings into usual practice in community mental health settings.