The Administrative Core for the Partnership for the Implementation Science in Geriatric Mental Health (PRISM) Hub seeks to establish a collaborative network of institutions and individuals to carry out and utilize research that answers policy relevant questions related to reducing the treatment gap for older adults with mental health problems in South East Asia, focusing on Thailand and China. Partners include policy makers, health care providers, and researchers from Thailand, China, and the United States, who will jointly develop an infrastructure supporting capacity building for a) mental health implementation research and b) mental health policies and program development based on evidence-informed decision making (EIDM). The initial focus will be on expanding mental health services for older adults with dementia, a high priority for the Thai Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Human Security and Development and Ministry of Interior. Specific roles of the Administrative Core will be to: 1) oversee the administration and progress of PRISM's activities in Thailand, China, and the U.S.; 2) be responsible for allocating and monitoring finances for all countries, organizing financial reports for each component and for the Hub as a whole; 3) coordinate the implementation of the research scale-up study (Thailand) and capacity building in research and evidence-informed decision making for policy makers and health care leaders (Thailand and China); 4) track progress of each activity according to the original milestones identified in the proposal; 5) ensure appropriate and effective partnership building; 6) coordinate annual meetings and communication with other funded NIMH Hubs; and, 7) coordinate all communications among Hub partners, including researchers, government officials, members of non- governmental organizations, external scientific advisory committee, stakeholders advisory committee, and the NIMH steering committee. Clearly defined governance mechanisms and communication and monitoring strategies will ensure smooth coordination of all activities between the cores and communication between Hub partners and other NIMH-funded Hubs. The Administrative Core will be led by Dr. Hongtu Chen (PI), with Drs. Levkoff and Chuengsatiansup as Co-leaders, working in close collaboration with other PRISM advisory groups leaders and Co-Investigators. While the BWH serves as the administrative home for the proposed U19, we will develop two on-site administrative structures, one at the Society and Health Institute in Thailand, the other at the Shanghai Mental Health Center in China.
PRISM will build on strong existing relationships between South-East Asian (Thailand and China) and US-based collaborators and institutions to establish an infrastructure for researchers and policy makers to obtain the skills necessary for reducing the mental health treatment gap for older adults, focusing on elders with dementia. The proposed Hub will conduct empirical research on implementation support strategies to address community mental health needs in two provinces in Thailand.
