MHLP Faculty to Consult on NICHD R21

MHLP Faculty to Consult on NICHD R21

Celia Lescano, PhD, and Kathy Moore, PhD, both Research Associate Professors in the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy, are consultants on a newly-funded R21 grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) entitled, "Juvenile Court Approaches to Reduce Reproductive Health Disparities." The Principal Investigator of the grant is Marina Tolou-Shams, PhD, a previous colleague of Dr. Lescano's at Brown University, who has recently moved to the University of California, San Francisco. The 2-year, $466,412, project will examine attitudes, perceptions, practices, and policies in court and public health-related systems that limit or enable access to sexual health services for court-involved non-incarcerated (CINI) juveniles. The investigators will conduct key-informant interviews in Tampa, Providence, and Philadelphia, as well as a nationwide survey of US juvenile court and department of health settings. The ultimate goal is to advance structural intervention and policy development by providing essential scientific evidence relevant to improving access to and uptake of sexual health services for CINI juveniles. Drs. Lescano and Moore will assist Dr. Tolou-Shams, consulting on various study aspects, including reviewing lists of identified survey informants to ensure their relevancy and appropriateness, providing feedback on qualitative interview data summaries as it pertains to relevance and interest in the Tampa study locations and reviewing survey items for clarity and relevance. They will also provide input on dissemination of findings from this project.