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About the Program

Consultants

We match Scholars with resource consultants across the United States who have (a) a background in consulting or directing NIH-funded projects in the research area of the Scholar; (b) a published record of articles or books that establishes them as a leader in mixed methods research; and (c) a record of successfully mentoring other investigators either at their home institution or at other schools in the US.

In the aggregate, the consultants represent a wide range of disciplines and skills ranging from implementation research to community-based participatory research – all relevant to translational, intervention and services research. The consultants demonstrated tremendous enthusiasm in their responses to invitations to participate, expressing the important need that such a program fills. The consultants cover a range of research interests across the translation continuum and areas for research (e.g., cancer, mental health, and patient- and community-centered care). OBSSR work group members who developed the “best practices” recommendations are well-represented.

To maximize the support provided to the Scholar, each Scholar is matched to one of the program directors (Gallo, Deutsch, or Creswell) as a primary mentor as well as a consultant based on the Scholar’s needs, career level, and area of health research (the consultant pool is shown below).

Consultant

Institution Area Mixed methods experience
Greg Aarons PhD UCSD Implementation Science Leading mixed methods study on statewide EBP implementation[1,2]
Frances Barg PhD U of Pennsylvania

Community 

Health, cancer

Mixed methods studies of risk and disease among ethnic groups[3,4,5]
Judy Bass PhD Johns Hopkins

Intervention development, 

global health

Intervention development for maternal and child mental health, global mental health[6,7]
Theresa Betancourt ScD Harvard

Global health,

mental health of children

International health; Leading mixed methods researcher at Harvard’s School of Public Health[8,9]
Lisa Bowleg PhD George Washington Psychology, HIV/AIDS, disparities Member of OBSSR work group on best practices for mixed methods[10]; Leading mixed methods studies of HIV/AIDS risk behaviors[11,12]
Debra Burns PhD Purdue

Public health, 

music therapy

Leading mixed methods study of music therapy in cancer care; using mixed methods to study public health quality improvement[13]
Felipe G. Castro PhD U. Texas at El Paso Prevention and methodology Conducted mixed methods study of substance use behavior[14] and mixed methods integration expert[15]
Kate Clegg-Smith PhD Johns Hopkins Health behavior Mixed methods expert, member of OBSSR panel on best practices for mixed methods research[10]; conducted mixed methods study of cancer risk reduction [16,17]
Ben Crabtree PhD Rutgers Primary care and methodology Member of OBSSR work group on best practices for mixed methods[10]; Leading expert on qualitative and mixed methods research in primary care and health services[18,19,20]
Leslie Curry PhD, MPH Yale

Translation, cardiovascular 

health

Leader in mixed methods research, member of OBSSR work group on best practices for mixed methods research10; applying mixed methods to implementation and outcomes research[21,22]
Britt Dalhberg PhD Chemical Heritage Foundation  Medical and environmental anthropology, psychological anthropology Director of the Center for Applied History at Chemical Heritage Foundation; exploring the social practice and impact of science, health care, and technology
Karen Emmons PhD Kaiser Permanente Community and behavioral health, cancer Conducted community based research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; former Associate Dean for Research, HSPH and past President, Society of Behavioral Medicine; mixed methods in translational research[23]
Michael Fetters MD U. Michigan Patient-centered care, primary care Member of OBSSR work group on best practices for mixed methods10;  Leading expert on mixed methods designs in primary care[24,25]
Deborah Gross PhD Johns Hopkins Child mental health, nursing Promotion of positive parent-child relationships and preventing behavior problems in preschool children from low-income neighborhoods[26,27,28]
Ladson Hinton MD U.C. Davis Cultural issues in mental health Leading mixed methods studies of older Hispanic men with depression[29]
Nataliya Ivankova PhD UAB Health services administration, methodology Methodologist and leader in mixed methods designs[30,31]
Jin Hui Joo MA MD Johns Hopkins Alleviation of health disparities,  mixed methods in intervention development, development of psychosocial interventions for depression Geriatric psychiatrist and health services researcher in the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University; Medical Director (Behavioral Health) of Johns Hopkins Medicine Alliance for Patients, (JMAP); leader in the integration of behavioral health services into primary care settings. 
Ann Klassen PhD Drexel Community health and prevention Co-chair of the OBSSR working group on best practices; Expert on mixed methods in public health; conducted mixed methods study of cancer risk reduction[16,17]
Gina Kruse MD, MS, MPH Harvard Technology-based interventions; cancer prevention services; tobacco cessation treatment  Assistant Professor in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Harvard Medical School
Rebekka Lee PhD Harvard Designing and evaluating community-based interventions; contextual factors that impact effective implementation and promote health equity Research Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity; Evaluation Consultant and instructor for the Population Health Research Program at Harvard Catalyst
Mark R. Luborsky PhD Wayne State Aging and health disparities Medical anthropology; Expert in qualitative and mixed methods research[32]
Deborah Padget PhD NYU Mental health Member of OBSSR work group on best practices for mixed methods[10];  Leading author in mixed methods in social work and public health[33,34]; mental health recovery of homeless individuals with co-occurring disorders
Rena J. Pasick DrPH UCSF Community health, cancer Member of OBSSR work group on best practices for mixed methods[10];  Led mixed methods study of breast-cancer survivors[35,36]
Vicki Plano Clark PhD Cincinnati Methodology, cancer Member of OBSSR work group on best practices for mixed methods[10];  Leading mixed methods Scholar, conducting mixed methods RCT[37,38,39]
Larry Palinkas PhD USC Intervention development and implementation Conducted implementation and mental health services research[2,40]
Janet Turan PhD UAB Maternal health, global health Conducting a study of the adverse effects of AIDS in Kenya[41]
Frederick Wertz PhD Fordham Psychology and methodology Led study on caring for children with autism spectrum disorders[42]
Jennifer Wisdom PhD George Washington Mental health services Leader in methodology, conducted study of mental health recovery[43,44]
Lawrence Wissow MD Johns Hopkins Health behavior, primary care Communication in pediatric primary care visits; studied a mental health screening tool in pediatric care[45]
Marsha N. Wittink MD U of Rochester Patient-centered care, primary care Mixed methods in primary care in the study of depression in late life,[5,46] medical decision making in patient-centered care[47,48]

 


 

1. Aarons GA, Fettes DL, Sommerfeld DH, Palinkas LA. Mixed methods for implementation research: application to evidence-based practice implementation and staff turnover in community-based organizations providing child welfare services. Child maltreatment. 2012;17(1):67-79.
2. Palinkas LA, Aarons GA, Horwitz S, Chamberlain P, Hurlburt M, Landsverk J. Mixed method designs in implementation research. Administration and policy in mental health. 2011;38(1):44-53.
3. Bennett I, Switzer J, Aguirre A, Evans K, Barg F. 'Breaking It Down': Patient-Clinician Communication and Prenatal Care Among African American Women of Low and Higher Literacy. Annals of Family Medicine. 2006;4(4):334-340.
4. Bogner HR, Wittink M, Merz JF, et al. Personal characteristics of older primary care patients who provide a buccal swab for APOE testing and banking of genetic material: The Spectrum Study. Community Genetics. 2004;7(4):202-210.
5. Wittink MN, Barg FK, Gallo JJ. Unwritten rules of talking to doctors about depression: integrating qualitative and quantitative methods. Annals of Family Medicine. 2006;4(4):302-309.
6. Bass JK, Ryder RW, Lammers MC, Mukaba TN, Bolton PA. Post-partum depression in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: validation of a concept using a mixed-methods cross-cultural approach. Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH. 2008;13(12):1534-1542.
7. Bass JK, Annan J, McIvor Murray S, et al. Controlled trial of psychotherapy for Congolese survivors of sexual violence. N Engl J Med. 2013;368(23):2182-2191.
8. Betancourt T, Myers-Ohki SE, Stevenson A, et al. Using mixed-methods research to adapt and evaluate a family strengthening intervention in Rwanda. African Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2011;2:32-45.
9. Betancourt TS, Newnham EA, Hann K, et al. Developing a group mental health intervention for war-affected youth: A mixed methods approach.
10. Creswell JW, Klassen AC, Plano Clark VL, Clegg Smith K, Meisser HF. Best Practices for Mixed Methods Research in the Health Sciences. Washington, D.C.: Commissioned by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR);2011.
11. Bowleg L, Burkholder GJ, Massie JS, et al. Racial discrimination, social support, and sexual HIV risk among Black heterosexual men. AIDS and behavior. 2013;17(1):407-418.
12. Teti M, Bowleg L, Cole R, et al. A mixed methods evaluation of the effect of the protect and respect intervention on the condom use and disclosure practices of women living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS and behavior. 2010;14(3):567-579.
13. Riley W, Parsons H, McCoy K, et al. Introducing quality improvement methods into local public health departments: structured evaluation of a statewide pilot project. Health Serv Res. 2009;44(5 Pt 2):1863-1879.
14. Castro FG, Coe K. Traditions and alcohol use: A mixed-methods analysis. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. 2007;13(4):269-284.
15. Castro FG, Kellison JG, Boyd SJ, Kopak A. A Methodology for Conducting Integrative Mixed Methods Research and Data Analyses. J Mix Methods Res. 2010;4(4):342-360.
16. Klassen AC, Creswell J, Plano Clark VL, Smith KC, Meissner HI. Best practices in mixed methods for quality of life research. Qual Life Res. 2012;21(3):377-380.
17. Klassen AC, Smith KC, Black MM, Caulfield LE. Mixed Method Approaches to Understanding Cancer-Related Dietary Risk Reduction among Public Housing Residents. J Urban Health. 2009;86(4):624-640.
18. Jaen CR, Crabtree BF, Palmer RF, et al. Methods for evaluating practice change toward a patient-centered medical home. Ann Fam Med. 2010;8 Suppl 1:S9-20; S92.
19. McVea K, Crabtree BF, Medder JD, et al. An ounce of prevention? Evaluation of the 'Put Prevention into Practice' program. The Journal of Family Practice. 1996;43:361-369.
20. Stange KC, Crabtree BF, Miller WL. Publishing multimethod research. Annals of Family Medicine. 2006;4:292-294.
21. Bradley EH, Curry LA, Ramanadhan S, Rowe L, Nembhard IM, Krumholz HM. Research in action: using positive deviance to improve quality of health care. Implementation science : IS. 2009;4:25.
22. Curry LA, Nembhard IM, Bradley EH. Qualitative and mixed methods provide unique contributions to outcomes research. Circulation. 2009;119:1442-1452.
23. Glasgow RE, Emmons KM. How can we increase translation of research into practice? Types of evidence needed. Annual review of public health. 2007;28:413-433.
24. Creswell JW, Fetters MD, Ivankova NV. Designing a mixed methods study in primary care. The Annals of Family Medicine. 2004;2:7-12.
25. Fetters MD, Yoshioka T, Greenberg GM, Gorenflo DW, Yeo S. Advance consent in Japanese during prenatal care for epidural anesthesia during childbirth. Journal of Mixed Methods Research. 2007;1:333-365.
26. Alhusen JL, Gross D, Hayat MJ, Rose L, Sharps P. The role of mental health on maternal-fetal attachment in low-income women. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2012;41(6):E71-81.
27. Gross D. Improving child and adolescent health and health care quality: report from the pediatric health and health care quality measures committee of the Institute of Medicine. J Pediatr Health Care. 2011;25(6):405-408.
28. Gross D, Garvey C, Julion W, Fogg L, Tucker S, Mokros H. Efficacy of the Chicago parent program with low-income African American and Latino parents of young children. Prev Sci. 2009;10(1):54-65.
29. Apesoa-Varano EC, Barker JC, Hinton L. Curing and Caring: The Work of Primary Care Physicians With Dementia Patients. Qualitative Health Research. 2011;21(11):1469-1483.
30. Ivankova NV, Creswell JW, Stick SL. Using mixed-methods sequential explanatory design: From theory to practice. Field Methods. 2006;18:3-20.
31. Ivankova NV, Stick SL. Students’ persistence in a distributed doctoral program in educational leadership in higher education: A mixed methods study. Research in Higher Education. 2006;48:93-135.
32. Luborsky M, Rubinstein R. Sampling in Qualitative Research. In: Bryman A, ed. Ethnographic Research: Vol II: Ethnographic Fieldwork Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 2001.
33. Padgett DK. Qualitative and Mixed Methods in Public Health. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 2012.
34. Padgett DK, Yedidia MJ, Kerner J, Mandelblatt J. The Emotional Consequences of False Positive Mammography: African-American Women's Reactions in Their Own Words. Women & Health. 2001;33(3-4):1-15.
35. Pasick RJ, Burke NJ, Barker JC, et al. Behavioral theory in a diverse society: like a compass on Mars. Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education. 2009;36(5 Suppl):11S-35S.
36. Wang JH, Adams IF, Tucker-Seeley R, et al. A mixed method exploration of survivorship among Chinese American and non-Hispanic White breast cancer survivors: the role of socioeconomic well-being. Qual Life Res. 2013.
37. Curry LA, O'Cathain A, Clark VLP, Aroni R, Fetters M, Berg D. The Role of Group Dynamics in Mixed Methods Health Sciences Research Teams. Journal of Mixed Methods Research. 2011;6(1):5-20.
38. Plano Clark VL, Schumacher K, West C, et al. Practices for embedding an interpretive qualitative approach within a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Mixed Methods Research. 2013;7:219-242.
39. Plano Clark VL. The adoption and practice of mixed methods: U.S. Ttrends in federally funded health-related research. Qualitative Inquiry. 2010;16(6):428-440.
40. Palinkas LA, Horwitz SM, Chamberlain P, Hurlburt MS, Landsverk J. Mixed-methods designs in mental health services research: A review. Psychiatric Services. 2011;62(3):255-263.
41. Turan JM, Hatcher AH, Medema-Wijnveen J, et al. The role of HIV-related stigma in utilization of skilled childbirth services in rural Kenya: a prospective mixed-methods study. PLoS medicine. 2012;9(8):e1001295.
42. Desai MU, Divan G, Wertz FJ, Patel V. The discovery of autism: Indian parents' experiences of caring for their child with an autism spectrum disorder. Transcultural psychiatry. 2012;49(3-4):613-637.
43. Green CA, Polen MR, Janoff SL, et al. Understanding how clinician-patient relationships and relational continuity of care affect recovery from serious mental illness: STARS study results. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. 2008;32(1):9-22.
44. Wisdom JP, Cavaleri MA, Onwuegbuzie AJ, Green CA. Methodological Reporting in Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Health Services Research Articles. Health Services Research. 2012;47(2):721-745.
45. Fothergill KE, Gadomski A, Solomon BS, et al. Assessing the impact of a web-based comprehensive somatic and mental health screening tool in pediatric primary care. Academic pediatrics. 2013;13(4):340-347.
46. Wittink MN, Dahlberg B, Biruk C, Barg FK. How older adults combine medical and experiential notions of depression. Qualitative Health Research. 2008;18(9):1174-1183.
47. Wittink MN, Cary M, Tenhave T, Baron J, Gallo JJ. Towards Patient-Centered Care for Depression: Conjoint Methods to Tailor Treatment Based on Preferences. Patient. 2010;3(3):145-157.
48. Wittink MN, Morales KH, Cary M, Gallo JJ, Bartels SJ. Towards personalizing treatment for depression : developing treatment values markers. Patient. 2013;6(1):35-43.