Seed grants fuel multidisciplinary, community-engaged mental health research

From using artificial intelligence to help adults with autism to developing interventions for food insecurity among young children, a range of systemic factors that contribute to inequitable mental health outcomes will be explored with the first seed grants from the newly formed Whole Health Consortium, housed within Virginia Tech's Institute of Society, Culture, and Environment.

The four multidisciplinary research teams awarded reflect the consortium’s priority funding area this year, which is centered on mental health with a particular interest in community-engaged research exploring social drivers of health, including socio-economic status, education, social support networks, and physical environment. 

The consortium awarded planning and incubator grants to foster collaboration among multidisciplinary teams and community partners, priming them for high-impact, community-engaged research. This initiative positions teams to compete for future research opportunities with substantial funding.

Teams could apply to two funding tracks: Advancing Partnerships and Incubating Emergent Collaborations.  

The Advancing Partnerships track will provide each team up to $45,000 over one year with the primary objective to catalyze multidisciplinary research teams in advancing mental health research. Teams are expected to assemble up to five interconnected projects consisting of their own objectives and contribute collectively to a common thematic goal in a specific mental health area. 

The Incubating Emergent Collaborations track, spanning six months, will provide each team with up to $10,000 to support small-scale, high-impact projects that bring together scholars from at least two disciplines and involves a community partner. These teams will develop preliminary data, proof of concept, or initial prototypes with the potential to evolve into larger initiatives eligible for long-term funding.

Advancing Partnerships Track awardees

Stressed Out Moms: Targeting the Body to Treat the Brain and Prevent Intergenerational Transmission of Mental Health Issues 

Goal: This project will address the need for alternative, non-pharmacological approaches to depression, particularly in mothers and children.  

Research team: 

•  Julia Basso, director of the Embodied Brain Laboratory and assistant professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 
  
• Georgia Hodes, assistant professor of neuroscience in the College of Science 
  
• Brittany Howell, assistant professor with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC 
• Mackenzie Aychman, graduate student in human nutrition, foods, and exercise    
• Dawson Kropp, graduate student in neuroscience 
  

Community partner: 

• Jaclyn Nunziato, executive director of Huddle Up Moms
  

Designing AI as a Mental Health Resource for Autistic Adults: Enhancing Therapeutic Approaches with Multimodal Interactions 

Goal: Collaboratively design an interactive artificial intelligence (AI) system using large language models to support the mental health needs of autistic adults, with a specific focus on repetitive negative self-talk. 

Research team: 

• Eugenia Rho, assistant professor of computer science in the College of Engineering 
  
• Angela Scarpa, director of the Virginia Tech’s Autism Research Center, and professor of psychology 
  
• Caroline Branscome, undergraduate writing program coordinator, civil and environmental engineering 
  
• Myounghoon Jeon, associate professor, industrial and systems engineering 
  
• Sunwook Kim, research assistant professor, industrial and systems engineering 
  
• Sol Lim, assistant professor, industrial and systems engineering 
  
• Adam Burke, professor of health and social sciences at San Francisco State University 
  

Professional therapists: 

• Julie Carper, occupational therapist with The Auburn School 
  
• Deanna Swain, clinical research and assistant professor at University of Colorado Medicine 
  

Community partners: 

• Parthenia Dinora, executive director of the Partnership for People with Disabilities and associate professor for the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University

Incubating Emergent Collaborations Track awardees

The Development of a Brief Self-Compassion Intervention to Improve Mental Health Among Caregivers Experiencing Food Insecurity 

Goal: This project aims to create an intervention that is tailored and accessible to caregivers of young children experiencing food insecurity, such as nutrition education programs, food banks, and pantries. 

Research team:  

• Heather Davis, assistant professor psychology 
  
• Sarah Misyak, assistant research professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise and assistant director, program manager for research and evaluation for Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program 
  
• Elena Serrano, professor, Extension specialist, and the director of Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program 
  
• Samantha Harden, associate professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise 
  

Community partner: 

• Meaghan Butler, health equity director for the Federation of Virginia Food Banks
  

Community Advisory Groups to Inform Youth Mental Health Needs in Southwest Virginia 

Goal: Build collaborative partnerships between Virginia Tech’s Child Study Center, schools, and families in Southwest Virginia to identify current youth mental health needs and resources, and to leverage community perspectives in ongoing and future mental health related research conducted by this research team.  

Research team:  

• Samantha Margherio, assistant professor of psychology 
  
• Heather Davis, assistant professor of psychology 
  
• Rosanna Breaux, assistant professor of psychology 
  
• Jody Russon, assistant professor of human development and family science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences 
  
• Sang Won Lee, assistant professor of computer science 
  

Community partner: 

• Vanessa Wigand, health, physical, and driver education coordinator for the Virginia Department of Education
  

The inaugural seed grants support the consortium’s goal to serve as a driving force for innovative research from a Whole Health perspective. By harnessing a diverse range of expertise, the consortium aims to revolutionize systems, research, practices, and policies that affect the holistic health and well-being of people and communities through a transdisciplinary approach.