Child Psychiatry Advanced Center for

Intervention and Services Research (ACISR)

Goal • Work Groups • Contact

Principal Investigator: David Shaffer, M.D.

Core Directors: Mark Olfson, M.D, M.P.H..; Moira Rynn, M.D.; Myrna Weissman, Ph.D.

Faculty: Anne Marie Albano, Ph.D, ABPP.;

Prudence Fisher, Ph.D.; Larry Greenhill, M.D.; Laura Mufson, Ph.D.;

Brad Peterson, M.D, Rachel Zuckerbrot, M.D.

ACISR GOAL: The goal of the ACISR is to develop, refine, and implement research to improve the treatment of youth mental health problems in the community. 

WORK GROUPS : Faculty, research scientists, and postdoctoral fellows affiliated with the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and all of the schools of Columbia University can participate in work groups to develop and conduct treatment-related studies that serve the goals above.  Current workgroups include:

a)  Essentials of Psychotherapies and Structuring Assessment: An initiative to outline and test what are deemed to be the most essential components of therapy for children and adolescents for delivery in community settings (e.g., community mental health centers). 

Contact Person:   Laura Mufson, Ph.D. (mufsonl@childpsych.columbia.edu).

b)  Optimal Ways of Providing Psychiatric Treatment in Primary Care Settings:  An initiative that calls for the examination of innovative methods to provide psychiatric treatment in community primary care. 

Contact Person:   Rachel Zuckerbrot, M.D. (zuckerbr@childpsych.columbia.edu).

c)  Techniques for Retraining Professionals in Evidence-based Practices:  This initiative calls for the development and evaluation of models and methods to train community professionals in evidence-based practices.

Contact Person:   Anne Marie Albano, Ph.D. (albanoa@childpsych.columbia.edu).

d)  Underserved Patient Groups:  An initiative related to the design, implementation, and assessment of treatment protocols for under-examined and underserved groups.  A population of interest is depressed mothers. 

Contact Person:   Myrna Weissman, Ph.D. (weissman@childpsych.columbia.edu)

e)  Information Technology Methods Related to Treatment Quality: An initiative to develop innovative uses of information-technology systems in community psychiatric treatments.

Contact Person:   Mark Olfson, M.D., M.P.H. (olfsonm@childpsych.columbia.edu)

CONTACT:  If you have any questions, please contact Heidi Fitterling at fitterlh@childpsych.columbia.edu or 212-543-5065.