Annual Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Research Centers of Excellence Conference
The 2026 Annual Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Research Centers of Excellence Conference took place on May 6, 2026. This year's theme is "Building solutions and breaking barriers: Advancing behavioral health through community collaborations".
Hosted by: Massachusetts General Hospital Center of Excellence (CoE) for Psychosocial and Systemic Research and UMass Chan Medical School Implementation Science & Practice Advances Research Center (iSPARC)
About: DMH funded two new centers of research excellence in October 2018. The goal of the conference is for DMH clients, their family members, DMH staff, and providers to learn more about the work these two centers are doing and for these centers to learn how their research can best support DMH, its mission, and the people served by DMH. The conference emphasizes community-engaged research, including the importance of engaging persons living with mental health challenges, their family members, and the providers and staff who serve them in all phases of the research process. Perspectives of people with lived experience will be included.
2026 CoE Conference Agenda
Welcome & Opening Remarks
A Collaborative Approach to Managing Aggression in the Hospital and the Community, followed by a panel discussion
Marsha Langer Ellison, PhD, UMass Chan iSPARC, Alex Khoury, MPA, MassDMH, Julianne Flynn, LICSW, MassDMH, and Megan Kelly, PhD, UMass Chan iSPARC
A Collaborative Approach Presentation Slides
No Wrong Door: A Statewide Partnership to Expand Medication Access and Use for People with Serious Mental Illness
Cheryl Foo, PhD, MGH CoE for Psychosocial and Systemic Research, Harvard Medical School
No Wrong Door Presentation Slides
Strengthening Statewide Implementation of Alternative to Incarceration Program
Dara Drawbridge, PhD, UMass Chan iSPARC, Michelle Crist, PhD, UMass Chan iSPARC, Vincent Lorenti, Esq., MA Probation Service - Office of Community Corrections
Strengthening Statewide Implementation Presentation Slides
Promoting Positive Aging for People with SMI Living in the Community: The Hopeful Healthy Living Program
Kim Mueser, PhD, MGH CoE for Psychosocial and Systemic Research, Harvard Medical School, Jasen Coole, MA, ACCS, Baycove Human Services
CMEs for physicians and CEUs for Psychology, RN, Social Work, OT, and LMHC were available.
