{"id":225155,"date":"2023-04-28T11:06:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T15:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=225155"},"modified":"2023-04-28T09:30:20","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T13:30:20","slug":"sph-launches-new-center-for-trauma-and-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2023\/sph-launches-new-center-for-trauma-and-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"SPH Launches Center for Trauma and Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin sphnews-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-media-focus-center-middle has-text-position-x-left has-dark-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1280\" height=\"600\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/mental-health-and-trauma.png\" class=\"has-background-opacity has-background-opacity-40\" alt=\"Shadow of a person visible on wet and oily ground\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/mental-health-and-trauma.png 1280w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/mental-health-and-trauma-636x298.png 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/mental-health-and-trauma-1024x480.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/mental-health-and-trauma-768x360.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/mental-health-and-trauma-755x354.png 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/mental-health-and-trauma-970x456.png 970w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/mental-health-and-trauma-900x422.png 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/04\/mental-health-and-trauma-1200x563.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Center for Trauma and Mental Health<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSPH Launches Center for Trauma and Mental Health\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Launched in advance of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Center will research and develop public health strategies to address the health consequences of stress and trauma. Jaimie Gradus will lead the center, which envisions a future where mental health achieves parity with physical health in terms of cultural acceptance and accessibility of services.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar sphnews-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">April 28, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/authors\/megan-jones\/\">Megan Jones<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>When post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was first introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1980, a traumatic event was characterized as a catastrophic stressor outside the range of usual human experience, such as warzone combat. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK207192\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Understanding of trauma<\/a> has evolved over time and led the DSM to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK207192\/table\/section1.t1\/?report=objectonly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">broaden the definition<\/a> of a traumatic event to include more common experiences, such as domestic violence. While this progress has enabled clinicians to better identify and treat individuals in crisis, PTSD and other diagnosable mental disorders represent only a fraction of the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Research at the School of Public Health has shown that over the course of their lives people experience a range of negative events\u2014such as <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/22099861\/\" target=\"_blank\">financial pressure<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/dad2.12067\" target=\"_blank\">racial discrimination<\/a>, and the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/35235345\/\" target=\"_blank\">COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>\u2014that do not all meet DSM criteria for trauma but can cause significant distress and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/35084778\/\" target=\"_blank\">affect physical and mental health<\/a> in a similar manner. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clinicalkey.com\/#!\/content\/playContent\/1-s2.0-S2215036622001961?scrollTo=%23bib2\" target=\"_blank\">By this definition<\/a>, trauma is not an unusual experience but rather an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2018\/trauma-and-its-aftermath\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">important determinant<\/a> of the health of populations, particularly <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/22144187\/\" target=\"_blank\">marginalized communities<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To synergize efforts across the school to address the heavy societal burden of trauma, SPH has launched the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/research\/centers-and-groups\/center-for-trauma-and-mental-health\/\">Center for Trauma and Mental Health<\/a> (CTMH), a cross-disciplinary hub for scholarship to further understand the full spectrum of stressful and traumatic events and their consequences. The center will be the largest of its kind, bringing together researchers, clinicians, policymakers, students, and community members to advance public health strategies that identify vulnerable populations and prevent adverse health outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Among the many lessons of 2020, with the pandemic and murder of George Floyd, a really salient one for me was that we need better public health approaches to addressing stress, trauma, and mental health on a population-wide scale,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/jaimie-gradus\/\">Jaimie Gradus<\/a>, associate professor of epidemiology at SPH and psychiatry at BU\u2019s Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and director of CTMH. She recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2022\/professor-receives-2-5m-nih-grant-to-study-trauma-mental-health-and-cardiovascular-disease\/\">received a $2.5 million grant<\/a> from the National Institutes of Health to study how post-traumatic mental health conditions may affect cardiovascular disease risk and explore possible differences in risk by sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Equity and justice will serve as guiding principles for the center, which will emphasize community engagement in all aspects of its work and focus on changing systems, policies, and programs for the benefit of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote sphnews-block-bu-pullquote has-image-focus-center-middle has-primary-theme has-primary-theme-text\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><figure><\/figure><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">&#8220;As an activist school of public health, we have already taken the lead on addressing inequities across many domains of health and this will be no exception.&#8221;<\/div><footer class=\"caption\">Jaimie Gradus, associate professor of epidemiology at SPH and psychiatry at BU\u2019s Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and director of the Center for Trauma and Mental Health<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cResearch has shown that stress, trauma, and poor mental health have a disproportionally negative impact on the lives of people who are already vulnerable, marginalized, and historically disenfranchised. As an activist school of public health, we have already taken the lead on addressing inequities across many domains of health and this will be no exception,\u201d says Gradus, who spearheads the school\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/give\/strategic-directions-big-ideas\/mental-and-behavioral-health\/\">Mental and Behavioral Health strategic direction<\/a>\u2014one of five strategic directions reflecting&nbsp;critical public health needs where SPH shows both strength and potential for growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/carol-dolan\/\">Carol Dolan<\/a>, clinical associate professor of community health sciences, serves as faculty advisor to the student organization <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/students\/student-services\/student-organizations\/mental-health-public-health-connections\/\">Mental Health Public Health Connections (MHPHC)<\/a> and teaches several courses on mental health, including Stress as a Public Health Problem, and Trauma, Trauma-informed Care, Recovery and Resilience. Dolan says she has witnessed growing awareness that mental health is not exclusively a personal matter but a matter of public health since the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2014\/sandro-galea-of-columbia-named-new-dean-of-bu-school-of-public-health\/\">appointment<\/a> of Dean Sandro Galea, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/sandro-galea\/\">scholar of trauma<\/a> himself, and the introduction of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/education\/degrees-and-programs\/master-of-public-health-programs\/certificates\/mental-health-and-substance-use\/\">mental health and substance use context certificate<\/a> to the MPH program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As certificate director, Dolan has led the growth of the mental health and substance use certificate to 12 courses across nearly every department. CTMH will further enhance multi-disciplinary collaboration at SPH as well as provide more training and networking opportunities to students, says Dolan. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of dots and I think that\u2019s what the center can do, connect the dots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In alignment with School\u2019s core purpose\u2014Think. Teach. Do. For the Health of All\u2014the mental health and trauma portfolio at SPH covers a variety of areas of public health research, training, and practice. Current areas of study and ongoing programs include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2020\/climate-change-and-a-host-of-mental-health-outcomes\/\">climate change<\/a> and mental health after natural disasters, <a href=\"https:\/\/ciswh.org\/research-racism-trauma-and-family-stress-asian-american-womens-health\/\">psychosocial stressors<\/a> and health in Asian American women, risk of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2020\/professor-receives-award-to-study-mental-health-of-transgender-college-students\/\">suicide<\/a> in transgender college students, racial discrimination and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2022\/cdc-responds-to-professors-call-for-permanent-assessment-of-racial-discrimination-in-pregnancy-survey\/\">preterm birth<\/a>, behavioral neurotoxicology and <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/gwic\/\">Gulf War Illness<\/a> in veterans, health service delivery to survivors of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2023\/post-overdose-programs-may-lower-opioid-related-death-rates\/\">overdose<\/a>, racial disparities in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2022\/professor-receives-640k-grant-to-study-racial-disparities-in-youth-gun-injuries\/\">firearm injuries<\/a>, mental health <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ideahub.org\/successes\/busph-researchers-helps-a-mental-health-advocacy-program-for-kids-reach-new-heights-during-covid-19-and-beyond\/\">advocacy<\/a> for children involved in the court system, <a href=\"https:\/\/shield.bu.edu\/\">training<\/a> of health professionals to support mental health in schools, and global health <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pghs\/\">storytelling<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Center for Trauma and Mental Health aims to catalyze the work done at the school in this area across departments, and to lead the way to new areas of science and practice that can advance the field,\u201d says Dean Galea. \u201cI am looking forward to engaging with, and learning from, the center.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/research\/centers-and-groups\/center-for-trauma-and-mental-health\/\">Click here<\/a> to learn more about the Center for Trauma and Mental Health.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-two sphnews-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"362\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2022\/12\/MentalHealth_FeaturedImage.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Cartoon depicting elderly people hanging laundry to dry, images of war, a war medal, pills\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>mental health<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2022\/the-way-forward-shifting-from-stigmas-to-solutions\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">The Way Forward: Shifting From Stigmas to Solutions<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">December 12, 2022<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"362\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2022\/12\/disaster-600.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Tsunami damage of the East Japan great earthquake disaster\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>natural disaster<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2023\/the-adverse-health-effects-of-disaster-related-trauma\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">The Adverse Health Effects of Disaster-Related Trauma<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">January 3, 2023<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was first introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1980, a traumatic event was characterized as a catastrophic stressor outside the range of usual human experience, such as warzone combat. Understanding of trauma has evolved over time and led the DSM to broaden the definition [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22210,"featured_media":225220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[2070,2178,3891,1871,3887,2574,4307],"bu-publication":[3516],"sphnews-article-category":[3519,3520,4308,3530,3531,3540],"sphnews-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"profile_tax":[466,2825],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/225155"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225155"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/225155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233458,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/225155\/revisions\/233458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225155"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=225155"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-article-category?post=225155"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-topic?post=225155"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=225155"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=225155"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=225155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}