Zero to Thrive is delighted to welcome Dr. Angela Johnson to a new leadership role as the
Zero to Thrive Director for Equity and Community Engagement. Learn more about the Zero to Thrive team.
Translational Network and Research
The Zero to Thrive initiative brings together faculty across multiple disciplines to find real-world solutions to the problems families face from pre-conception through early childhood (0-6). Zero to Thrive brings together providers, academics, policy makers, and, importantly, families, to establish a shared agenda and common metrics.
This type of innovative, multi-layered research, is only possible with active collaborations with communities and multidisciplinary faculty, drawing on the strengths of a leading university with state-of-the-art knowledge and expertise. It is within this work with communities and across disciplines that dynamic and real solutions to lingering social problems can be found.
It is our goal to work with communities across public-private spheres to significantly impact the health and well-being of families with young children (0 – 6) right from the very start.
Co-Director, Zero to Thrive
AREAS OF INTEREST
Co-Director, Zero to Thrive
AREAS OF INTEREST
Steering Committee Chair, Translational Network,
Zero to Thrive
AREAS OF INTEREST
TRANSLATIONAL NETWORK FEATURE
Professor, Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health
Faculty Associate, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research
Research Scientist, Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
Dr. Zivin’s scholarly niche is at the intersection of behavioral health, public health, and public policy. She conducts mixed methods research and large policy evaluations. Recently, Dr. Zivin shared about her own experience in a MedPage Today podcast/essay: I Was Pregnant and Swallowed Handfuls of Pills – And now I want to end the stigma around depression.
Read more about Dr. Zivin’s recent work:
FEATURED RESEARCH PROJECT
Infant mental health home visiting (IMH-HV) is the primary service delivered to at-risk parents and their young children by Medicaid-funded community mental health service providers across the state of Michigan. The University of Michigan is overseeing two major studies in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health, the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health, the Michigan Collaborative for Infant Mental Health Research, and community health service providers to determine the evidence base for the program and ensure its future success.
Study 1 was a broad, county-wide study that captured data on every family with a child from birth to child age 3 receiving IMH-HV services in Detroit–Wayne County over a two year period (more than 500 families). IMH clinicians across Detroit-Wayne county representing seven CMH agencies administered clinically relevant assessments to infants and families on a quarterly basis. Data are currently being analyzed by the research team.
Study 2 provided a more in-depth evaluation of a smaller group of infants and families. Twelve CMH agencies across seven Michigan counties participated. The study enrolled 93 parents from pregnancy through child age 24 months as they began receiving IMH-HV services. Research staff measured multiple domains on a quarterly basis. These quarterly assessments reflected key federal home visiting benchmark domains including parent and child health, parenting and early relationships, child development, and community referrals and health service utilization. Initial study findings are in press to be published in a special section of the Infant Mental Health Journal.
The Thriving Together study is a randomized controlled trial based at the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry designed to develop and test a standardized training protocol in the model and to evaluate the efficacy of IMH-HV on a wide array of parent, child, and family biological, psychological, social, ecological and health outcomes. While the study is closed for new recruitment, data collection continues, and analysis of preliminary data is underway.
FEATURED RESEARCH PROJECT
Research shows that pregnant women suffering from mental health or substance use disorders frequently are not screened at prenatal visits and avoid seeking services due to attitudinal barriers, such as public, perceived, and self-stigmatizing attitudes about seeking help. Zero To Thrive faculty are partnering with Wayne State University on an initiative, High Touch High Tech (HT2), to address these barriers. HT2 uses a tablet-administered tool, the Mommy Checkup app, to screen expectant mothers for mental health and substance use needs. The Mommy Checkup app is universally and proactively administered at prenatal care visits, helping to reach a high proportion of at-risk women, rather than only reaching those who self-identify or are otherwise flagged through less systematic means. The HT2 project is currently adding the option for the woman to connect with a Behavioral Health Consultant (BHC), a Social Worker, who is either embedded in the prenatal care practice or is available by phone or text from a remote site to provide brief psychoeducation and/or referral to and coordination of services.
Translational Network: What's Happening
On May 5th, the Zero to Thrive Translational Network sponsored a Rapid Response Talk and
If you're interested in more information or joining the Z2T Translational Network, please contact the Zero to Thrive team: