The STARR News: March 2023 |
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Congratulations to the 2022 STARR Site of the Year Award:
CNS Healthcare!
CNS Healthcare, with sites in Orlando, Jacksonville, and Memphis, was honored for their work supporting mental health research and awareness, their community engagement, and their vital contribution to The STARR Coalition community.
Since 1996, CNS Healthcare has been dedicated to the highest integrity, quality, and ethical standards in clinical research. They offer 24/7 availability to their patients for questions or support, and continues their delivery of care to patients after the completion of a trial, as they prepare for the next steps in their journey to wellness. CNS Healthcare consistently demonstrates commitment to the well-being of patients well beyond the trial.
CNS Healthcare is actively engaged their local communities and can be seen out and about in their mobile unit, meeting with patients, supporting community activities and events, and offering education on mental illnesses and mental health clinical research. In November, the CNS Healthcare purple mobile clinic was used for their annual Basket Brigade – delivering meals and supplies to families all over Central Florida
Among the dozens of volunteer and sponsorship activities, CNS Healthcare works with the Hearts of Florida United Way and the Woman’s United Group; they offer free mental health screenings and information to University of Central Florida and Edward Waters College families and students, as well as at the Central Florida Family and Kids Expo and many other local community events. They provide ongoing support to their local MHA, DBSA, and NAMI chapters, The Autism Society, the annual Mental Health Summit, the Memphis Food Bank, and Porterleath and Le Bonheur’s Children Hospital through their “Books from Birth” program and their annual children’s toy drive.
Accepting the award on behalf of CNS Healthcare was Dan Kearney, CEO. Dan
and the CNS Healthcare team has been involved with the STARR Community, including being STARR Certified Sites, co-chairing the Diversity Workgroup, and collaborating and sharing their expertise with the STARR Community.
Congratulations to CNS Healthcare!
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March is
Disability
Awareness Month
This is the 35th year that March has been recognized as National Disability Awareness Month, with nationwide events to increase public awareness of the contributions and the potential of people with disabilities and address the barriers that those with disabilities face.
Everyone wants, and deserves, to enjoy life, and feel productive and secure. But in March, we take extra steps to raise awareness about the supports and rights of the people with disabilities and to celebrate their contributions to our communities and society as a whole.
This month, consider how you might help someone living with a disability to thrive and to have opportunities to live a life to the best of their abilities. ❤
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March is Women's History Month, commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.
The National Women's History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2023 theme is "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories." This theme recognizes "women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and social media."
In honor of Women’s History Month, contributing author and member of the STARR Diversity Workgroup, Molly Little, wrote 'A Thank You Letter to the Women who Raised Researchers'. Check out her tribute to the brilliant, strong women that are continuing to impact medicine as well as communities of women HERE.
For Women's History Month, the Diversity Workgroup has created a series of graphics to spotlight some of the women of the STARR. Watch for them all month long on our social media outlets!
Find more information on Women's History Month HERE.
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The Evolution Research Group STARR Certified Sites hosted a refresher training for their study screeners and patient-facing staff on the STARR 911 program.
STARR 911 is designed to identify those who may be having thoughts of suicide and assures they are given helpful information and when appropriate, a warm hand-off to a suicide prevention specialist.
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Held via Zoom, STARR staffers Erica Moore and Mallory Mercer reviewed the purpose of the STARR 911 program and how it fits into the screening process, while ensuring that callers' entire experience with research staff is positive and patient-centric.
The STARR 911 training reviewed current practices around handling difficult conversations about suicidal ideation, ways to improve communication and care, the importance of direct language when discussing suicide, and ensured that the site staff is equipped with the latest script for STARR 911, in conjunction with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
This training is critical for the full utilization of STARR 911 and is free to all STARR Certified Sites. Please reach out to Erica (erica@thestarr.org) or Mallory (mallory@thestarr.org) to schedule your STARR 911 Training.
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There is still plenty of time to organize your team for this year's NAMIWalks Spring United Day of Hope!
On May 20th, communities across the country come together for NAMIWalks Spring United Day of Hope. Not only does your participation help to magnify mental health awareness and raise funds for NAMI’s programs, but NAMIWalks are excellent events to come out and engage as part of your community!
Consider being a sponsor and setting up a table with information on your site along with information on the mental illnesses that your site specializes in. This is a great way to bring the community together, offering site resources, and building trust within the community!
Find your state's NAMIWalks event HERE and team up with the best and brightest mental health advocates in the county.
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Last month, we introduced Danielle (Mitchell) Coe, founder of Black Women In Clinical Research. This month, we are excited to announce the Clinical ResearcHER campaign, designed to increase awareness of clinical research and clinical trials within African American communities.
Many individuals, particularly in historically marginalized and/or multi-cultural communities, don't understand what clinical research is or how it works, let alone trust medical researchers. That's why BWICR developed this campaign.
The Clinical ResearcHER campaign focuses on providing information on clinical trials within African American communities. We hope that by sharing this information with others, we can increase awareness about how clinical research benefits everyone involved in them—even those who aren't involved in them directly!
For more information, visit bwicr.com contact Danielle at dcoe@bwicr.com.
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Clinical Trial Design Challenges and Opportunities for Emerging Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder: A Review - Consensus recommendations are presented regarding the most critical elements of trial design for the evaluation of novel OUD treatments, such as: (1) stage of treatment that will be targeted (eg, seeking treatment, early abstinence/detoxification, long-term recovery); (2) role of treatment (adjunctive with or independent of existing OUD treatments); (3) primary outcomes informed by patient preferences that assess opioid use (including changes in patterns of use), treatment retention, and/or global functioning and quality of life; and (4) adverse events, including the potential for opioid-related relapse or overdose, especially if the patient is not simultaneously taking maintenance MOR agonist or antagonist medications.
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Last month, CenExel iResearch had the pleasure of joining forces with C.I.S.C.R.P at the Black Health Matters Winter Health Summit & Expo at the Loudermilk Conference Center in Atlanta, GA. Maria Reid, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC and Joshua Thompson, MD, MHA from our team provided on-site health screenings and shared information on clinical trials.
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The event held during Black History Month concentrated on issues pertaining to modern healthcare, its advancements and how people of color can benefit. We were thrilled to participate and enjoyed speaking with all the attendees, speakers and vendors.
What a great opportunity to introduce communities of color to research, present site resources, and build trust within the community!
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North Texas Clinical Trials (NTXCT) is participating in the Miles for Migraine walk/run this month. This event is a fundraiser for migraine and headache awareness, treatment and research.
The team at NTXCT is excited to get active, in their best purple flair, and raise awareness for migraine and headache research!
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Midwest Clinical Research Center (MCRC) hosted a lunch & learn and chatted with the staff and guests at Bridges of Hope, a Dayton shelter that provides food, shelter, clothing, toiletries, and even counseling on housing and job acquisition.
Midwest Clinic for coming in and talking to our guests.
MCRC also sponsored a Collaborative Resource Luncheon for GCR (Give, Connect, Receive) at TRIO Bistro. This event provided a great opportunity to connect and share how Cincinnati area mental health and addictions providers can meet and help one another serve the community through each of our mental health and addiction programs.
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Segal Trials is posting Tuesday Tips for Mental Health and we are loving these! Each Tuesday, they post a simple activity or meaningful way to engage your brain for improved mental health. Whether it's tracking gratitude and achievements in a journal, doing something creative, or choosing something in your life that you'd like to accomplish or improve and taking one step toward that goal, these #TuesdayTips are an effective way to both encourage their followers good mental health practices and help build trust in their commitment to their community!
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ASENT Annual Meeting 2023, being held March 13-15, 2023, will be virtual and free to attend. Learn about the latest in neurotherapeutics including innovations across disease states, novel delivery systems, gene therapy and biomarkers, and drug therapies and devices. Learn more here.
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The ADAA 2023 Conference will be held on April 13-16, 2023, in Washington, DC at the Renaissance Washington, Downtown DC. The theme for the conference is From Science and Technology to Evidence-Based Practice: Enhancing Access Through Integration. For more information, click here.
ACRP 2023 is being held April 28-May 1 in Dallas. The Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) invites clinical research professionals to join them to learn strategies, best practices, and creative solutions for improving clinical trial quality and advancing your career. Learn more here.
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The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, the association for community behavioral health centers, residential mental health and substance use service providers, and family welfare agencies, invites you to learn alongside 5,000+ health care professionals at NatCon23, the largest conference in mental health and substance use treatment, from May 1-3, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. For more information, click here.
American Psychological Association (APA) 2023 Annual Meeting is being held May 20-24, 2023 in San Francisco, CA. This year's theme is 'Innovate, Collaborate, Motivate: Charting the future of mental health'. For details and to register, click here.
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Join the NAMI community for NAMICon 2023! Whether you connect in-person, May 24-27 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, or online, June 6-8, there is so much to learn and experience at NAMICon 2023. Build connections, be inspired, reenergize and reaffirm your commitment to building better lives for those affected by mental illness. For details, visit NAMICon.
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The Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP) to be held at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel on May 30 – June 02, 2023. Submissions are open for presentations and posters. Details can be found here.
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The 148th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (ANA2023) will be held in Philadelphia, September 9-12, 2023. Learn more here.
The Site Solutions Summit is being held October 6-8, 2023 in Hollywood, Florida. Organized by the Society for Clinical Research Site (SCRS), the Site Solutions Summit provides a unique hub where sites, sponsors, CRO executives, and regulators come together to discuss best practices and ideas while developing strategic partnerships through ideation sessions, workshops, and focus groups. Learn more here.
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The 2023 Mental Health Services Conference, October 12-14, in Washington, D.C., brings together everyone caring for those with mental illness, including psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, primary care physicians, social workers, and more, to collaborate on practical advice to influence systems-level change for their patients. Learn more here.
6th Edition of International Conference on Neurology and Brain Disorders Conference (INBC2023) will be held in Boston, October 19-21, 2023. More information here.
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Sites -- please share your feedback!
We are working with FCD on a clinical research site staff training program meant to quickly provide fundamental, practical skills for research site staff. The first part of this training will focus on newly hired staff that has little or no experience in clinical research.
Please help us by answering the following question:
What is the greatest challenge for newly hired research staff?
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Please select one response:
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General understanding of stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities.
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General understanding of site staff’s roles and responsibilities.
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Coming up to speed on research lingo/terms/language.
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Understanding the protocol / protocol comprehension.
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Documentation (what to write and what not to write).
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Engaging patients for study retention.
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Other (please describe in reply)
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Results from last month's survey to sites: |
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Hidden Brain:
Happiness 2.0: Cultivating Your Purpose
Having a sense of purpose can be a buffer against the challenges we all face at various stages of life. Purpose can also boost our health and longevity. In this podcast, Cornell University psychologist Anthony Burrow explains why purpose isn’t something to be found — it’s something we can develop from within.
We loved this podcast and are excited to share it -- check it out HERE.
Thanks to 1440 Daily Digest for this one!
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The STARR Site Certification was created to help advance mental health clinical research by promoting community engagement, empathy, and communication between research sites, staff, patients, and advocacy groups, as well as providing support for best practices around working with advocacy, suicide prevention, and other areas that enhance clinical research.
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The STARR Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, our Tax ID # is 47-4634007.
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Thank you for reading!
If you have questions, comments, or would like to submit an item to be included in an upcoming newsletter, please email erica@thestarr.org.
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The STARR Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, our Tax ID # is 47-4634007.
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The STARR Coalition | phone: 501-725-8890 | www.thestarr.org |
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SHARE, CARE, AND BE KIND. |
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