Research Opportunity in Youth Mental Health

The COVID-19 pandemic and national attention on racial and social divisions across the United States cast a glaring light on educational inequities and unequal access to mental health services between students of color and white students. Building equity-centered and sustainable school-based mental health services and related supports is a priority in Rhode Island.

The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) is the recipient of multiple federal grants to support and expand youth mental health services for Rhode Island students in grades Pre-K to 12. Dr. Hailee Dunn, founder of HDC Inc., and her team are leading the evaluations of these grants. Drs. Dunn and Pearlman (Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Department of Epidemiology, respectively) are using SurveyWorks, RIDE’s statewide annual suite of surveys, to better understand youth mental health disparities, risk and protective factors associated with student well-being, school workforce development, and changes in data points over time.

Independent Research Opportunity or Thesis Project

We are looking for a Master’s or PhD student to collaborate on the analysis of multiple years of SurveyWorks data (2016-2023) with a focus on constructs asked in consecutive years (e.g., school climate, cultural awareness and action, teacher-student relationships, school safety). Additional analyses will look at survey questions asked before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the height of the pandemic, and in the years that follow, by race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

Qualifications

1. Strong quantitative skills through courses that cover regression modeling
2. Experience with SAS (preferred)
3. Knowledge of SAS or willing to learn the statistical program
4. Strong writing skills
5. Well organized and can work independently
6. Experience with advanced statistical modeling preferred but not required

Time Period

Summer and fall 2023 with the potential to extend into the spring of 2024

Stipend

$1,500 to $2,000 based on 15 to 20 hours/week

Application Instructions

Email a brief cover letter outlining your interest in the position and qualifications. Attach CV with other statistical packages you work in (R, SPSS, STATA), if applicable. Send to: hailee_dunn@hdconsulting-ri.org and Deborah_Pearlman@brown.edu with subject line: Research Opportunity Youth Mental Health