Methods Core

The ASPIRES Methods Core (MC) brings together investigators from a range of disciplines to collectively address design, implementation, methodological, and technological challenges that impede progress toward effectively reducing the youth suicide rate. Our transdisciplinary team includes experts in study design methodology for behavioral and population interventions, predictive analytics to improve clinical decision making, development of digital health interventions, implementation science, qualitative methods, integration of multi-level data elements representative of patient and community health, and geospatial modeling of environment and social structure on population health. The MC capitalizes on substantial institutional infrastructure and intellectual capital at both The Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) and The Ohio State University (OSU), and Co-Leaders Drs. Brock, McAlearney, and Lin have each led both specialized and multidisciplinary teams with broad impact spanning multiple areas of health. The MC will work with ASPIRES investigators to facilitate in a pediatric population 1) development and testing of novel and scalable interventions and research-generated resources with significant appeal for stakeholders; 2) rapid and widespread dissemination of new, effective practices; 3) continuous improvement of suicide prevention interventions delivered in real-world settings; 4) interdisciplinary team science to facilitate novel and convergent solutions to intractable suicide prevention challenges; and 5) training of students, fellows, early career, and advanced investigators from different educational and experiential backgrounds to conduct cutting-edge translational suicide prevention research. Our MC provides a methodological anchor connecting all ASPIRES projects, and our transdisciplinary team with substantial expertise, resources, and infrastructure at both NCH and OSU will ensure that all ASPIRES projects are conducted with scientific rigor and broadly disseminated. Creative partnerships with the Zero Suicide Institute and the OSU CCTS Pilot Project Program augment outreach, engagement, and dissemination. Methodological and technological advances from our MC provide innovative approaches to overcoming challenges facing behavioral interventions for reducing the youth suicide rate. Synergistic study design elements across ASPIRES projects provide unique opportunities to study implementation and efficacy aspects of suicide prevention interventions across primary, specialty, and acute care. Collectively, these developments support innovative and rigorous evaluation of ASPIRES interventions and provide the groundwork for further design and refinement of implementation strategies necessary to scale these interventions in future studies.