I-Corps: Scaling infrastructure for paraprofessional mental health workforce development

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of software technology to train paraprofessionals in mental health care to benefit adults who are at risk of mental illness. Currently, there is a shortage of mental healthcare solutions. The proposed technology is designed to address negative health outcomes that often co-occur with anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, and other mental health-related issues. The goal is to create efficiencies by leveraging artificial intelligence and other technologies to promote individual health literacy and empower self- and community-care. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a software platform combining emerging artificial intelligence and natural language processing and mental health implementation science to serve mental health paraprofessionals. The proposed technology is based on research around the training and tracking of mental health care providers, the care they give, and the outcomes of their interventions. The first phase of discovery and proof-of-concept that facilitates the practice administration and training and supervision for paraprofessional workers has been completed and the technology is currently in beta testing. The goal for the next phase is to build the training and measurements leveraging artificial intelligence while assuring quality, safety, and effectiveness. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.