# Methods Core

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $852,083

## Abstract

The Methods Core will ensure the methodological innovation and rigor of the Penn Innovation in Suicide
Prevention Implementation Research (INSPIRE) Center’s studies. The Core will respond to the needs of and
leverage the opportunities provided by INSPIRE research to develop, implement, and test new methods to
address three major questions at the intersection of suicide prevention and implementation science: 1) What are
the best ways to adapt and implement evidence-based suicide prevention interventions in a variety of settings
to optimize reach, effectiveness, and sustainability? 2) How do we accurately and efficiently measure fidelity to
evidence-based suicide prevention interventions upon scale-up? 3) As we move from research to practice, how
do we provide accurate information on associated costs that can be used for system planning? The Methods
Core will lead dissemination efforts for these new tools as well as Center research findings, ensuring that
INSPIRE becomes a local and national resource to the research, practice, and consumer communities beyond
the University of Pennsylvania. Method Core members will be experts in suicide prevention, implementation
science, statistics, economics, machine learning, qualitative research, and participatory design. Methods and
models from each of these disciplines will undergird our projects. The Methods Core has four Specific Aims.
Aim 1: As a scientific incubator, refine and develop new methods to answer three major challenges in the field
of suicide prevention research, including (a) optimizing intervention adaptation and implementation strategy
design; (b) developing efficient and effective strategies for fidelity measurement using machine learning; and (c)
advancing the science of measuring implementation costs for suicide prevention interventions. Aim 2: Provide
centralized state-of-the-science assessment, data management, statistical, and human subject protections
support to INSPIRE Projects, Pilot Studies, and subsequent research applications. The Core will ensure rigor
and adherence to highest ethical and research standards across all Center research by centralizing Institutional
Review Board and Data Safety Monitoring Board review and study design and data analysis resources. The
Core will maximize the potential for data pooling and sharing through use of common measures and data
harmonization. Aim 3: Disseminate INSPIRE scientific resources. Our research findings will inform both research
and practice in suicide prevention; Aim 1 will result in research tools that will be made freely-available to suicide
and other researchers. We will leverage national networks, University of Pennsylvania’s communications
apparatus, and the INSPIRE website to disseminate these resources widely to multiple sectors. Aim 4: Ensure
rigorous evaluation of INSPIRE’s research productivity and impact by providing strategic, methodological, and
technical support to the Administrative Core. We will apply quantitative eva...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10294752
- **Project number:** 1P50MH127511-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** David S Mandell
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $852,083
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-15 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10294752

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10294752, Methods Core (1P50MH127511-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10294752. Licensed CC0.

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