# Optimizing implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions to promote reach and retention among migrants in transit in humanitarian emergencies

> **NIH NIH K01** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2024 · $175,456

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The prevalence of mental disorder is three times greater in humanitarian settings relative to global averages.
Challenges to implementing mental health services in complex emergencies amplify health disparities for hard-
to-reach populations. Migrants transiting to a destination country are among those hardest to reach and retain
in care given their mobility and peripheral connections with established health systems. Innovative strategies
are needed to improve access to mental health services for migrants in transit. The goal of this K01 Mentored
Research Scientist Development Award is to prepare the candidate for an independent research career
dedicated to improving access to evidence-based mental health services for the hardest-to-reach populations
in humanitarian emergencies. Through this K01 award, the candidate will leverage the training resources
available through Columbia University and her mentorship team to acquire the skills needed in systems
science and human-centered design to develop and test strategies for improving reach and retention of
migrants in transit in scalable psychological interventions. The goal of this K01 research is to optimize
implementation of Problem Management Plus (PM+), a scalable psychological intervention, to improve reach
and retention of Venezuelan migrants transiting through Colombia. This research builds on an ongoing
research partnership between Columbia University and HIAS, a humanitarian non-governmental organization
in Colombia. The specific aims are: 1) To describe the individual-, community-, and systems-level relationships
that influence reach and retention in mental health services among Venezuelan migrants in transit in Colombia
using group model building; 2) To design and optimize an implementation plan to improve reach and retention
in PM+ among Venezuelan migrants in transit in Colombia through human-centered design; and 3) To
compare reach and retention in PM+ using the locally designed implementation plan relative to PM+
implementation-as-usual among Venezuelan migrants in transit in Colombia with a comparative interrupted
time series analysis. This research is an integral component of a rigorous training and career development
plan involving intensive training and mentorship in systems science, human-centered design, adapting
implementation strategies, and understanding structural, cultural, and social determinants of access to care
among migrants in transit in Latin America. This study will be the first to optimize implementation of mental
health services for migrants in transit and will provide critical preliminary data to inform an R01 application to
test promising implementation approaches at scale. This research aligns with NIMH’s strategic objective to
develop innovative service delivery models to improve mental health in diverse communities and populations,
as well as the priorities of the NIMH Global Mental Health and Human Mobility Research Program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10907513
- **Project number:** 5K01MH129572-03
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Martha Claire Greene
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $175,456
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10907513

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10907513, Optimizing implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions to promote reach and retention among migrants in transit in humanitarian emergencies (5K01MH129572-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10907513. Licensed CC0.

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