Faith Summersett Williams, PhD, MS, a behavioral scientist in The Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, received a K23 grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The funds ($750,000 across the award period September 2024–August 2029) will support her research study, Adaptation and Implementation of SBIRT for Adolescents with Chronic Medical Conditions Hospitalized in Pediatric Inpatient Units.
Adolescents with a chronic medical condition have high rates of risky drinking and drug use and account for the majority of pediatric inpatient hospitalizations; however, chronic medical conditions are not routinely screened for alcohol use in pediatric inpatient settings, highlighting a major missed opportunity. Dr. Summersett Williams’s mentored research proposal will facilitate the implementation of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) in inpatient units within a large urban pediatric hospital, while providing preliminary data to inform the development of a highly scalable approach that can be used in pediatric hospitals across the country. SBIRT is a public health intervention and treatment approach for people with substance use disorders or those at risk of developing them.
The mentorship team will be led by primary mentor Sara Becker, PhD, Director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM)–Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, an expert in implementing SBIRT targeting risky drinking in pediatric health settings. The proposal will also be supported by Robert Garofalo, MD, MPH, Division Head of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Lurie Children’s; Lisa Kuhns, PhD, MPH, Research Professor of Pediatrics (Adolescent Medicine) at Feinberg School of Medicine; and Patricia Franklin, MD, MPH, MBA, Professor of Medical Social Sciences (Implementation Science, Determinants of Health) at Feinberg School of Medicine. They are experts in intervention adaptation, human- and equity-centered design methods, and the learning health system model, respectively.
Dr. Summersett Williams is the founder and Principal Investigator of the Implementation science + Health Equity Advancement Lab (I+HEAL) at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute and a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Feinberg School of Medicine.
Pediatric research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute.
