Sylvie Mrug, Ph.D., and Maria Hopkins, Ph.D.Sylvie Mrug, Ph.D., and Maria Hopkins, Ph.D., have been awarded a three-year grant and a four-year grant, respectively, from the Health Resources and Services Administration, marking a historic milestone as the first recipients of HRSA funding within the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Mrug’s grant will provide an expansion of training for students in the Ph.D. Medical/Clinical Psychology program in the UAB Department of Psychology. With the funding, three cohorts of five students will learn skills needed to provide mental health services in underserved communities. The program will offer rigorous didactic and experiential training in areas of substance use disorders, trauma-focused approaches, behavioral disorders in youth, interprofessional skills and telehealth — equipping future psychologists with the skills needed to treat mental health in various settings.
“This is our first training grant in psychology and the first HRSA grant in the College of Arts and Sciences, so it is very exciting for us to expand our funding portfolio. We are grateful for this opportunity to enhance our graduate psychology training and provide additional support for our students,” said Mrug, a University Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences. “With this grant, I hope we will be able to expand access to effective mental health services for Alabama residents who might not otherwise receive them.”
The grant is a collaboration of psychologists and other health care professionals across the UAB Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, and Pediatrics, as well as the School of Nursing.
Hopkins’ grant will strengthen the UAB Department of Psychology’s Mental Health Certificate program for undergraduates, preparing students to address Alabama’s critical mental health workforce shortage in a new program called Alabama BOLT – Building Opportunities for Learning and Training in Behavioral Health.
The program combines new coursework with hands-on training in integrated primary care, child and adolescent behavioral health, social determinants of health, cultural competence, and behavioral telehealth.
Four cohorts of 18 students will be selected for the program, where they will develop the skills needed to support children, adolescents and transitional-aged youth across Alabama. Students will also benefit from interprofessional education and collaboration with community-based providers, giving them real-world experience in high-need settings.
“Receiving this grant is an incredible honor and a vital step toward addressing Alabama’s mental health crisis,” said Hopkins, who is a professor in the Department of Psychology. “Ultimately, we hope that, by the time our students graduate, they will be ready to step into roles as mental health professionals, fully prepared to respond to Alabama’s urgent mental health needs and transform the lives of children, teens and young adults across the state.”