The Center for Dissemination & Implementation (Center for D&I) at the Institute for Public Health has awarded a pilot grant to fund research aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccinations among people with mental health and substance use disorders.
The research, headed by Phillip Marotta, assistant professor at the Brown School and an Institute Faculty Scholar, includes investigative contribution from fellow Faculty Scholars, Leo Cabassa, PhD, MSW, and Byron Powell, PhD, LCSW, along with other colleagues.

The study will identify implementation strategies to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake, identify barriers to increasing the reach of vaccinations, and identify the costs and resources necessary to integrate the implementation of vaccines in a behavioral health care setting. Findings from this study will advance the knowledge of implementation strategies to increase COVID-19 vaccinations among people with mental health and substance use disorders.
Our center’s pilot grants aim to support the development of projects to the point that they’re ready to compete for external funding. Pilot grants are just one of the funding programs at our center designed to support a broad range of dissemination and implementation studies.
Read more about funding programs at the center.
The Center for Dissemination & Implementation at the Institute for Public Health nurtures the continued development of methods and perspectives for conducting D&I research, supports investigators to build careers in implementation research, and assists the advancement of clinical care and public health settings locally and globally.