Research at OhioGuidestone
OhioGuidestone’s Research Center is committed to translating science to enhance lives and build further connections among communities. The Research Center seeks to advance the mental health field through empirical examination of clinical practices and validation of evidence based and informed interventions to leverage better outcomes for children, families, and communities.
Positioned within a social services agency, The Research Center’s focus revolves around examining interventions, and elucidating determinants of overall mental health and wellness in children, adults and families. Our research approaches include randomized control trials, validation studies and secondary data analysis. The Research Center uses study outcomes to inform program evaluation, clinical trainings and products, policy influencing and general knowledge through published media.
Producing Equitable Research
We value diversity in research by seeking to reflect an inclusive population within our samples that can ultimately improve comprehensive representation in behavioral health research. We do this intentionally to improve clinical intervention strategies that address not only the biological, psychological and social factors, but also socioeconomic determinants of behavioral and physical health.
Ethical Review & Training
We pride ourselves on designing and conducting research with measures of high ethical and data integrity. Our Research Center Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews all research activity in accords with local and federal regulations around research involving human subjects. The Research Center supports research ethics training for investigators, IRB members, and all staff involved in research activities.
All research activity at OhioGuidestone must be reviewed by the IRB. To submit your research to the IRB, or for more information around research ethics training, contact Brittany R. Pope.
Contact Us
General Questions about the Research Center, Research Studies
440-260-8865 or Research@ohioguidestone.org
Questions about Research Partnerships, Staff Positions, Internships, Presentations/Publications
Brittany R. Pope, Director of Applied Clinical Sciences & Research
216-644-1706 or brittany.pope@ohioguidestone.org
Research Assistants & Interns
Michael D’Agostino
Kristen Mitzel
Ryan Muskin
Anastasia Rose
Current Research Initiatives
Families: Fathers | Paternal Depression
Objective: Address health disparities for male fathers due to the lack of available screening protocols (and treatment pathways) for paternal postpartum depression; which will in turn improve childhood and family outcomes and better leverage paternal involvement with children.
Research Initiatives: Yates Paternal Depression Screening Tool Validation and Diagnostic Accuracy
Protocol Titles: Father’s Feelings Study (2019)
Current Research Initiatives
Early Childhood Mental Health | Joyful Together®
Objective: Prevent lifelong impacts of childhood adversity, trauma and toxic stress through an evidence based prevention model based on infusing joyful play with adult caregivers and children from birth through childhood.
Research Initiatives: Establishing an evidence based practice that builds childhood resiliency OhioGuidestone’s Joyful Together® model (Training & Research Initiative for home visiting, infant and early childhood mental health, foster care, and educational settings)
Protocol Titles:
- Joyful Play Babies and Children’s Research Study (2017-2020)
- Joyful Play Babies and Children’s Research Study with Cortisol Analysis (2018)
- Joyful Together ® School Days: Elementary (2018-2019 School Year)
- Joyful Together® School Days: Pre-K (2019; pending)
Internal & External Research Support
The Research Center supports OhioGuidestone through a variety of applied science efforts such as including literature searches for grant proposals, assistance with demonstrating programmatic outcomes for presentations and publications, implementation of evidence based practices, and assistance creating outcome measurement tools such as the agency’s new Functional Patient Reported Outcome Measurement (PROM) tool.
Support for both internal and external researchers is available on a case-by-case or contract basis to design research protocols, facilitate related research studies, or perform data analysis. To learn more about partnering with OhioGuidestone for research activities, please contact research@ohioguidestone.org
Sharing Our Results
The Research Center seeks to shape behavioral health and social service programs and policies at the local, state, and federal levels. Findings from The Research Center’s research are planned to be published widely in professional journals and continue to be presented to local, state, and national audiences. Examples of publications include annual conference presentations with the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), Association of Children’s Residential Centers (ACRC), and ZeroToThree. Publications will include peer review journal articles, OpEd pieces, research letters, and applied science white papers. Additionally, conference and convention seminars, workshops, trainings, and policy influencing platform presentations are planned locally and nationally.
