American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

This grant supports the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues (EPI Center) in a project to improve access to evidence-based suicide prevention interventions for youth in school and community settings. The project uses a “mediated engagement model” that connects scientific expertise and lived experience expertise with policy to address gaps in information, resource allocation, and implementation related to youth suicide prevention interventions. This model is highly collaborative, fostering collaboration between groups at varying levels of policymaking, decision-making, and implementation. A key component of this approach is a virtual convening framework, which has been successful in other deeply complex topical areas where misalignment between community needs and policymakers has hindered allocation of expertise and resources to effective projects. Through this model and framework, the EPI Center aims to strengthen relationships and build partnerships among mental health experts, organizations representing lived experience experts, and state decision makers to advance youth suicide prevention efforts.  

This grant supports the Dana Frontiers objective to pilot multidirectional engagement opportunities to embed community perspectives in research, policy, and decision-making.