Rogers Research Center announces first-ever Annual Research Excellence Awards
02/24/22 02:40:pm
To recognize the investigators, clinicians, and teams for their exemplary work, Rogers Research Center named the first-ever recipients of the new Annual Research Excellence Awards.
“As we continue to build Rogers Research Center and expand the exciting and meaningful research across our organization, we want to take a moment to celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of so many talented, hard-working individuals,” says Kelly Piacsek, vice president, Research.
Please see below for the winners and join us in congratulating them!
Commitment to Quality:Josh Nadeau, PhD, senior clinical director at Rogers’ Tampa clinic, for serving as chair of the Rogers Institutional Review Board and leading the team through significant procedural changes and increases in study volumes.
Best Manuscript (1):Caitlin Pinciotti, PhD, associate research psychologist, for the primary authorship of “Intolerance of Uncertainty and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Dimensions,” which was published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders. Bradley Riemann, PhD, chief clinical officer/chief operating officer, was a co-author along with a psychologist from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Best Manuscript (2):Nyssa Bulkes, PhD, a data scientist, for the primary authorship of “Comparing Efficacy of Telehealth to In-Person Mental Health Care in Intensive-Treatment Seeking Adults,” which was published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. Kaley Davis, research associate, Brian Kay, PhD, vice president, continuous improvement, and Dr. Riemann were co-authors. Read more about the study in a recent Insight story.
Clinical Champion (1):Megan Walhood, a licensed professional counselor and behavior specialist from Silver Lake, for clinical recruiting support on the RetrainOCD after-care study. Read more about the study in a past Insight story.
Advancing Research:HanJoo Lee, PhD, a clinical programmer, for his work establishing a research environment within the Rogers Outcomes Assessment System (ROAS). It supports research participant screening and deployment of research-only assessments and electronic consents that will both expand and expedite patient involvement in clinical research activities.
Research Teamwork Award:The Data Analytics team for leadership in building collaboration procedures, common vocabulary, and data structures to support the development of secure, high-quality research data sets.
Research Visionary:Dr. Riemann for his vision and support to establish the Research Center as a world-class behavioral health research program that will inform the global field of behavioral health and lead to better outcomes for Rogers patients. He also collaborated on both Best Manuscript winners.
“It is amazing what Dr. Piacsek, the Research Center team, and the awardees have been able to accomplish in such a short period of time, especially given the COVID pandemic,” says Dr. Riemann. “I am very grateful to Pat Hammer (Rogers president and CEO), our System Board of Directors, and our generous donors for all of their help and support in creating the Research Center. I am also very honored to be included in this inaugural group of award winners!”
Dr. Lee, who won the Advancing Research Award, agrees it is very gratifying working with so many wonderful colleagues to advance research at Rogers.
“It has been truly amazing and inspiring to see the substantial expansion and growth of Rogers’ research mission in recent years,” he says. “I hope to be able to continue to contribute to our mission, which will translate into invaluable knowledge and innovation for improved patient care.”
Megan, who was one of the Clinical Champion recipients, says that Roger’s reputation for evidence-based practice and emphasis on clinical research is one of the reasons she was attracted to join the organization.
“As a therapist in an OCD and Anxiety program, I have been able to work closely with the Rogers RetrainOCD app support and research teams,” she explains. “They provided us with education and coaching for introducing the app to patients, as well as presenting the option for patients to participate in an after-care study. I am grateful and honored to be able to contribute to this important research.”
