Center for Mental Health
Implementation Support (CMHIS)
Our Goal
People at risk for or with mental health disorders, especially in underserved and historically underrepresented populations, have difficulty accessing any care, effective treatments, or treatments delivered effectively (i.e., with high fidelity to original models). Implementation science is the study of how to successfully integrate effective interventions in settings.
Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA; H79SM090078; PI Heather Gotham), the Center for Mental Health Implementation Support (CMHIS) will translate findings from implementation science into pragmatic resources and targeted and intensive TA services to address national gaps, barriers, and problems faced by SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) grant recipients and mental health-related organizations.
The CMHIS has two goals:
Increase the availability of implementation science-based resources across eight core topic areas on how to select, implement, and sustain effective mental health practices.
Increase the capability of CMHS grant recipients and organizations that oversee or directly provide mental health services to select, implement, and sustain effective mental health practices. Five bi-regional Hubs for Mental Health Improvement Support (Hubs) will be established and provide targeted and intensive TA, leveraging the eight core resource areas.
Our Team
Heather Gotham, PhD
Dr. Heather Gotham is a Clinical Associate Professor and clinical psychologist who joined Stanford in August 2018. Her work focuses on increasing the capability of behavioral health and health care providers to implement evidence-based practices that more effectively help people with mental health and substance use disorders. Dr. Gotham is the Principal Investigator for the SAMHSA-funded Center for Mental Health Implementation Support (CMHIS) and is Co-Director of the Administrative Core of the NIDA-funded HEAL Data2Action Research Adoption Support Center. She is also a co-investigator on NIH-funded projects studying the implementation of substance use disorder screening and treatment approaches in HIV care settings and in women’s health settings.
Ricardo Canelo, MPH
Director of Operations
Ricardo Canelo, MPH, is the Director of Operations for the Center for Mental Health Implementation Support (CMHIS). The CMHIS is part of the Stanford Center for Dissemination and Implementation in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. Through the CMHIS, Ricardo is coordinating the work of 5 centers that provide technical assistance to the mental health workforce on strategies needed to implement the use of evidence-based mental health prevention, treatment, and recovery support services across the United States.
Jessica Gonzalez, MSW
Associate Director
Jessica Gonzalez, MSW is the Associate Director for the Center for Mental Health Implementation Support (CMHIS) at Stanford CDI. Through the CMHIS, Jessica is coordinating the work of 5 centers that provide technical assistance to the mental health workforce on strategies needed to implement the use of evidence-based mental health prevention, treatment, and recovery support services across the United States. Jessica previously worked in the community as a social worker providing mental health services in school and outpatient clinic settings to children and adolescents from diverse backgrounds.
Margot Heron
Communications Specialist
Margot Heron joined the Center for Dissemination and Implementation team in June 2024 as a communications specialist. With a BA from Occidental College, she possesses a strong foundation in communications and a deep commitment to impactful messaging. Prior to this role, Margot honed her skills in social media strategy at Lean In, where she developed campaigns that effectively engaged diverse audiences. Her ability to craft compelling narratives and execute strategic initiatives positions her well to promote Stanford CDI's vital work. In her current role, Margot aims to bridge the gap between complex research and public understanding, fostering greater engagement with implementation science. She collaborates with various teams, including CMHIS, C-DIAS, and RASC, to create innovative communication strategies that enhance the team's mission and outreach efforts.
Mark McGovern, PhD
Dr. Mark McGovern is a Professor of Psychiatry and of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. In 2017, he founded the Stanford Center for Dissemination and Implementation (Stanford CDI). After 20 years as a practicing clinician, Dr. McGovern is now focused on scaling up equitable access to evidence-based health care, improving the science of implementation and sustainment of evidence-based care in public and private health care organizations and systems, and training and mentoring the next generation of implementation scientists. Within the hub of CDI, he is the Senior Implementation Scientist for the Center for Mental Health Implementation Support (CMHIS) (H79SM090078). He is also the Principal Investigator of two federally funded national centers: the Center for Dissemination and Implementation At Stanford (C-DIAS)(P50DA05402) and the Research Adoption Support Center (RASC)(U2CDA057717).
The Stanford team is collaborating with five bi-regional Hubs:
- Northeast Atlantic and Caribbean Hub (Regions 1 & 2), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, led by Ann A. Murphy, PhD, CPRP, and Kenneth Gill, PhD
- East Coast Hub (Regions 3 & 4), Emory University, led by Benjamin Druss, MD, MPH
- Midwest Hub (Regions 5 & 7), University of Wisconsin-Madison, led by Todd Molfenter, PhD, and Sherrie Nichols, MS, LMFT
- Southwestern Plains Hub (Regions 6 & 8), University of Texas at Austin, led by Molly Lopez, PhD, and Stacey Stevens Manser, PhD
- Pacific West Hub (Regions 9 & 10), University of Washington, led by Lydia Chwastiak, MD, MPH, and Christina Clayton, LICSW, SUDP
Learn More
Starting April 2025, we will provide training and technical assistance specifically on "the how" or process of selecting, implementing, and sustaining effective mental health services. If you are interested in learning about CMHIS, please visit our website.