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Spotlight Research Presentations
Dissemination & Implementation Science
Zestcott, C. A., Blair, I. V., & Stone, J. (2016). Examining the presence, consequences, and reduction of implicit bias in health care: a narrative review. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 19(4), 528-542.
,Hagiwara, N., Duffy, C., Cyrus, J., Harika, N., Watson, G. S., & Green, T. L. (2024). The nature and validity of implicit bias training for health care providers and trainees: A systematic review. Science Advances, 10(33), eado5957.
, Liu, F. F., Coifman, J., McRee, E., Stone, J., Law, A., Gaias, L., ... & Lyon, A. R. (2022). A brief online implicit bias intervention for school mental health clinicians. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2), 679., ,
Freda F. Liu, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, WA, United States
Rosemary Reyes, B.A. (she/her/they/them)
Research Study Coordinator
University of Washington, Dept of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Seattle, WA, United States
Yasmín Landa, B.A. (she/her/hers)
Research Study Coordinator
University of Washington
Seattle, WA, United States
Roger Goosey, B.S. (he/him/his)
Research Manager
University of Washington
Seattle, WA, United States
Elizabeth Connors, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Yale University School of Medicine
New Haven, CT, United States
Aaron Lyon, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
Professor
University of Washington
Seattle, WA, United States
Despite the robust evidence-based for cognitive-behavior therapies for a wide range of youth mental health issues, broad implementation continues to be limited in community settings (e.g., schools) with disparate access and uptake for racial/ethnic minoritized (REM) youth. Healthcare providers’ implicit bias has been identified as a significant contributor to these disparities due to its adverse effects on the client-provider relationship and inequitable delivery of high-quality, evidence-based practices (EBP).1 Although implicit bias trainings are proliferating, few are evidence-based and designed for mental healthcare.2
We conducted a randomized pilot feasibility trial of an implicit bias training for school mental health clinicians (SMHC)—Virtual Implicit Bias Reduction and Neutralization Training (VIBRANT)—an interactive, brief (45-min) eLearning module. Informed by the established implicit cognition literature, VIBRANT was iteratively developed using human-centered design methodology and initially tested in a proof-of-concept open trial with 12 SMHC.3
This NIH-funded study evaluates VIBRANT’s feasibility and preliminary effectiveness to address SMHC’s implicit bias and promote equitable implementation of a highly learnable EBP—measurement-based care (MBC or routine collection of client-reported data to inform clinical decision-making). We hypothesized that SMHC in the VIBRANT condition will show more equitable delivery of MBC (e.g., fewer differences between REM and non-Hispanic white [NHW] clients) and report better therapeutic alliance with REM youth compared to control group SMHC. We also expect VIBRANT SMHC to demonstrate greater reductions in their implicit bias and greater use of the VIBRANT bias-management strategies.
Data collection ends Summer 2025. Thus far, 89 SMHC (63% NHW, 89% female) have been recruited and randomized to receive MBC training with or without VIBRANT; 74% completed training and post-training data collection. Beyond results of hypothesized outcomes and mechanisms, the presentation will also discuss innovations in the research methodology (e.g., clinician caseload service logs, youth data) and intervention package (e.g., weekly discussion topics, post-training consultation).