ccase
CCASE is housed in the Division of Social Solutions & Services Research at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research. CCASE is one of two Centers of Excellence established in 2007 by the State of New York to address the disparities in mental health services uptake and engagement. The legislative goal for each Center is to “identify, assess the outcome, and disseminate best practices of demonstrated behaviors, attitudes, policies and structures” that work effectively, and cross-culturally. To achieve this goal, CCASE conducts rigorous research and evaluation that prioritizes cultural, social, and structural factors as primary determinants of behavioral health services access and engagement.
mission
CCASE advocates for and engages in disparities research and evaluation that addresses the cultural, social, and structural determinants that cause and reproduce inequity in behavioral health. We focus on stigma and discrimination, housing instability, carceral involvement, and substance use – each posing challenges that should be prioritized as we rethink our current systems of care. The determinants are complex as they intertwine with race, ethnicity, sexual identity, socioeconomic condition, immigration status, language, and aging. Understanding the intersection of these multilevel constructs is essential, and at the forefront of our work as we create the most innovative, scalable, and sustainable strategies for behavioral health service delivery.
staff
Crystal Fuller Lewis, PhD CV
Division Head & CCASE Director
Dr. Lewis joined NKI in 2015 and appointed as the Head of the Division of Social Solutions and Services Research, Director of CCASE, and as an Associate Professor, in the Department of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Also at NYU, Dr. Lewis was recently (2021), named as the Laurie M. Tisch Scholar for Racial Equity in Mental Health. She earned a Ph.D. in infectious disease epidemiology from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University and from there, launched a 15-year NIH-funded research program in the Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Employing multilevel and structural research investigations to address racial inequalities, Dr. Lewis was able to successfully implement several pharmacy-based intervention trials in low-income, urban neighborhoods to increase access to HIV prevention, harm reduction and substance use services. Dr. Lewis is currently investigating pharmacies as “access points” for opioid treatment, including tele-buprenorphine services, overdose prevention, mental health and infectious disease treatment and prevention services. In addition to research, Dr. Lewis is one of the primary curriculum developers of the CCASE Cultural & Structural Humility Training tailored to both the community and clinical mental health workforce.
Helen-Maria Lekas, PhD CV
Research Scientist & CCASE Co-Director
Dr. Lekas joined NKI in 2016 as a Research Scientist in the Division of Social Solutions and Services Research, and as Co-Director of CCASE. She is an Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia University and served as an Associate Professor at Mailman School of Public Health and built a 13-year NIH-funded research portfolio on infectious and chronic diseases in low-income and racialized communities. Engagement in medical care, patient-provider relationships, intersectional stigma, symptom interpretation and illness management in persons with behavioral health needs makeup her research agenda. Her projects are based on using applied, sophisticated theory-driven research methods. Most recently, Dr. Lekas is one of the primary curriculum developers of the CCASE Cultural & Structural Humility Training optimized for the youth and family mental health services workforce, and also a key collaborator on a large scale stigma-reduction initiative led by The New York State Office of Mental Health.
Sharifa Williams, DrPH, MSc., MPH CV
Research Scientist & Statistician
Dr. Williams is a Research Scientist and Biostatistician in the Division of Social Solutions and Services Research. She received a Doctor of Public Health and Master of Science in biostatistics as well as Master of Public Health in health policy & management from Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Dr. Williams oversees statistical operations for the Division and CCASE. Her expertise includes survey data analysis and biostatistical methods applied to identifying and quantifying health disparities that arise from exposure to structural adversity. She’s adept in analysis of statewide data across NYS high priority areas (i.e., overdose, and suicide). Her NIH-funded research entails use of longitudinal psychosocial data to identify disparities across the life-course. She has an academic appointment as Assistant Professor at Edward J Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
Kerstin Pahl, PhD
Research Scientist
Dr. Pahl is a Research Scientist in the Division of Social Solutions and Services Research, a member of the CCASE Leadership Team, and a licensed psychoanalyst. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from NYU’s Steinhardt School for Culture, Education, and Human Development. Her research has focused on the longitudinal pathways to and the developmental patterns of health behaviors and well-being, including substance use and sexual behaviors spanning the life-course. Her research interests also include development of ethnic and racial identities, impact of discrimination on development and health, and resilience resources that promote well-being in youth and adults of color. Today, Dr. Pahl is exploring longitudinal associations of socioeconomic disadvantage and racial discrimination with allostatic load among midlife African American and Latino adults.
Ayana Jordan, MD, PhD CV
Psychiatrist & Researcher
Dr. Jordan is an endowed Barbara Wilson Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatrist and Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health at New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine. She also serves as Pillar Co-Lead for Community Engagement at NYU Langone’s Institute for Excellence in Health Equity. As Principal Investigator for the Jordan Wellness Collaborative (JWC), she leads a research, education, and clinical program that partners with community members to provide optimal access to evidence-based treatments for racial and ethnic minoritized patients with mental health disorders.Through her multi-faceted work, she provides addiction treatment in faith settings, studies health outcomes for people with opioid use disorder in the carceral system, and trains addiction specialists to provide culturally-informed treatment.Dr. Jordan is dedicated to creating spaces and opportunities for more people of color, specifically Black women in academia who are vastly underrepresented. She has numerous peer-reviewed publications, has been featured at international conferences, and is the proud recipient of various clinical and research awards. The fundamental message of equity and inclusion has informed her research, clinical work, and leadership duties at NYU and beyond.
Babak Tofighi, MD
Research Scientist
Dr. Tofighi is a Research Scientist in the Department of Social Solutions and Services Research, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health, NYU School of Medicine, and practices primary care at Bellevue Hospital. He previously completed a clinical fellowship in Addiction Medicine and an NRSA-funded T32 primary care research fellowship. He was then awarded an NIH/NIDA K23 Career Development Award to develop mHealth tools to enhance retention in primary care for patients initiating buprenorphine treatment. Dr. Tofighi is also working with Dr. Lewis to collaborate with community pharmacies and leverage technology-based interventions to enhance access to pharmacotherapies for substance use disorders in underserved urban, rural, and suburban New York communities.
Carrie Masia, PhD CV
Research Scientist
Dr. Masia is a Research Scientist in the Division of Social Solutions and Services Research, and a member of the CCASE Leadership Team. She earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, followed by an NIMH postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University. She spent 13 years as an Associate Professor in the Department of Child Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and now appointed as a Professor of Psychology at Montclair State University. Dr. Masia is an expert in implementation science, leading several randomized controlled trials addressing social anxiety among adolescents in community settings. Today, she is leading a federally-funded school-based trial evaluating best practices to identify and treat anxiety in Black and Latinx youth.
Gilbert Nick, LMSW, MPA CV
Research Scientist
Mr. Gilbert Nick is a Research Scientist in the Division of Social Solutions and Services Research, a licensed social worker, and a doctoral student in Social Welfare at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He received his Master of Social Work and Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, and Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College. His current research focuses on exploring risk and protective factors among racial and ethnic groups using behavioral health services, and identifying cultural and structural factors that impact access, quality and utilization of mental health services. Prior to NKI, he worked at the NYC Health Department, overseeing health promotion campaigns and programmatic initiatives for racial and ethnic groups, people with serious mental illness and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), and Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) persons.
Research Support
Jennifer C. Hernandez, MPA
Division & CCASE Administrator
Linda Capobianco, MA
Project Administrator
Laura Perrone, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Navin Sanichar, MPH
Research Project Manager & Data Analyst
Skylar Gross, MPH
Research Project Manager & Data Analyst
Chloe Blau, MA
Research Coordinator
Sebrena Tate, BS
Research Coordinator/Health Equity Trainer & Evaluator