Adrienne Lapidos, PhD, Earns MIP Scholar Award for Work Implementing an Intervention to Promote Oral Health Among Medicaid-insured Individuals with Serious Mental Illness

Congratulations to Adrienne Lapidos, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry with Michigan Medicine, who is the 2020 recipient of the Michigan Mental Health Integration Partnership (MIP) Scholar Award.

The MIP Scholar Award supports U-M faculty implementing and evaluating mental health services that promote integrated care and seek to improve access to evidence-based practices for lower income and Medicaid eligible populations with behavioral health care needs in the state of Michigan. The $50,000 award provided by the U-M Depression Center Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Collaborative Innovations Fund is now in the process of being matched 1:1 with Michigan Medicaid funds.

Dr. Lapidos’ project “The Peer Oral Health Initiative” will start in fall 2020. The project aims to deliver a tailored intervention via Certified Peer Support Specialist in non-traditional settings to promote oral health and access to dental care among Medicaid-insured individuals with psychiatric disabilities. The Peer Oral Health Initiative will have 3 pillars: outreach, support, and linkages to ensure the success of integrating oral health into other healthcare settings.

About Dr. Adrienne Lapidos: Adrienne Lapidos is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, and is a member of the University of Michigan Depression Center and Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. Her research focuses on innovations designed to improve access to care, especially novel interventions led by Community Health Workers that integrate physical, behavioral, and oral health.  As a practicing clinical psychologist at Michigan Medicine, she works with individuals living with depression, psychosis, and post-traumatic stress.