Peru
The Improving Access to Mental Health Care Globally CO-LLAB Research Group seeks to improve access to mental health care in under-resourced settings through the development of culturally informed, integrated mental health care systems and services and sustainable training of non-mental health professionals. The research group is built on strong bidirectional collaborations with local universities, government entities, and NGOs in Peru and seeks to improve capacity for research and clinical care delivery in the country.
Integration of Mental Health Care into Primary Care in Rural Peru
Developing Measures to Improve Access to Integrated Mental Health Care Services in Under-Resourced Global Settings
Peruvian National Survey of Mental Health and Service Utilization
Responding to the Need for Mental Health Care
In Peru, primary care and mental health services are typically delivered in separate locations. Mental health centers are often situated far from where patients receive routine care, creating barriers to access, reinforcing stigma, and contributing to burnout among the limited mental health workforce. While administrative stakeholders and community leaders support integrating mental health into primary care, additional expertise and implementation resources are needed to support local adaptation, rollout, and evaluation.
At the same time, the legacy of civil conflict and unrest in Peru has contributed to increased psychological distress and trauma in many regions of the country, despite limited resources to meet the growing need for care.
In response, our research team has developed a multi-year plan to support evidence-driven integration of mental health services within Peru’s primary care system, beginning with a pilot program in the rural Huánuco region. In collaboration with the Huánuco Regional Department of Health, this effort focuses on strengthening the capacity of primary care workers to identify and manage common mental health conditions within routine care settings, supported by the development and beta-testing of an asynchronous smartphone-based training platform for frontline providers.
Our Team
Boston-Based Team
Maria C. Prom, MD
Principal Investigator
Krisztina Baltimore, PhD
Research Associate
Jimena Vizarreta Rosas, MD, MPH
Resident Trainee (MGH/McLean Psychiatry Residency Program)
Érinn C. Cameron, PhD
Impact Scholar, University of Michigan Center for Global Health Equity
Jessica Thai, MD/MPH Candidate
Medical Student Trainee (BU CAMED/BUSPH)
Sadie Ochoa, MD Candidate
Medical Student Trainee
Peru-Based Team
Victor Cruz Campos, MD, MS
Principal Investigator
Andres Pariamachi, MD
Co-Investigator
Juan Claux, PhD, MSc
Co-Investigator
Andrea Lozano Quintana
Research Fellow
Ariana Dueñas Muñoz
Research Coordinator
Valery Marin
Research Assistant
Esteban Alarcon Braga, MD, MPH, MSc
Research Assistant
Paula Gamarra
Research Assistant
Research
Learn more about our research in Peru below.
Integration of Mental Health Care into Primary Care in Rural Peru
Our team has built a collaborative research partnership with the Peruvian National Institute of Health, Huánuco Regional Department of Health under the Ministry of Health, and the University of San Martin de Porres Medical School to support the development of integrated mental health care systems. The project proposes to adapt and pilot an integrated mental health care system within primary care in rural Huánuco, Peru with the goal for future scale up at a national level. This project is primarily funded locally by the Huanuco Regional Department of Health and University of Huanuco.
Objectives:
Conduct a community-based participatory research mixed methods needs assessment to inform mental health integrated care program adaptation.
Adapt existing mental health integrated care program models to the local environment.
Conduct a pilot feasibility trial to assess feasibility and acceptability of the adapted model.
Principal Investigators: Drs. Maria Prom, Victor Cruz, Elizabeth Levey
Developing Measures to Improve Access to Integrated Mental Health Care Services in Under-Resourced Global Settings
In Sept 2024, our collaborative research group was awarded a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) R34 Grant to develop measures to improve access to integrated mental health care services in global settings. This study complements the above integrated mental health care adaptation and pilot study in Huánuco, Peru.
Objectives:
To conduct a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) focused mixed methods needs assessment to inform access measurement adaptation for integrated mental health care services.
To adapt existing care access measurement frameworks to an integrated mental health care service model.
To conduct a pilot feasibility trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the adapted access measurement system.
Main Principal Investigators: Drs. Maria Prom, Victor Cruz, Elizabeth Levey
Peruvian National Survey of Mental Health and Service Utilization
Our team has built a collaborative research partnership with the Peruvian National Institute of Health, Huánuco Regional Department of Health under the Ministry of Health, and the University of San Martin de Porres Medical School to support the development of integrated mental health care systems. The project proposes to adapt and pilot an integrated mental health care system within primary care in rural Huánuco, Peru with the goal for future scale up at a national level. This project is primarily funded locally by the Huanuco Regional Department of Health and University of Huanuco.
Objectives:
Conduct a community-based participatory research mixed methods needs assessment to inform mental health integrated care program adaptation.
Adapt existing mental health integrated care program models to the local environment.
Conduct a pilot feasibility trial to assess feasibility and acceptability of the adapted model.
Principal Investigators: Drs. Maria Prom, Victor Cruz, Elizabeth Levey