UMass Chan to lead new center studying suicide prevention technology

A modern hospital building with a sign that reads UMass Chan Medical School

Photo | Timothy Doyle UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester

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By Isabel Tehan

Researchers at UMass Chan Medical School will lead a multi-institute center aiming to reduce and prevent suicide through the use of technology.

The National Institute of Mental Health is funding the center, part of a $17-million initiative, which Worcester-based UMass Chan will lead in partnership with more than 100 other organizations, including UMass Memorial Health, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Zero Suicide Institute, according to a Tuesday announcement from UMass Chan.

The center, to be called Center for Accelerating Practices to End Suicide through Technology Translation (CAPES), will use the five-year grant to jumpstart implementation of suicide prevention technology in a variety of clinical settings.

“The NIMH grant is really focused primarily on figuring out how to accelerate best practices into clinical care across a range of health care settings, including emergency departments, inpatient units and outpatient settings,” Edwin Boudreaux, professor of emergency medicine at UMass Chan and co-director of CAPES, said in the announcement.

The first major initiative at the center will be evaluating a digital health platform called Jaspr, a type suicide prevention software. The project will be rolled out in November. The center plans to investigate similar platforms.