A grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will expand a longstanding behavioral health workforce and education training program at the University of Memphis to include the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Dr. Anne ZachryTogether, the two institutions will launch an initiative aimed at building a stronger behavioral health workforce in West Tennessee.
The project is funded through HRSA’s Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Professionals. Titled “BHWET Program for Professionals: INterprofessional TEams GRounded in Apprenticeship, Technology, and Evidence (INTEGRATE),” the initiative is designed to expand access to behavioral health services by increasing the number of well-trained professionals prepared to work with children, adolescents, and young adults facing mental health, trauma, and behavioral health challenges.
Over the course of four years, $540,000 in stipends will be awarded to 16 graduate students and residents at UT Health Science Center to help offset cost-of-living expenses. This financial support is intended to reduce student debt and promote service in high-need areas. UT Health Science Center trainees will include 12 students in the Master of Occupational Therapy program and four physician trainees in Psychiatry residency.
Dr. Alicia BarnesThe leads on the project from UT Health Science Center are Anne Zachry, PhD, OTR/L, professor and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy, and Alicia Barnes, DO, MPH, UCI Endowed Chair of Excellence and division director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry. The lead from the University of Memphis is Dr. Susan Neely-Barnes, PhD, who has led the workforce initiative at UofM for the past 11 years.
The INTEGRATE program employs a dual-pronged approach of blending didactic and experiential learning with enhanced clinical supervision. Trainees will gain hands-on experience in interdisciplinary, community-based settings that serve populations in need of support throughout West Tennessee.
Through interdisciplinary training on topics such as Adverse Childhood Experiences, telehealth, integration of behavioral health in primary care, substance use, and the use of artificial intelligence in behavioral health practice, INTEGRATE is preparing students to meet both current and future challenges in mental health care.
“This grant is not just an investment in workforce development,” Dr. Zachary said. “It’s a powerful collaboration between UT Health Science Center and the University of Memphis that will prepare students from both institutions to lead in behavioral health care.”
Dr. Susan Neeley-Barnes“This award strengthens community and academic partnerships across Memphis and West Tennessee by fostering collaborative training initiatives with key mental health organizations, including Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and Alliance Healthcare Services,” Dr. Barnes said.
“The INTEGRATE program is pleased to partner with UT Health Science Center to add students from occupational therapy and psychiatry residents to our successful training program,” Dr. Neeley-Barnes said. “The Mid-South needs more behavioral health professionals and we are glad that we can continue supporting students who will fill gaps in our workforce.”
By cultivating a workforce that equips future providers with meaningful, forward-looking clinical experience, the INTEGRATE program is poised to make a lasting impact on behavioral health access and outcomes across Tennessee and beyond.
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