Lee Savio Beers, M.D., is the director of the DC Collaborative for Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care and the DC Mental Health Access in Pediatrics (DC MAP) Program. Both initiatives are designed to improve the integration of mental health into primary care to improve access and quality. Research and evaluation focus on interventions designed to increase access to care. For example, recent evaluation of a longitudinal, quality improvement learning collaborative demonstrated significant increases in routine mental health screening at pediatric well-visits. Other initiatives include a pilot study evaluating the impact of integrating Certified Family and Peer Support specialists into the DC MAP program, in order to improve family engagement in mental health services, and analysis of patterns of mental health screening and referral in primary care.
In partnership with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Dr. Beers co-directs the Early Childhood Innovation Network (ECIN), a transformative and innovative approach to reducing the impact of adversity and community deprivation on young children in the District of Columbia. ECIN provides a platform for intervention evaluation as well as systems-based research, with a focus on rapid cycle evaluation.