About

Founded in 2024, the Institute for Integrated Behavioral Health Research (IIBHR) at Western University of Health Sciences' College of Health Sciences advances interdisciplinary and interprofessional research to strengthen the integration of behavioral health into health care and community services. Through implementation and outcomes research, we generate evidence to improve access, quality of care, and health outcomes, with an emphasis on health equity and underserved populations. Our work informs clinical practice, workforce development, and policy through collaboration with academic, clinical, community, and industry partners.

The Opportunity and Need

Mental health and substance use challenges represent a major public health concern, affecting millions of people and requiring coordinated responses through clinical care, community services, and population-level prevention. Behavioral health systems face persistent workforce shortages, barriers to integration with primary care, and unequal access to services, particularly in rural communities and among underserved populations. Social and structural factors contribute to inequities in access, quality of care, and health outcomes. Gaps remain in the adoption and sustained use of evidence-based practices in routine care, highlighting the need for implementation support and workforce preparation aligned with evolving service delivery models. The Institute aims to address these challenges through implementation science and behavioral health services and systems research, generating evidence to strengthen integrated care, inform workforce development, and guide efforts to reduce inequities in access, quality, and outcomes.

Mission and Strategic Focus

Mission: The Institute for Integrated Behavioral Health Research advances interdisciplinary and interprofessional research to inform the integration of behavioral health into health care and community services and improve access, quality of care, and health outcomes.

Strategic Focus: The Institute emphasizes implementation and outcomes research to evaluate integrated care models, inform workforce development, and identify strategies to reduce inequities in behavioral health access and outcomes.

Strategic Pillars

The Institute's work is organized around four strategic pillars:

1. Research & Scholarship: Conducting and disseminating research, including systematic reviews, implementation studies, outcomes evaluations, and analyses of large-scale datasets.
2. Workforce Development & Training: Generating evidence to inform workforce recruitment, distribution, and retention, and developing and evaluating educational approaches that support integrated, interprofessional care.
3. Community Engagement & Health Equity: Collaborating with community partners to identify research priorities, develop relevant interventions, and address inequities in behavioral health access, quality, and outcomes.
4. Policy & Systems Impact: Translating research findings into policy briefs, white papers, and evidence-informed recommendations to guide behavioral health policy and service delivery.