Investigator Development (IDeA) Award 2023: Amy Brausch

• Institution: Western Kentucky University

• Department: Psychological Sciences

• Rank: Professor

• Project Title: Cognitive and Contextual Factors in Suicide Ideation Persistence in Adolescents 

• About the project: My project is examining mental health, social, and quality of life factors that contribute to adolescents experiencing thoughts of suicide. It will also examine how these factors may contribute to adolescents having suicidal thoughts over and over again, and which are more protective and contribute to not having suicidal thoughts. 

• Intended outcomes: I hope the project identifies factors that are changeable, and that I can work with schools and the community on changing them to prevent suicide in young people.

• How KY INBRE will help accomplish these goals: KY INBRE has supported all of the previous research I have done to be successful in receiving funding from NIH to complete the current project. KY INBRE is also supporting the salary for the Project Manager I hired to help coordinate the study.

• Outside of the classroom/lab: Interesting fact – I love to travel and have been to 46 states in the US. I lead trainings for therapists on how to best provide treatment to patients who have suicidal thoughts across the US, in Canada, in Australia, and in Singapore.

Above right: Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, 2022; bottom right: Conference in Northern Ireland, 2019